Coke crowned king of global brands: report

The U.S. is the biggest home to the top brands with as many as 52 coming from the country. Germany has grabbed the second position with just 10 brands, followed by nine from France, eight from Japan and six from the United Kingdom.

There are only four Swiss brands on the list, three from South Korea, two from Italy and one each from Sweden, Spain, Finland and Bermuda, the brand list by Interbrand revealed.

The top four brands each have a brand value of more than $50 billion while even the last ten have been given a value of more than $3 billion.

Interestingly, despite having very limited opportunity to build its brand via advertising anymore, Marlboro still ranks as the 14th most valuable global brand at $21.2 billion.

McDonald's, which has suffered from similar problems recent years, came back strongly in this year's study. Its brand value rose by 7 percent to $29.4 billion, helped by innovations such as an updated menu and the publication of nutritional information.

HSBC, in twenty-third place, was the only British company in the top 50 and only five other UK companies made it into the top 100, which was once again dominated by American corporations.

US motoring giant Ford was this year's laggard, with its value dropping by 19 percent to $8.98 billion, putting it at No.41 in the league, as its ongoing focus on the North American SUV market demonstrated that it is increasingly out of touch with consumer behavior, according to Hales.

The report stated that Ford's long-term decline demonstrates how an iconic brand can lose its way.

The report has cited the carmaker's permanent discount policy in the U.S. as a factor that has eroded the value of its brand.

This was in marked contrast to Toyota, which, in sixth place, has among the most highly visible, seemingly committed approach to environmental issues.