BrandZ has published its list of the most valuable global brands in 2011.

The list seeks to separate the brand from the company itself and put a dollar value on it. The most valuable brand on BrandZ’s list is worth $153.3 billion, or almost half the total value of the company’s market cap.

BrandZ uses both consumer research and financial numbers to rank the brands. The process includes “2 million in-depth consumer interviews in 30 countries.”

Here are a few more facts about the brand rankings:

- BrandZ’s Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands appreciated by 17 percent to an aggregate value of $2.4 trillion in 2011

- Compared to 2008, they have increased $500 billion, “demonstrating the resilience of leading brands and suggesting the economy has shifted from recovery into real growth “

- The insurance sector is the most valuable, driven by large and growing Chinese companies

- 4 of the top 5 brands are in the tech sector

- Among the newcomers on the list, half of them are Chinese brands. Facebook is also among them.

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