No need to feel badly for Google or Amazon, either—their brand values both increased 38%. Apple retained the No. 1 spot on the brand value list, at $US350 billion, according to this year’s Brand Finance Global 500 Report 2022, released in early February. Mercedes-Benz and Deutsche Telecom remain the most valuable brands in the EU/UK, at $US60.7 billion and $US60.1 billion, respectively. China and the US dominate brand values, though China’s growth was slowed last year by troubles in the real estate sector, particularly as a result of Evergrande.

Not surprisingly, tech dominates brand value everywhere, even more so as the pandemic boosted its value. Tech was followed by retail—though pharma brand values increased more than most other industry groupings.

Apple’s brand increased partially as it invests in products and services that go beyond small devices. The fastest growing brand is TikTok, and the world’s “strongest” brand is WeChat (for the second year in a row), says the study.