The top global brands for 2010 have been announced in, branding consultancy, Interbrand’s annual report which lists the top 100 brands for the year.

‘The 2010 Best Global Brands’ report saw Coca-Cola in the top spot for the eleventh year. In 2010s top ten, Google moved up three positions (gaining a 36% increase in value over the last year) and Intel moved up two positions from ninth to seventh place. Noticeably absent from the 2010 top ten is Toyota, who dropped to eleventh place, allowing HP to enter the top ten for the first time.

Some brands did not fare as well as others in 2010, with BP, for instance, failing to make the 2010 ranking. Instead, competitor Shell moved up 11 places from 92 to 81, emerging as a stronger player than last year.

Technological brands took the leading places in the ranking, with IBM (second), Microsoft (third), Google (fourth), Intel (seventh) and HP (10th) all in the top ten. Apple (17th) managed to gain 37% in brand value, moving up from 24th position in 2009.

Luxury brands were not hindered by an anticipated downturn in spend in 2010, with Louis Vuitton (16th), Gucci (44th), Hermes (69th), Tiffany & Co (76th), Cartier (77th) and Armani (95th) all making the ranking.

The report aims to chart how consumers are behaving, what brands they are buying and brand trust levels. Damian Borchok, CEO of Interbrand Australia commented about the rankings, “The increasing complexities of the global economy reinforce the importance of protecting and growing a brand. It is a company’s most valuable asset but it is clear that today’s brands cannot hide anything from consumers – brands must say, do and be everything the brand has been built to represent.”

Interbrand’s 2010 Best Global Brands report is available online.

Interbrand 2010 Best Global Brands Top Ten

1. Coca-Cola
2. IBM
3. Microsoft
4. Google
5. GE
6. McDonald’s
7. Intel
8. Nokia
9. Disney
10. HP