Apple AAPL -0.93%’s 13-year run of quarterly revenue growth came to a crashing halt last month when the tech giant reported revenue of $50.6 billion, off 13% thanks to soft iPhone sales and a slowdown in China. The gloom-and-doom sentiment around the company has reached a zenith with the stock off 30% from its all-time peak 12 months ago.
But Forbes’ annual study of the world’s most valuable brands shows that Apple is still in a class by itself with a value of $154.1 billion, 87% more than second-ranked Google GOOGL -1.20%. It is the sixth straight time Apple has finished first since Forbes began valuing the richest brands in 2010.
“Brands get their value from how customers perceive them,” says David Reibstein, a professor of marketing and branding expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “What makes it valuable from a company perspective is that customers are willing to pay a higher price or are more likely to buy.”
