Even as American companies could be under siege in 2025 due to trade and tariff fights, they took the top ten positions in the 20th edition of the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands report. The ranking of 100 brands is based on consumer perceptions and financial performance and places a dollar amount on the company’s value.
Apple led the list with a brand value of almost $1.3 trillion, up 28 percent from the previous year, and remains the only trillion-dollar brand in the ranking, representing more than 12 percent of the total value of the Global Top 100.
Google took the second spot again, with a brand value of $944.1 billion, followed by Microsoft at $884.8 billion. U.S. brands now comprise 82% of the total value of the Global Top 100, up from 63% in 2006.
Chinese brands have doubled their value over the past 20 years and now account for 6 percent of the overall Top 100 value. The study noted they will probably continue to gain in value and in the rankings, especially given the trade volatility. European brands now account for only 7 percent of the total companies ranked, down from 26 percent in 2006.
"Even through economic crises, the world's most valuable brands have consistently outperformed the S&P 500 and MSCI World Index over 20 years,” the study reported. “This is irrefutable proof of marketing's value. A brand is a company's most valuable asset, and the last thing businesses should be doing in response to market shocks is cutting marketing investment."
The Top 10 companies in the rankings are: