Amazon is the world’s most valuable brand ahead of Apple and Google in the 2018 Brand Finance Global 500. The e-commerce giant’s brand value increased by 42 percent year on year to a whopping 150.8 billion U.S. dollars.
It is no longer just an online retailer, but also a provider of cloud infrastructure and a producer of electronics. Now, it is moving beyond the digital space, as last year’s takeover of Whole Foods for 13.7 billion U.S. dollars gave the brand a foothold in the realm of bricks and mortar. Amazon is also present in shipping, music and video streaming, alongside industry speculation on an impending bank acquisition in 2018.
Apple defended 2nd place in the ranking, although its brand value rebounding to 146.3 billion U.S. dollars after the 27 percent decline last year, its future looks bleak. Apple has failed to diversify and grown over-dependent on sales of its flagship iPhones, responsible for two thirds of revenue.
Google has dropped from 1st to 3rd position, recording a relatively slow brand value growth of 10 percent to 120.9 billion U.S. dollars. Google is a champion in internet search, cloud and mobile OS technology but, similarly to Apple, its focus on particular sectors is holding it back from unleashing the full potential of its brand.
The fastest-growing brand comes from China. Wuliangye, a Chinese brand of aromatic liquor, grew a striking 161 percent year-on-year to 14.6 billion dollars, rising 184 ranks to 100th, according to the latest Brand Finance Global 500 report unveiled by the London-based market research company on Thursday, Wuliangye’s fast growth could be attributed to its sound brand development strategy of premiumizing products with some of the less high quality products withdrawn, changing product lineup to appeal to young drinkers using lighter products, and going international by using techniques learned from western brands.
Global 500 2018-The annual report on the world's most valuable brands.pdf
A single purchase
