World’s Top Brands

Google was the world’s most valuable brand in 2009, according to the Brands ranking of the top 100 brands, which showed the strongest brands were resilient in the recession. When most key financial indicators plummeted, the value of the top 100 brands rose by 4 percent in the last year to more than $2 trillion. The Brands Top 100, commissioned by WPP, translates customer opinions on brands into a dollar value. Here are the top 10 brands and how much they changed in value during the last year.

No. 1: Google, worth $1.14 trillion, up 14%

No. 2: IBM, worth $86.38 billion, up 30%

No. 3: Apple, worth $83.15 billion, up 32%

No. 4: Microsoft, worth $76.34 billion, no change

No. 5: Coca-Cola, worth $67.98 billion, up 1%

No. 6: McDonald's, worth $66 billion, down 1%

No. 7: Marlboro, worth $57.05 billion, up 15%

No. 8: China Mobile, worth $52.62 billion, down 14%

No. 9: GE, worth $45.05 billion, down 25%

No. 10: Vodafone, worth $44 billion, down 17%