50 Most Admired Brands In The World

To be a brand that is valued by customers is tough, but to be admired by other businesses? Now, that’s a real feat.

Fortune‘s annual comprehensive Most Admired Companies survey this year shows that Apple, for the third straight year, takes the No. 1 spot as the most admired brand in the world. This time, with the highest survey response rate in history and by the highest margin ever, according to Hay Group, the management consulting firm that collaborates with Fortune on the list.

In 2009, 51% of corporate leaders surveyed said they admired Apple.

“What exactly does it mean to be admired? Whether you call it a sterling reputation, integrity, or trust, this aspect of a company’s DNA can seem like an imprecise concept in the numbers-driven world of business. But for the companies on the list, trust and integrity are not just vague terms: They’re durable assets with a financial payoff. And in 2009 trust took center stage.”

As Ken Chenault, CEO of American Express, puts it, “The competitive advantage of trust has never been more important or more valuable.”

This result would probably come as no surprise to no one. Apple is the most talked about brand and dominates in many brand rankings. It revolutionizes every product it produces, even though it is not the first company to produce it. From the iPod to the iPhone, Apple has changed the way we do things and provided a great learning example for other companies. What’s even more amazing? It doesn’t even need a wide range of products in each product category to grab significant market share from competitors.

The next on the list is Google. Well, it must be, seeing how it is putting a finger into every important part of our life. It is a company built on a simple revenue equation. And it works. Businesses and consumers trust that Google will bring them everything that they need to know and everything that they need to make their lives easier.

Below is the complete list.