But Forbes' annual study of the world's most valuable brands shows that Apple is still in a class by itself with a value of $154.1 billion, 87% more than second-ranked Google. “Brands get their value from how customers perceive them,” says David Reibstein, a professor of marketing and branding expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “What makes it valuable from a company perspective is that customers are willing to pay a higher price or are more likely to buy.”
In addition to Apple and Google, other top 30 companies occupy the list include: Microsoft ($ 75.2 billion), Coca-Cola ($ 58.5 billion), Facebook ($ 52.6 billion), Toyota ($ 42.1 billion), IBM ($ 41.4 billion), Disney ($ 39.5 billion), McDonald's ($ 39.1 billion) ($ 36.7 billion), Samsung ($ 36.1 billion), Amazon ($ 35.2 billion), AT & T ($ 32.6 billion), BMW ($ 28.8 billion), Cisco ($ 28.4 billion), Oracle ($ 28 billion) ($ 27.7 billion), Nike ($ 27.5 billion), Louis Vuitton ($ 27.3 billion), Mercedes ($ 26 billion), Verizon ($ 25.8 billion), Wal-Mart ($ 25.4 billion), Honda ($ 21.3 billion), Gillette ($ 20.2 billion), Pepsi ($ 19.4 billion), and Visa ($ 19.2 billion) .
