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By Claire Reilly

SYDNEY, NSW: Interbrand has released the results of its 2011 survey into the top brands across the world, with Coca Cola once again taking out the top position in the list of 100. The top 10 remains unchanged from last year, with one exception – Apple jumped 9 places to come in 8th, ousting Nokia (which fell to 14th place).

Speaking about the ranking was Interbrand’s global CEO, Jez Frampton. “Uncertainty is the new status quo, so today’s brands need to be quick and nimble,” said Frampton. “Consistency, relevance and commitment are imperative if a brand is to keep pace in our rapidly changing world.

“By refining digital strategies and strengthening social networks, today’s most valuable brands are creating more relevant customer engagements. These brands have seized opportunities to host richer, more tailored experiences, which, in turn, help drive longer-term loyalty and value among consumers and partners alike,” he said.

"This past year, technology brands continued to show sector-wide growth. Seven of the top 10 brands...four of the five biggest risers...and the one of the few new entrants to the Best Global Brands report all hail from within the tech sector."

Interbrand ranks the success of global brands based on three criteria: financial performance (which measures raw financial return to investors), role of brand (taking into account the role of an individual brand in affecting consumers’ purchasing decisions) and brand strength (which measures “the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings” based on 10 different factors).

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Computing and technology companies were well represented in this year’s rankings, with the likes of IBM (2), Microsoft (3), Google (4), GE (5), Intel (7), Apple (8) and HP (10) all making it into the top 10. Cisco (13), Nokia (14) and Samsung (17) also made the cut in the top 20.

Canon and Sony held their positions in the 30s; Philips, Dell and Siemens remained in the 40s; Blackberry held strong in the 50s; and Panasonic rose 4 places to 69th position. Amazon.com climbed sharply from 36th to 26th place, while Nintendo fell by the same degree – dropping from 38th down to 48th place. Finally, smartphone manufacturer HTC was a new addition to the ranking at 98th position.

Top 10 brands provided by Interbrand:
1. Coca-Cola.
2. IBM.
3. Microsoft.
4. Google.
5. GE.
6. McDonald’s.
7. Intel.
8. Apple.
9. Disney.
10. HP.

To view the full list of 100 brands, click here.