Coke crowned king of global brands: report

The Interbrand report, conducted in conjunction with BusinessWeek, described Apple as "the supreme master of demand creation."

"Consumers are now happy to own multiple iPods that are styled for particular functions: home, video or exercising. And in a world filled with technology, the expectation created around the launch of the iPhone demonstrates the supreme desirability this brand has created," it said.

"It was unthinkable some years ago that Apple could make a phone. Consumers wouldn't have given the brand permission to do so. But now Apple can transcend the 'old thinking' of limited boundaries. In this sense the brand has become its passport, to roam wherever its proposition can be applied."

The biggest losers were Ford which fell from 30th to 41st, GAP from 52nd to 61st, Kodak from 70th to 82nd, Pizza Hut from 66th to 74th and Motorola from 69th to 77th.

"The Ford brand continues its long-term decline demonstrating how an iconic brand can lose its way," the report said. "Ford, unlike the competition, has not invested in distinguishing itself in any meaningful way."

GAP is described by the report as "trapped between several trends in the fashion market."

Kodak has been "too late to read the signals of the marketplace" and is a brand that "still feels rooted in traditional film," while its strategy of moving into digital imaging suffers from a "lack of any real point of difference," the report noted.

Motorola, despite the global success of the Razr handset, has "enjoyed success with one-off products," but failed to capitalize on it as well as invest in a strong corporate brand. The mobile phone producer could, said the report, "take some lessons from Nokia."

Coca-Cola is followed by Microsoft, IBM, GE, Nokia, Intel, Toyota, McDonald's, Disney and Mercedes-Benz in the top ten.

Except for Nokia of Finland, Toyota of Japan and Mercedes-Benz of Germany, the rest are U.S.-based companies.