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Apple has overtaken Google this year to become the world's most valuable brand, according to WPP and Millward Brown's annual "Brand Z" rankings.
Technology brands dominate the top 10, but there is also a surprise entrant.
Millward Brown's study uses the views of around 2 million potential and current customers of a brand, alongside financial data, to calculate a company's brand value. You can see the full report and methodology here.
10. Marlboro
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Brand value: $80 billion
Percentage change from last year: +19%
Last year's rank: 13
What happened: Perhaps a surprise entrant into the top 10 for many people, Marlboro's brand value has shot through the roof over the past year. It commands 43.8% of the US cigarette market, and outside the US, Marlboro's share is bigger than the next two largest brands combined, according to Forbes. Millward Brown says the increase in brand value is largely due to the rise in Altria's (the company that controls Marlboro in the US) share price, which has increased around 26% in the past year.
9. McDonald's
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Brand value: $81 billion
Percentage change since last year: -5%
Last year's rank: 5
What happened: It was a testing year for McDonald's, which had to battle consumer concerns around its ingredients, supply chains, and environmental responsibility. Its 5% decline in brand value this year follows another 5% decline in value a year ago.
8. Coca-Cola
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Brand value: $84 billion
Percentage change since last year: +4%
Last year's rank: 6
What happened: Millward Brown also credited Coca-Cola for roughing out tough times by adjusting its product range and communications to more effectively address growing consumer concerns around health issues. The brand had particular success with its worldwide "Share a Coke" campaign, which boosted sales in the US for the first time in more than a decade.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider