Apple ecosystem key to company remaining world’s most valuable brands, says Interbrand

Interbrand’s annual brand value report lists Apple as the world’s most valuable brand for the fourth year running, estimating the total worth of the brand at $178B, up 5% on the previous year. Apple first knocked Coca-Cola out of Interbrand’s top slot in 2013.

Apple is a technology company that leads innovation with their products and software platforms, providing seamless experiences across devices, and empowering people with breakthrough services.

The company says that Apple’s ecosystem is the biggest contributor to the value of the brand …

The fastest growing businesses in the world, and the strongest brands, are those with the most cohesive business systems […]

Apple shows how ecosystems drive value. Analysts have often pointed out that “Apple has superior products.” While true, this opinion undersells the brilliance of Apple’s functionally- integrated model. Its software, hardware, and touchpoints are connected not just by beautiful design aesthetics, but by a level of interoperability that justifies the Apple premium and discourages defections to another platform.

And the more data you share, the more personal it becomes— adding new devices is painless and the thought of switching increasingly unpromising. Apple is the Alpha of Cohesiveness in full effect.

Interbrand says that tech companies like Apple have helped to redefine the meaning of branding. While the traditional view is concerned with image, identity and marketing campaigns, what companies like Apple deliver is ‘deeply integrated and connected experiences across their products or services.’