Google has topped the BrandZ global rankings list for the second year in a row, beating competitors such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook.
Rankings in this list were determined by research company Kantar Millward Brown, which has ranked the companies based on overall brand value.
This also marks the second year in a row where Apple came in second to Google. Apple once held the top spot for 5 years running, from 2010 – 2015.
Both companies grew in value over the past year. However, Google’s value grew by 7% while Apple’s value grew by 3%. Google and Apple are now worth $245.6 billion and $234.7 billion respectively.
Google’s growth could perhaps be attributed to greater interest in the company’s products and services. Over the past year Google has doubled down on its self-driving car project, introduced a virtual assistant, and released critically acclaimed consumer products with Google Home and the Pixel phone.
Will Google be able to hold on to the top spot again next year? That may depend heavily on how soon the company is able to get its upcoming Google Lens technology into the hands of consumers.
Why? Because Google Lens has the potential to fundamentally change how people search the web. It’s hard to imagine another tech company on the list releasing something that could impact people’s day-to-day lives in such a way. We’ll have to wait and see over the next 12 months.
