MUMBAI: Apple, Google, and Amazon are the three most valuable brands of 2018, according to Interbrand's Best 100 Global Brands 2018 report.

Facebook, mired in data breach controversies, fell to ninth place. 

For six consecutive years, Apple and Google hold the top positions. Apple’s brand value grew by 16 percent to USD $214,480m, and Google’s by 10 percent to USD $155,506m. Amazon achieved 56 per cent growth and is the third brand to reach a 100-billion-dollar brand valuation (USD $100,764m), and is the top performer among 28 brands with double-digit percent growth. 

Microsoft valued at $92.7 billion was fourth while Coca Cola valued at $66.3 billion came fifth followed by Samsung on sixth spot. Facebook's brand value has declined 6 per cent this year in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Interbrand global chief executive Charles Trevail says, “A decade after the global financial crisis, the brands that are growing fastest are those that intuitively understand their customers and make brave iconic moves that delight and deliver in new ways.”

Spotify and Subaru made it to the global top 100 brand list for the first time. Elon Musk's Tesla made into the top 100 in 2017 but lost the race this time owing to several controversies around the brand and its future.

When it comes to Apple, it has proved highly adept at maximising the value from its hero product, the iPhone, exemplified by its recent launches of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.

"At the same time, it is tapping into the desire for useful apps and services, with sales from its services division growing by 23 per cent to $30 billion in the 2017 fiscal year," said Interbrand economics global managing director Mike Rocha.

The Interbrand report values a company on the basis of the financial performance of the branded products or services, the role the brand plays in purchase decisions, and the brand's competitive strength and its ability to create loyalty.