Tech Names Top List of World's Most Valuable Brands

Tech names continue to reign supreme in the stock market, and it appears that might also be the case when it comes to ranking the world’s most valuable brands. According to global brand agency Interbrand, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and IBM (NYSE:IBM) are among the top five most valuable brands, according to 2015 data from Interbrand.

“If you’ve got a powerful brand and a powerful business, you’re in a very good place,” Interbrand Global CEO Jez Frampton told FOX Business. Interbrand analyzes the most recognized and most valuable companies and the roles they play in influencing a customer’s choice.

Frampton explained that Interbrand poses three key questions when determining how much, if any, brand recognition a given company has: “Are you a successful company? Are you known? And do you have a brand that actually triggers choice?” Frampton stressed that it’s not enough to represent something that people like, but rather something that people want to buy.

This year, Interbrand also released its inaugural list of Breakthrough Brands. The report looks at up-and-coming companies that possess strong business models and brand recognition. The agency develops the list by evaluating which companies are shaking up their respective markets, if they have a lot of buzz surrounding them and how quickly they are growing.

Among the companies on the list is Venmo. The free digital app acts as a wallet that lets the user manage various payments, making it easy to split a meal, cab fare, or even rent.

The list of up-and-coming brands also includes Shinola, a company that focuses on American-made products, and fast casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen. "A lot of these companies are really trying to change the market that they are in,” explains Frampton.

He adds that many of these companies were selected because they are doing things differently. “They’ve got an obsession about the consumer, their brand has been baked in right from the start and the net result is that they are very well positioned to capture people’s attention… and their wallets.”