Apple passes Coke as most valuable brand

According to Interbrand's Best Global Brands 2013 report released last week, Apple is now the most valuable brand in the world.  Interbrand's annual ranking of global brands brings together market, brand, competitor, and financial data into a single framework. The methodology, which has been refined over the years, calculates a net present value of brand earnings based on Interbrand's collection of financial data, a demand analysis, and competitive analysis.  (See info about the methodology, here.)

Apple outpaces #2-ranked Google (Apple at $98.3 billion vs. Google at $93.3 billion).  But both of these front-running, tech/web companies far out-pace #3, Coca-Cola at $79.2 billion.  Of the five brands designated by Interbrand as "top risers," four are tech giants (Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook); Prada is the only non-tech brand cited as a "top riser."

Some background on Apple's rise to the top of the Interbrand ranking is provided at a Fortune blog on October 2nd: How Apple became the world's most valuable brand.

Particularly interesting for brand-geeks are the articles and interviews with a selection of chief brand officers that complement Interbrand's ranking and analyses.