Dive Brief:
- Apple has again reclaimed the top post as king, taking back the crown for the No. 1 spot on BrandZ's Top 100 Most Valuable Brands list. The tech giant pushed out Google who had halted Apple's three-year reign at the top of the list in 2014.
- Tech brands hold steady at the top of the list with the stop four slot's filled by Apple, Google, Microsoft and IBM.
- The industry has generated $1 trillion in value, or one-third of the total $3.3 trillion from all brands, with the category growing by 24%.
Dive Insight:
Apple's return to its reign is likely due to the success of the iPhone 6 launch, more specifically Apple's first move into the phablet marketing with iPhone 6 plus. The popularity of the larger-screened phablet is changing the way people interact with mobile, as it expands the user's activities on the device.
When looking at sales, iPhone 6 was the bread-winner, but the buzz surrounding Apple Watch likely didn't hurt the brand's chances of sitting at the top of BrandZ's list again. Innovation is the backbone upon which Apple has built its empire and the Apple Watch is the latest manifestation of that.
