The world's most valuable brands

Google. The Internet giant replaced technology behemoth Apple this year as the world's most valuable brand, according to Brandz. With innovations like Google Glass, investments in artificial intelligence and new partnerships with automakers to integrate its mobile Android operating system into their vehicles, Google increased its brand value by 40 percent to around $159 billion.

Apple. Renowned for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, the company held the top spot for the past three years, but it's brand value still dropped 20 percent last year to nearly $148 billion. In the post-Steve Jobs era, some doubt whether the firm's success will last.

has bequeathed IBM with third place and a brand value of $108 billion. While other similar surveys consider financial data alone for such rankings, the Brandz study also takes into account consumer opinion.

Microsoft, is still omnipresent. The firm, which was able to increase its brand value by 30 percent to some $90 billion last year, occupies the fourth slot. According to the study, technology firms' brand values rose strongly during this period.

...is through their stomach, something McDonald's knows well. The fast food giant makes a lot of money satiating customers' appetites. The study estimates the food chain's brand value at about $85 billion. Consumers, however, are increasingly paying attention to their health. The brand value dropped by five percent year-on-year and McDonald's dropped one place from a year earlier.

Soft drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola is ranked sixth with a brand value of $80 billion.

is SAP. The software group's brand value grew by some 6 percent to more than $36 billion. Other German companies that found place among the Top 100 are Deutsche Telekom (27th place), BMW (32nd), Mercedes-Benz (42nd) Siemens (59th) and DHL (73rd). Retailer Aldi also found itself at 100th place with a value of $9.5 billion.

Facebook, with an increase of 68 percent, saw strong appreciation of its brand value. Despite the high growth, it ranked 21st. But the company whose value jumped the most was the Chinese Internet firm Tencent. Its brand value doubled to $54 billion, earning the group 14th place.

There is a new name on the list: US social networking service Twitter. It was able to achieve a brand value of some $19 billion, despite no one knowing exactly how the service generates profits. LinkedIn, another networking site, also appeared on the list for the first time this year.