Why Apple Is Still Ranked As the World’s No. 1 Brand

Apple continues to be the world’s # 1 most valuable brand year after year (USD574.5 billion, up 11% from 2024)

• Are you an Apple fan or an Apple enthusiast?

• If not, have you ever met one?

Meeting an Apple enthusiast can feel a lot like meeting a devoted music fan of an artist: loyal, passionate, and fully invested. Apple customers aren’t just buyers; they’re de facto brand ambassadors and storytellers for the brand.

They’ll happily pay $1,000 or more for a new iPhone, Mac computer, or another Apple product, and most of the time wouldn’t even consider another brand. But why? Welcome to the art of brand storytelling.

This should be every company’s dream: create high-quality products and services, master the art of branding, and let your customers do the marketing for you.

That is the Art & Mastery of Brand Storytelling

Apple customers aren’t just buyers—they’re de facto brand ambassadors. They tell the brand’s story, defend it, and actively support other users in online communities, often stepping in as unofficial technical support. And they do it without ever being part of the Apple team.

They do this freely and enthusiastically—sometimes intentionally or without even realizing it. That’s when branding reaches its highest form: when customers don’t just use the product, they carry the brand forward.

1. From the Founder’s Idea to Customer Buy-In (Mastering Storytelling)

By the time I bought my first Apple computer, I already knew the story behind it. I knew Steve Jobs’s vision, his obsession with innovation, design, his success and setbacks, and his relentless work ethic. He was admired by many and criticized by just as many, but his story was unforgettable.

While Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak was the mastermind engineering architect behind the technology innovation, Steve Jobs was the architect of Apple’s vision and storytelling. He wasn’t a programmer or engineer, but he became the mastermind behind the company’s direction, marketing, and most importantly, its story.

What’s remarkable is when this happened. During Steve Jobs’s time, most people had no idea who founded the companies they bought from. Founders weren’t public figures. Yet Apple customers knew theirs. His story became inseparable from the product. That wasn’t accidental. It was storytelling.

Today, this approach is ‘the standard’ in the tech industry. Founders are visible. Stories are intentional. But many other industries still haven’t caught up. They offer great products and services, yet underestimate storytelling as a strategic advantage, something Steve Jobs understood early.

2. Every Brand Needs a Public Face From Within the Company

Visibility Vs Overexposed: Balancing Visibility and Privacy

Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, since succeeding Steve Jobs in 2011, has embraced this approach, as well the leaders of Microsoft (#2) and Google (#3), the world’s other top-ranked global brands.

Much like Cook, these CEOs have adapted the role of public storytellers, while maintaining private lives, achieving a remarkable balance of visibility without overexposure.

Notably, all three current CEOs (Apple, Microsoft and Google) are engineers. Rather than relying on personality-driven storytelling, they lead through their strengths as engineers, communicating their company’s vision through product launches, problem-solving, operational clarity, and long-term thinking, while embracing simple and relatable language. Their storytelling approach differ from Steve Jobs’ and they don’t need to mimic his.

This reinforces a powerful truth: effective brand storytelling doesn’t require constant visibility or a specific personality driven approach. Instead, it requires clarity of vision, authenticity, and a consistent point of view from within the company.

Essentially, brands need someone inside the company who can tell the story in a way people genuinely care about.

In the past, high-quality or popular products and services were often enough. Today, they’re not. Brands cannot rely solely on marketing campaigns, external ambassadors or celebrity endorsements. Some of the most powerful stories come from within. When customers connect with the story behind a product or service, they don’t just buy it, they buy into it.

Without a visible internal voice, a brand risks being overshadowed by competitors who do connect with their customers. The stories that truly inspire brand loyalty always start from inside.

3. What Are Your Customers Saying About Your Brand?

Can you confidently say your customers tell your brand’s story the same way you do?

Do they understand what you stand for? Are they emotionally invested? Does your product or service deliver an experience worth talking about?

These questions matter because branding only works when there’s alignment. What the brand says must match what customers repeat. When there’s a gap, trust erodes.

Strong brands don’t just communicate, they resonate and create alignment. When your message, your experience, and your customers’ voices all say the same thing, your brand becomes memorable, trusted, and powerful.

4.) Marketing Gets You Visibility. Branding Gets You Chosen

Marketing creates visibility, attention, highlights features and differentiation. While branding tells the story that gets you chosen and gives meaning to the choice.

• Marketing: “I buy Apple products for their features and innovation.” This reflects marketing-driven decision-making.

• Branding: “I buy Apple products because they’re the best, and I only use Apple.” This reflects brand-driven loyalty.

In many cases, Apple customers can’t even fully explain their loyalty. They don’t need to. They just know. (I’m guilty too).

When branding is done right, customers stop comparing. They choose decisively, emotionally, and repeatedly.

The Opportunity

Growth today doesn’t come from louder messaging or more features, but from stories people believe in and want to be part of.

This requires a strategic leadership storytelling approach and a commitment to brand narratives as a strategic asset, rooted in the company’s values, culture, and long-term vision.

Whether you’re building a startup, expanding your portfolio, or leading an established brand, don’t just admire great brands, become one.

Final Thoughts

Steve Jobs and Apple created the blueprint for brand storytelling. That’s why Apple continues to be ranked as the world’s number one brand.

Even after Steve Jobs’ passing in 2011, his storytelling approach built a foundation strong enough to outlast him and power a lasting legacy.

Great products and services matter, but they’re not enough. Brands that continue to win and stay relevant, are the ones that master storytelling.

Loyal customers are not created by convincing people to buy; they are created by giving them a reason to stay.