Technology Accounts For Half Of Top 20 Global Brands

Technology companies, headed by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, account for half of the top 20 global brands ranked by Interbrand, an international consulting firm, in its latest survey.

In first place, Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), followed by Apple, then with International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) in third place and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, in fourth place.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, is in fifth place, followed by General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the No. 1 chipmaker, in eighth place.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930) is No. 9, followed by Japan’s Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM).

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), the No. 1 provider of Internet gear, is ranked 14^th, with Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) in 15^th place, with Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), the No. 1 database developer, in 18^th place, Nokia Oyj (NYSE: NOK) in 19^th place and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), the No. 1 e-retailer, in 20^th place.

Interbrands is among many agencies owned by Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), one of the biggest advertising agencies, that has compiled annual lists since 1999.

Other technology companies in its top 100 include Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, in 69^th place. HP fell out of the top 10, as did Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), Interbrand said. Coke is always in the top spot.