Arkansas Billion-Dollar Brands (EDITORS NOTE)

Companies invest a lot of capital and resources in order to attain a positive status in the minds of potential customers.

Which companies have done the best at it?  According to a new report, tech and telecom giants are leading the pack.

Brand Finance, a brand-valuation consulting agency based in London, recently released its latest list ranking all of America’s public companies by brand value.

Apple is No. 1, with a brand value of $128.3 billion, up by 29 percent from last year. The values are reached by estimating the royalty rate that would be charged for use of the brand and factoring in future revenue. Google and Microsoft are ranked Nos. 2 and 3.

On down the list at No. 8 is Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ($46.7 billion), the only brand in the top 10 whose primary product is not in tech or telecoms. The next-highest retailer is The Home Depot ($24.4 billion) at No. 17.

The Bentonville retailer saw its value increase 4 percent from 2014, so it’s moving the brand equity needle. The bad news? Other companies are moving their needle even more. As recently as 2010, Walmart was ranked No. 1, but it has been gradually overtaken by the bigger tech brands and slips a little further each year. An exit from the top 10 seems certain in 2016.

Still, Brand Finance had encouraging remarks for Walmart, notably its new CEO.

“Doug McMillon is charting a stable course for the Walmart brand,” the report said. “A wage hike for half a million employees will benefit the business and the brand. The boost to staff morale should see improved productivity and customer service, both of which are important inputs into Brand Finance’s Brand Strength Index.”

Arkansas as a whole jumped from 13th to 10th in the state ranking, with a total of $70 billion coming from its six billion-dollar brands — Sam’s Club (No. 37), Tyson Foods Inc. (No. 118 and a billion-dollar brand for the first time), Dillard’s Inc. (No. 317), Windstream Communications (No. 375) and Murphy Oil Corp. (No. 443).