Know 10 top valuable brands of globe

Apple remains the top global brand with an estimated value of $185 billion, according to an annual ranking by WPP and Millward Brown. Which other companies have brands worth billions?

1. Apple
Brand value: $185 billion
Sector: Technology
2012 rank: 1

It may have been a lost year for the tech titan in many respects, but Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) position as the world's most valuable brand remains undisputed.

Still, rivals are gaining share of the smartphone market, profits and margins have been squeezed, Apple stock is 30% off its 2012 peak, and the company hasn't unveiled a major new product since the iPad mini last October.

The company has picked itself up off the mat again in recent weeks by announcing it will hand back $100 billion to shareholders over the next three years and is working on "exciting new product categories." Cue the long-rumored iWatch or iTV?


2. Google
Brand value: $114 billion
Sector: Technology
2012 rank: 3

Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) share price chart has been almost the mirror image of Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) since last October, and it's been busy on the product and innovation front.

Developers, and a few in the media, have been given Google Glass to play with. The company has refashioned chat with Hangouts and launched a significant challenge to Spotify and other rivals with Google Play Music All Access.

Little wonder, then, that despite some negative publicity about its tax affairs in the U.K. the Google brand is worth 5% more than it was a year ago, making it the second most valuable in the world and overtaking IBM (IBM, Fortune 500) in the process.


3. IBM
Brand value: $113 billion
Sector: Technology
2012 rank: 2

It may have slipped a place but the biggest name in "old tech" has had a pretty good year. Big Blue's shares are not far off their all-time high, and while first-quarter earnings weren't great, the previous quarter beat all expectations.

IBM is still reaping the rewards of selling its PC unit to Lenovo in 2005 and focusing more on software and services such as analytics and cloud computing. The drive to exit low-margin businesses took a knock earlier this month when talks on selling its x86 server business -- again to Lenovo -- broke down over price.

With its vast size and global footprint, investors still tend to view the company's earnings as an indicator of overall corporate technology spending and demand.


4. McDonald's
Brand value: $90 billion
Sector: Fast food
2012 rank: 4

The fast-food giant saw its brand value slip 5%, but held on to fourth place.

McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) has spent years beefing up its premium line to boost profits and attract parents as much as children. There are signs it may be returning to its focus on value, though, after customers resisted the introduction of a one-third-pound Angus burger.

It's been adding more salads and other foods with less fat, salt and sugar, too, in response to growing public concerns about diet. Last year, it opened a vegetarian restaurant in India.


5. Coca-Cola
Brand value: $78 billion
Sector: Soft drinks
2012 rank: 6

Coca-Cola's (KO, Fortune 500) brand value rose by 6%, pushing it one place higher in the rankings this year.

The company reported better-than-expected earnings last month, showing consumers still like their fizzy drinks. Emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia and India made up for some slack in China, and Coke continues to generate slow and steady growth in developed economies.

There was relief for Coca-Cola and other drinks makers earlier this year when a state judge blocked New York City's planned ban on the sale of large sugary drinks.

6. AT&T
Brand value: $76 billion
Sector: Telecom
2012 rank: 8

The Dallas-based telecom giant has grown from its humble beginnings in the 1870s to become an international heavyweight in high-speed Internet, Wi-Fi and wireless communications. Its share price has been raising, and is now hitting levels last seen in early 2008.

AT&T (T, Fortune 500) has made the top 50 in Fortune's list of America's Most Admired Companies and has the largest 4G network in the United States.


7. Microsoft
Brand value: $70 billion
Sector: Technology
2012 rank: 5

The tech giant has been battered, bruised and clearly beaten up by Apple in terms of brand name. But Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) still maintains a commanding presence in its home market -- the United States -- and around the world.

Shares in the software titan have recently hit their highest level since early 2008, and the company's smartphone operating system just surpassed Blackberry to take third place behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS, according to researcher IDC.
Microsoft's latest quarterly results also showed Windows 8 is performing well, helping to boost profit by 16%.


8. Marlboro
Brand value: $69 billion
Sector: Tobacco
2012 rank: 7

In a world that is growing increasingly hostile towards Big Tobacco, the Marlboro name stands strong. True, its brand value slid by 6% since 2012, but Marlboro still holds a place in our collective psyche as a manly, rugged cigarette brand that has withstood the test of time.

Marlboro is the only brand in the top 10 that's not a standalone company. The Marlboro brand is owned by both Altria (MO, Fortune 500) in the U.S. and Philip Morris International (PM, Fortune 500), which operates in non-U.S. markets.


9. Visa
Brand value: $56 billion
Sector: Financial services
2012 rank: 15

Visa (V, Fortune 500) has made significant progress over the past year, with the company's brand value skyrocketing nearly 50%. Visa prides itself on being a market leader in global payments and is recognized by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

According to Visa, its brand is able to "transcends the common barriers of language, culture and geography to establish a common payment mark that has come to symbolize acceptance, convenience and security."

Visa's biggest competitors include MasterCard and American Express.

10. China Mobile
Brand value: $55 billion
Sector: Telecom
2012 rank: 10

China Mobile is one of the world's largest wireless providers, serving more than 730 million customers. With 1.3 billion potential customers in China, it's easy to see the opportunities for growth.


/CNN/