Dive Brief: 

• Apple remains the most valuable brand across the globe, though its brand value has fallen for the first time in over two decades by 3%, according to the 2024 Best Global Brands ranking from global brand consultancy Interbrand. 
• Behind Apple is Microsoft and Amazon, which saw an 11% and 8% year-over-year boost in brand value, respectively. Notably, 14 of the top 100 brands this year are in the automotive category, making the sector the most represented on the list. 
• New entrants this year include Nvidia, Pandora, Range Rover and Jordan, the latter of which is the first personality brand to rank. This year’s report from Interbrand reveals that a lack of focus in long-term brand strategy has left the top 100 brands with $200 billion in lost revenue. 

Dive Insight: 

Interbrand has tracked the value of the biggest brands globally since 2000, yielding key insights over the last quarter century about how brands are driving performance. Specifically, the report has revealed that while performance marketing strategies can drive short-term gains, a disregard for long-term strategy is costing brands in unrealized value. For the last year, that value equates to $200 billion in lost revenue, per the report. Since 2000, that equates to at least $3.5 trillion.

However, Apple may tell a different story. While the tech giant’s brand value has fallen 3%, it remains at the top of Interbrand’s top 100 rankings. The company’s status this year could be attributed to its slower pace to act on ongoing hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), according to Greg Silverman, global director of brand economics at Interbrand. Apple at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June provided a first glimpse at its new generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, along with a partnership with OpenAI. 

“While others rushed into AI, Apple has taken a more deliberate path to ensure its AI releases matched its values,” said Silverman in release details. “This slower-moving act of leadership has put long-term trust ahead of short-term revenue gains. Following these brand moves, Apple’s stock has moved up 20% YTD and we anticipate that Apple’s value will increase in the 2025 rankings.”

While Microsoft and Amazon follow Apple to make up the top three brands globally, Ferrari (No. 62) and YouTube (No. 24) saw the largest brand value increase, per the report. It’s also worth noting that the automotive sector makes up more than any other sector in this year’s rankings, marking a continued bounce-back from the hardships the industry faced around the pandemic. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW appear in the top 10, while Tesla (No. 12) saw one of the largest declines in brand value, down 9%. Kia, Hyundai and Toyota all saw double-digit gains. 

There are a handful of new entrants this year, like Nvidia (No. 36) and Range Rover (No. 96), while Uber and LG re-entered the rankings. Nike-owned brand Jordan notably became the first personality brand to make the list this year, representing the brand’s efforts in capitalizing on the role social media plays in creating demand, according to Silverman. 

“Jordan is a brand that has globalised on classic sports values of hard work and winning on and off the court,” said Silverman. “Customers find themselves connected to the Jordan brand at many emotional levels allowing it to perform well financially and carve out a global position separate from the Nike corporate brand.”

Luxury brands have also made gains over the last year, with the category’s value up 7% this year versus being up 6.5% the year prior. Behind the growth is the category’s focus on creating new consumer experiences that stretch beyond the purchase alone, per the report, a strategy observed within the marketing from major players like Coach and Gucci. 

Interbrand within its analysis noted that among the changes it has analyzed over the last two decades has been the evolving role of the CMO, and the role that their marketing teams have in helping to form total growth strategies. Meanwhile, CEOs and chief financial officers are prioritizing lower investments and immediate returns, the report explained. 

“Many of the world’s most valuable brands are missing out on significant earning potential by over-investing in short-term gains,” said Gonzalo Brujó, global CEO at Interbrand, in release details. “Our analysis shows these gains, when tied predominantly to short-term tactics, can undermine a company’s mid- to long-term revenue potential.”