Samsung gains on Apple in brand war

South Korean vendor sees a 51 per cent increase in brand value, while its fruity rival's brand grew one per cent

Apple clung on to the top spot in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand list for 2013, but rival Samsung is coming up hard on its heels.

According to the study, which is now in its eighth year, the Cupertino-based vendor saw just one per cent growth in brand value for the year, bringing its worth to $185bn (£122bn), but Samsung saw a whopping 51 per cent hike, bringing its worth to £21bn and placing it at number 30 in the top 100.

Technology firms grabbed the top three places on the list, with Google at number two with a value of $114bn, and IBM a close third with $112bn.

Number four in the list was fast food giant McDonald's, with Coca-Cola in fifth place.

Also in the top 10 were telecoms behemoth AT&T at number six and Microsoft at number seven.

Nick Cooper, managing director of Millward Brown Optimor, which carried out the study, said: "Vying for leadership in the smartphone market, Samsung fuelled its huge increase in brand value by balancing a remarkable period of innovation with growing market share – it spent $1.6bn more on advertising in the last year.

“Despite a more competitive marketplace and other challengers nipping at its heels, Apple’s ability to maintain its number one position demonstrates the value that having a strong brand brings to business. People still love the brand regardless of its stock price.”

David Roth, chief executive of The Store at WPP which commissioned the study, said: “This year’s ranking highlights the return on investment that brands give businesses. It shows that strong brands bring market share growth, increased profits from being able to command a price premium and greater shareholder returns.”