When it comes to brand, you’ll be very happy if your company’s brand name is considered luxury and associated with your products’ categories. Like for example a smartphone and everyone will say iPhone, even my cousin who knows nothing about computers and smartphone will call every touchscreen phone an iPhone regardless of its brand.

When it comes to quality and luxurious cars, you’ll think of Mercedes and BMW. When it comes to expensive watch you’ll think of Rolex and Omega and Tag Heuer. But you’ll know that your company is extremely successful and famous when everyone thinks of your company’s name not associated with the product, but a verb. Need to know something? Wants to know the latest news? Not sure of the location? Needs some recipe? Google it up. There’s no company in this world that have their brand name use to such extend.

While Google Inc. might not be associated with anything luxury and not a popular brand of anything, but according to BrandFinance, the Google brand is worth $44.3 billion. BrandFinance says that the comparatively un-commercial ventures such as developing services help rescue efforts following the natural disasters earlier this year in Australia, New Zealand and Japan have done much to boost Google to the very top.

In second place is Microsoft Corporation, which is there easily because it’s the largest software maker in the world. The Windows maker climbed up from number five to be second to Google, probably thanks to Windows 7. In third place is Walmart, which was in top spot in 2010. While its brand value isn’t at the same level as many of the top 10 brands, its retail presence keeps it as one of the biggest in the States. IBM kept its place at fourth, as it is still one of the most trusted technology and innovation companies in the world despite being bought over by Lenovo.

Apple Inc. might not be No.1, but it made a huge leap to eighth place, up from 20th last year. This is all thanks to Apple selling their iPhone and iPad in more countries than they previously did, and thus widening their brand’s exposure. Last time nobody cares of a Mac, but now using a MacBook at Starbuck makes you a ‘cool’ person. If you see people plastering those white Apple logo stickers all over the places they shouldn’t be, it’s because the brand is worth nearly $30 billion.

SOURCE via Brandirectory