A recent survey showed Samsung ranking third in the word for brand value at 99 trillion won (US$83.2 billion).
The British brand assessment valuation company Brand Finance published an annual report on Mar. 14 for the top 500 global brands in 2016. Samsung ranked behind only Apple and Google.
Apple remained in first place with a brand value of US$145.9 billion (174 trillion won), up 14% from US$128.3 billion last year. Google switched places with Samsung from third to second with US$94.2 billion, a rise of 23% from US$76.7 billion in 2015.
While Samsung ranked second for brand value last year with US$81.7 billion, it ended up ceding the position to Google with just a 2% rise. Amazon placed fourth with US$69.6 billion, followed by Microsoft in fifth with US$67.3 billion.
Other South Korean companies named in the top 500 included Hyundai Motor (36th), LG (102th), SK (143rd), the Shinhan Financial Group (249th), Lotte (261st), KT (271st), Kia Motors (289th), the Korea Electric Power Corporation (414th), Doosan (420th), GS (431st), the KB Financial Group (433rd), POSCO (436th), and CJ (444th).
Last October, Samsung moved into seventh place on a list of the “Best 100 Global Brands” by the global brand consultancy Interbrand, with a brand value of US$45.3 billion. The top companies on that list were Apple (US$170.3 billion), Google (US$120.3 billion), Coca-Cola (US$78.4 billion), Microsoft (US$67.7 billion), and IBM (US$65.1 billion). South Korean companies ranked in the top 100 included Hyundai Motor in 39th with US$11.3 billion and Kia Motors in 74th with US$5.7 billion.
By Lee Jeong-hun, staff reporter
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