Determining the most valuable brand on the planet is a tough task but it can be done. Apple was put into that position by several research companies last year but Google has displaced the big fruit for 2014.

Market research firm Millward Brown, which ranks brands based on a calculation of their value, has dropped Apple from the number one spot, a position that the company has held for three years running. Google’s brand value has increased, according to the firm, by 40% to just shy of $159 billion. Apple, which has fallen to second place, saw their own brand value dip by 20% to a ‘mere’ $147.8 billion.

The two front-runners are still a considerable distance, in terms of value, from IBM which is sitting in third place with a value of around $107 billion. Microsoft has seen a considerable climb in the value stakes as well, improving its position from seventh in the world to fourth.

MD of Millward Brown Optimor Nick Cooper said “Google has been hugely innovative in the last year with Google Glass, investments in artificial intelligence and a multitude of partnerships that see its Android operating system becoming embedded in other goods such as cars. All of this activity sends a very strong signal to consumers about what Google is about and it has coincided with a slowdown at Apple.”

Source: The Verge