Apple retains top spot as world's most valuable brand for 5th consecutive year

For the fifth year in a row, Apple fended off the likes of Google, Microsoft and other fast-rising tech titans to be named the most valuable brand in the world, as ranked by global brand consulting firm Interbrand.

Listed on Interbrand's annual "Best Global Brands" report for 2017, Apple's brand valuation soared to $184 billion, up 3 percent from last year.

Google placed second with a brand valuation of $142 billion, while Microsoft landed in third valued at just under $80 billion. Coca Cola and Amazon rounded out the top five with valuations of $70 billion and $65 billion, respectively.

The report notes Apple's brand valuation growth rate is slowing down as other up-and-comers gain ground. Previously dubbed "Top Risers," quickly growing brands tracked by Interbrand are now labeled "Top Growing" companies and include a variety of big-name corporations, many of them from the tech sector.

Facebook, which held the No. 8 spot on the best global brand list this year, placed first in the "Top Growing" category with a 48 percent jump in valuation from the same time last year. Following Facebook was overall No. 5 Amazon and No. 56 Adobe, which saw 29 percent and 19 percent increases in value, respectively.

Apple was last cited as a top growing brand in 2015 when its brand value enjoyed a 43 percent boost largely attributed to full-year sales of iPhone 6 and strong services revenue. Prior to that, the company was credited as a "Top Riser" when it grew 28 percent to usurp Coca Cola as the world's most valuable brand in 2013.

Apple's value, as viewed by Interbrand, has steadily declined over the intervening years, falling to 21 percent in 2014 and, most recently, to 5 percent in 2016.