The value of the H&M and Ikea brand swell - while Nokia tumbles.

• Swedish firms among world's top brands
• H&M founders donate $137 million to employees
• Ikea invests in more wind power plants 
• Nokia sacks CEO after smart-phone fiasco

Technology brands continue to lead the pack at global branding consultancy Interbrand’s prestigious “Best Global Brands” ranking with IBM, Microsoft and Google as the world's top brands.

Two Swedish brands were among the 100 most valuable brands. Both Ikea and H&M kept their positions while brand values increased in the 2010 ranking.

Cheap'n'chic fashion group H&M was ranked as the world’s 21st most valuable brand with a price tag of 16.1 billion dollar, 5 percent higher than in last year’s ranking.

“While H&M engages consistently with its customers on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to drive traffic to its website (which is not yet globally available), its stores and window displays continue to be the brand’s most important channel of communication”, Interbrand pointed out.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA was ranked at place 28 with a brand value of 12.5 billion dollar, 4 percent higher than last year.

“Its effort to cut prices on its items as well as promote itself in a humorous and quirky way keeps customers engaged and supports the cult following IKEA has built over the years”, the branding consultancy said.

Finland’s Nokia, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, dropped from 5th to 8th place while its brand value declined 15 percent to 29.5 billion dollar.

“While Nokia certainly maintains leadership in global market share of handsets, the brand has fallen behind where the most profitable sectors of the market have developed – most notably, smartphones”, Interbrand said.

IBM, Microsoft and Google lead Interbrand’s 11th annual ranking of the “Best Global Brands.” Google saw a 36 percent increase in value over last year, bringing the brand closer than ever to rival Microsoft.

“2010 was the beginning of a long road back towards economic recovery,” said Jez Frampton, group chief executive at Interbrand. “From real-time customer feedback through social media to increased transparency about corporate citizenship, brands were faced with a profound change in the way they relate to customers and demonstrate their relevance and value. Despite this new paradigm of brand management, the advantages of building a solid brand remain the same.”

Full statements:
• H&M ranked 21st most valuable brand
• IKEA ranked 28th most valuable brand
• Nokia drops in global brand ranking