A Look At The World's Ten Most Valuable Brands

BrandZ released its list of Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands on Tuesday. According to the report, the value of the Top 100 rose 12 percent compared to last year and Google GOOGGOOGL overtook Apple AAPL in the number one spot. The combined value of the world's most valuable brands has nearly doubled since the first BrandZ ranking was released in 2006 and the top 100 is now worth $2.9 trillion.

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In 2014, apparel brands were the fastest growing (29 percent), followed by cars (17 percent) and retail (16 percent). The four leading companies were all in the technology service category and many of the fastest rising brands were also in the tech sector. Chinese internet company Tencent saw its brand value surge by 97 percent to $54 billion and FacebookFB climbed 68 percent to $36 billion. The two companies were ranked 14th and 21st, respectively in the top 100.

Other popular Internet companies on the list included Twitter TWTR and LinkedIn LNKD, which ranked at 71st and 78th respectively, with a combined brand value of $26 billion. The report also revealed a very interesting tidbit for investors -- over the last nine years, the BrandZ rankings as a stock portfolio has returned almost double that of the S&P 500. Specifically, during that time period, the BrandZ portfolio has risen 81.1 percent compared to a 44.7 percent return for the S&P.

Below, Benzinga takes a look at the top 10 most valuable brands in the world according to the report.

1. Google - The ubiquitous search engine company now commands the most valuable brand in the world according to BrandZ. The value of the Google brand rose 40 percent in 2014 to nearly $159 billion. This compares to Google's current market cap of around $375 billion.

2. Apple - According to BrandZ latest report, the last year has not been a good one for the iPhone maker, with the value of the brand falling 20 percent to $148 billion. They cited a "growing perception that the company is no longer redefining technology for consumers, reflected by a lack of dramatic new product launches."

3. IBM IBM - According to BrandZ, the blue-chip business services company's brand value fell by four percent over the last year to $107.5 billion. The stock meanwhile has lost around 10 percent during the same time period.

4. Microsoft MSFT - Rounding out the tech titans at the top of this list is Microsoft, which saw its brand value jump 29 percent since last year to just over $90 billion. The stock price has also gotten a boost over the last 52-weeks, climbing around 17 percent.

5. McDonald's MCD - The fast-food company has always had one of the most recognizable brands in the world. In 2014, its brand value fell five percent to just under $86 billion.

6. Coca-Cola KO - The soft drink company is also a mainstay on any list of the world's most valuable brands. Currently, BrandZ values the Coca-Cola name at just under $81 billion, a three percent gain versus the year-ago period.

7. Visa V - The credit card company ties for first in this year's report with the biggest annual gain in brand value. The value of the Visa brand is up 41 percent in 2014 to $79 billion. The stock has climbed around 19 percent during the same period.

8. AT&T T - The telecom giant recently announced its intentions to acquire DirecTV DTV in a Wall Street mega-deal. Even prior to the announcement of the transaction, the AT&T brand was riding high. According to BrandZ, its value rose three percent in 2014 to $78 billion.

9. Marlboro - This is the only brand on this year's list that is a part of a larger company -- specifically Phillip Morris PM. Currently, Marlboro is valued at a whopping $67 billion, a three percent decline versus last year.

10. Amazon AMZN - The online retailer and web services company tied with Visa for the biggest one-year gain in brand value at 41 percent. Currently, the Amazon brand, still in its infancy, is valued above $64 billion. The shares have risen roughly 19 percent over the last year.