What Are the World’s 5 Most Valuable Brands?

A report by Interbrand details the 100 most valuable global brands. Here’s a rundown of the top five:

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) maintained its number one position on the chart this year, gaining 8 percent in brand value in 2012 to reach $77.8 billion. The company scored big with the London Olympics, and has been an Olympic sponsor since 1928. Shares of Coca-Cola have grown over 9 percent so far this year.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) comes in at number two, growing an amazing 129 percent to a brand value of $76.5 billion. Shares in the company have surged to record highs this year, climbing over 60 percent. With a market cap of over $626 billion, Apple is the most valuable company in the world. Apple came in number eight in 2011, with a brand value of $33.5 billion.

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IBM (NYSE:IBM) dropped a slot to number three, growing 8 percent to a brand value of $75.5 billion. Shares of IBM have grown comfortably this year, and the company remains a favorite for investors with high earnings per share.

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) maintained its number four spot. Its brand value grew 26 percent to $69.7 billion. Google shares have also hit all-time highs recently, demonstrating that the search giant can grow competently into a more robust IT company.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) dropped two places to number five, bumping General Electric (NYSE:GE) out of the top five. Big Softy lost 2 percent of its brand value to land at $57.8 billion. Microsoft has suffered significantly in the face of competition from Apple and Google, but Windows 8 could easily keep the company at the top of the pack next year.

Don’t Miss: Cheat Sheet: Apple’s Highs and Lows in 2012.