Google and Vodafone top global and UK brand lists

In Brand Finance's annual survey, Google has topped the global list with a brand valuation $44.3bn (£27.3bn), edging Microsoft at $42.8bn (£26.3bn) into second place.

Vodafone is the largest telecoms brand, and the fifth-biggest brand overall, with a valuation of $30.7 (£18.9bn).

Apple's brand rating has shot up from 20th to 8th place, with a brand value of $29.5bn (£18.2bn).

US brands dominate the top 20 brands, taking 13 places, while British brands take only three. HSBC is ranked 11th, with a valuation of $27.6bn (£16.99bn), and Tesco is 19th, with a valuation of $21.1bn (£12.99bn).

Coca-Cola has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, dropping from third to 16th place, with a valuation of $25.8bn (£15.9bn).

According to Brand Finance, this was partly due to a revised methodology in measuring brand value, but also a consumer move away from highly sugared drinks.

David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance, said: "Vodafone's presence in the top 10 is testament to the UK's ability to grow and nurture great brands, despite a tough economic climate.

"From a global perspective, five of the top 10's largest growers are technology-related companies, reinforcing the importance of embracing technological innovation to give a seamless, value-enhancing brand experience.

"We have found that, across many leading companies, senior management are increasingly using brand valuation dashboards to monitor the health of their brands throughout the year, in order to make better informed strategic marketing decisions.

"This trend is likely to continue as the sheer size of these brand values becomes impossible to ignore."

Brand Finance Most Valuable Global Brands - 2011
Rank 2011	Rank 2010	Brand	Brand Value 2011 (US$ millions)	Brand Value 2010 (US$ millions)
1	2	Google	44,294	36,191
2	5	Microsoft	42,805	33,604
3	1	Wal-Mart	36,220	41,365
4	4	IBM	36,157	33,706
5	7	Vodafone	30,674	28,995
6	12	Bank of America	30,619	26,047
7	6	General Electric	30,504	31,909
8	20	Apple	29,543	19,829
9	15	Wells Fargo	28,944	21,916
10	11	AT&T	28,884	26,585
11	8	HSBC	27,632	28,472
12	14	Verizon	27,293	23,029
13	9	HP	26,756	27,383
14	10	Toyota	26,152	27,319
15	13	Santander	26,150	25,576
16	3	Coca-Cola	25,807	34,844
17	18	McDonalds	21,842	20,192
18	23	Samsung	21,511	18,925
19	17	Tesco	21,129	20,654
20	39	Mercedes-Benz	20,798	13,883
21	26	Mitsubishi	20,473	17,805
22	22	The Home Depot	20,423	19,013
23	29	BMW	20,157	16,616
24	31	Pepsi-Cola	19,514	15,991
25	24	China Mobile	19,317	18,673
26	40	Chase	19,150	13,400
27	28	Intel	19,078	16,642
28	43	Bradesco	18,678	13,299
29	25	Orange	18,622	18,352
30	27	Shell	18,605	16,997
31	33	Nike	18,437	15,808
32	42	Amazon	17,780	13,340
33	66	Nestle	17,455	11,178
34	45	Barclays	17,358	13,134
35	54	ICBC	17,194	12,083
36	36	Citi	17,133	14,362
37	55	China Construction Bank	17,092	12,076
38	44	UPS	17,012	13,170
39	35	Siemens	16,769	14,709
40	51	Ford	16,662	12,652
41	116	Itaú	16,655	6,911
42	37	BNP Paribas	16,643	14,060
43	46	Honda	16,355	13,083
44	62	Chevron	16,265	11,464
45	34	Target	15,989	15,224
46	50	American Express	15,529	12,737
47	19	Walt Disney	15,424	13,435
48	73	Deutsche Bank	15,169	9,862
49	30	AXA	15,099	16,403
50	65	Tata	15,085	11,216

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk