soumya
In the zone
Apple zealots have one more reason to hate Microsoft: A new study concludes that the Microsoft brand is more respected and more valuable than Apple's. It looks as if Apple's Windows-bashing ads haven't paid off the way that Steve Jobs had hoped.
The study, from market research firm Millward Brown Optimor, rated Microsoft as the third most powerful and valuable brand in the world, behind Google and GE. Apple came in at number seven, below Coca Cola, China Mobile, and IBM, and just above McDonalds.
Coming in ahead of McDonalds should be a consolation prize of sorts: Perhaps the iMac has more brand equity than the Big Mac.
The study calculates the dollar value of a brand, which is "the sum of all earnings that a brand is expected to generate," in the words of the report. It takes into account "brand contribution," which is a ranking "that quantifies the role of brand in driving earnings." It also includes "brand momentum," which "is an index of a brand’s short-term growth rate." The study is based on interviews with more than one million consumers around the world.
According to the study, the Microsoft brand is worth nearly $71 billion, while Apple's brand is well below that, at $55 billion.
That's not to say that there aren't potential problems for Microsoft in the report. In fact, there are plenty. Apple's brand value leaped 123% in the past year, well over Microsoft's 29% jump. In fact, Apple's percentage increase was in second place of all 100 top brands, behind only Blackberry, which jumped an astonishing 390%. If that keeps up, Apple will eventually overtake Microsoft in brand value.
In addition, Microsoft's brand value is well behind top-ranked Google, which has a brand value of more than $86 billion.
So clearly, Microsoft has more work to do. But still, for all of Apple's hype, it trails Microsoft.
For the full copy of the report, click here .
*blogs.computerworld.com/study_microsoft_is_a_more_powerful_brand_than_apple
The study, from market research firm Millward Brown Optimor, rated Microsoft as the third most powerful and valuable brand in the world, behind Google and GE. Apple came in at number seven, below Coca Cola, China Mobile, and IBM, and just above McDonalds.
Coming in ahead of McDonalds should be a consolation prize of sorts: Perhaps the iMac has more brand equity than the Big Mac.
The study calculates the dollar value of a brand, which is "the sum of all earnings that a brand is expected to generate," in the words of the report. It takes into account "brand contribution," which is a ranking "that quantifies the role of brand in driving earnings." It also includes "brand momentum," which "is an index of a brand’s short-term growth rate." The study is based on interviews with more than one million consumers around the world.
According to the study, the Microsoft brand is worth nearly $71 billion, while Apple's brand is well below that, at $55 billion.
That's not to say that there aren't potential problems for Microsoft in the report. In fact, there are plenty. Apple's brand value leaped 123% in the past year, well over Microsoft's 29% jump. In fact, Apple's percentage increase was in second place of all 100 top brands, behind only Blackberry, which jumped an astonishing 390%. If that keeps up, Apple will eventually overtake Microsoft in brand value.
In addition, Microsoft's brand value is well behind top-ranked Google, which has a brand value of more than $86 billion.
So clearly, Microsoft has more work to do. But still, for all of Apple's hype, it trails Microsoft.
For the full copy of the report, click here .
*blogs.computerworld.com/study_microsoft_is_a_more_powerful_brand_than_apple
