26 Feb 2019 Top Brands: The 15 biggest companies every year since 2000
Top Brands – This study, compiled by Interband, charts the growth of the world’s top brands according to brand value from 2001 through to 2018.
Interbrand’s methodology for ranking brands involves around three key components: financial forecast, role of brand and brand strength. These factors combined determine a brand’s value. It’s worth noting that this data is more than just a financial ranking.
As well as considering a company’s economic profit, the study also takes into account other factors, such as a brand’s ability to create loyalty and sustainable demand, which helps to explain why Coca Cola remained top from 2000-2012. That doesn’t mean it was the most profitable, but it was the biggest brand overall during that period. To read the methodology in full, click here.
This video charts the rise of brands in a slick video, but things move fast, so Plugsville have broken down the top 15 brands year-by-year to make things easier to digest.
The first eight years captured in this study served up the same top four most valuable companies; Coca Cola, Microsoft and IBM. The former company remained on top for 11 years straight.
By 2017, just one of those companies, Microsoft, ranked in the chart, dropping 9 places to #11 after being one of the world’s most prominent brands during the early part of this millennium.
As the internet became more prominent, the level at which companies rose or dropped down the rankings became more frequent too. Google entered the charts in 2008 at #10 and never dropped lower, peaking at #2, currently lurking behind Apple.
The iPhone revolution laid the foundations for mesmeric profit levels thereafter, as the technology giant became the world’s first trillion dollar company in August 2018 after its rise in share price pushed it past the one trillion dollar valuation. That dominance is reflected here, as Apple topped the charts from 2014-2018.
Top Brands 2000
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – Intel
5 – Nokia
6 – GE
7 – Ford
8 – Disney
9 – McDonald’s
10 – AT&T
11 – Malbro
12 – Mercedes Benz
13 – HP
14 – Cisco
15 – Toyota
Top Brands 2001
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Nokia
6 – Intel
7 – Disney
8 – Ford
9 – McDonald’s
10 – AT&T
11 – Marlbro
12 – Mercedes-Benz
13 – Citi
14 – Toyota
15 – HP
Top Brands 2002
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Intel
6 – Nokia
7 – Disney
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Marlbro
10 – Merecedes-Benz
11 – Ford
12 – Toyota
13 – Citi
14 – HP
15 – American Express
Top Brands 2003
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Intel
6 – Nokia
7 – Disney
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Marlbro
10 – Mercedes-Benz
11 – Toyota
12 – HP
13 – Citi
14 – Ford
15 – American Express
Top Brands 2004
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Intel
6 – Disney
7 – McDonald’s
8 – Nokia
9 – Toyota
10 – Marlbro
11 – Mercedes-Benz
12 – HP
13 – Citi
14 – American Express
15 – Gilette
Top Brands 2005
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Intel
6 – Disney
7 – Nokia
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Toyota
10 – Marlbro
11 – Mercedes-Benz
12 – Citi
13 – HP
14 – American Express
15 – Gilette
Top Brands 2006
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Intel
6 – Nokia
7 – Toyota
8 – Disney
9 – McDonald’s
10 – Mercedes-Benz
11 – Citi
12 – Marlbro
13 – HP
14 – American Express
15 – BMW
Top Brands 2007
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Nokia
6 – Toyota
7 – Intel
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Disney
10 – Mercedes-Benz
11 – Citi
12 – HP
13 – BMW
14 – Marlbro
15 – American Express
Top Brands 2008
1 – Coca Cola
2 – Microsoft
3 – IBM
4 – GE
5 – Nokia
6 – Toyota
7 – Intel
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Disney
10 – Mercedes Benz
11 – Google
12 – HP
13 – BMW
14 – Gilette
15 – American Express
Top Brands 2009
1 – Coca Cola
2 – IBM
3 – Microsoft
4 – GE
5 – Nokia
6 – McDonald’s
7 – Google
8 – Toyota
9 – Intel
10 – Disney
11 – HP
12 – Mercedes Benz
13 – Gilette
14 – Cisco
15 – BMW
Top Brands 2010
1 – Coca Cola
2 – IBM
3 – Microsoft
4 – Google
5 – GE
6 – McDonald’s
7 – Intel
8 – Nokia
9 – Disney
10 – HP
11 – Toyota
12 – Mercedes Benz
13 – Gilette
14 – Cisco
15 – BMW
Top Brands 2011
1 – Coca Cola
2 – IBM
3 – Microsoft
4 – Google
5 – GE
6 – McDonald’s
7 – Intel
8 – Apple
9 – Disney
10 – HP
11 – Toyota
12 – Mercedes Benz
13 – Cisco
14 – Nokia
15 – BMW
Top Brands 2012
1 – Coca Cola
2 – IBM
3 – Apple
4 – Google
5 – Microsoft
6 – GE
7 – McDonald’s
8 – Intel
9 – Samsung
10 – Toyota
11 – Mercedes Benz
12 – BMW
13 – Disney
14 – Cisco
15 – HP
Top Brands 2013
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Coca Cola
4 – IBM
5 – Microsoft
6 – GE
7 – McDonald’s
8 – Samsung
9 – Intel
10 – Toyota
11 – Mercedes Benz
12 – BMW
13 – Cisco
14 – Disney
15 – HP
Top Brands 2014
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Coca Cola
4 – IBM
5 – Microsoft
6 – GE
7 – Samsung
8 – McDonald’s
9 – Toyota
10 – Intel
11 – Mercedes Benz
12 – BMW
13 – Disney
14 – Cisco
15 – Amazon
Top Brands 2015
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Coca Cola
4 – Microsoft
5 – IBM
6 – Toyota
7 – Samsung
8 – GE
9 – McDonald’s
10 – Amazon
11 – BMW
12 – Mercedes Benz
13 – Disney
14 – Intel
15 – Cisco
Top Brands 2016
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Coca Cola
4 – Microsoft
5 – Toyota
6 – IBM
7 – Samsung
8 – Amazon
9 – Mercedes Benz
10 – GE
11 – BMW
12 – McDonald’s
13 – Disney
14 – Intel
15 – Facebook
Top Brands 2017
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Microsoft
4 – Coca Cola
5 – Amazon
6 – Samsung
7 – Toyota
8 – Facebook
9 – Mercedes Benz
10 – IBM
11 – GE
12 – BMW
13 – McDonald’s
14 – Disney
15 – Intel
Top Brands 2018
1 – Apple
2 – Google
3 – Amazon
4 – Microsoft
5 – Coca Cola
6 – Samsung
7 – Toyota
8 – Mercedes Benz
9 – Facebook
10 – McDonald’s
11 – Intel
12 – IBM
13 – BMW
14 – Disney
15 – Cisco