We were far from surprised when we read yesterday that Apple, according to a new study, is now the world’s most valuable brand. The tech and lifestyle brand crushed Google to reign supreme in the list of the most profitable brands on the planet. Apple reportedly is valued at a jaw-dropping $153.3 billion, while Google falls somewhere in the no small potatoes range of $111.5 billion.

What is surprising is the rest of the list. As we perused the big-name companies, we noticed that many of the brands (although extremely profitable) are not exactly well-loved. Number six on the list, for example, is Marlboro cigarettes. While the brand undoubtedly rakes in massive dough, its overall value to the planet could be questioned. America’s most-used (and most-hated) phone company AT&T and artery clogging specialist McDonald’s also ranked high on top the list. This got us wondering: In order to be a profitable brand, do you need to be unscrupulous as well?

The big business evil empire cliché is a cliché for a reason. Yet we don’t necessarily believe that in order to make big money you have to be a big jerk. Mega-brands like Jet Blue, H&M, Chick-fil-A, Trader Joes and Chipotle are examples of how being well-loved and respected pays off with huge profits. Building a reputation as a nice guy is something that small businesses have relied on for centuries. So it always stands out when a huge company employs friendlier, more personable tactics. With digital engagement and social media, brands who care can reach out to their customers faster than ever before. Pinkberry is one of the large brands that does a great job keeping tabs on their customers on Twitter. The company has been known to give away free yogurt to happy and unhappy customers alike after responding to Tweets.

Walmart, ranked at number 15 on the list, is a brand that is still trying to be liked and to be perceived as likeable. Yet its image problem hasn’t truly gone away, regardless of what a list says or how much money it has brought in. The perception remains that the company is exploitive and a little slimy. So, in the end, maybe a brand’s value is truly subjective.

Brandsplat Video Report on Youtube School, Foursquare Day and Kids react to Rebecca Black from Brand Splat on Vimeo.  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

We here at Brandsplat are big fans of following the latest online marketing and social media marketing campaigns unleashed by some of the world’s biggest brands. It’s always fascinating to see how a once universally loved and now slightly tarnished brand uses the powers of the Internet to claw its way back to the top. So when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the 2012 presidential election, all eyes turned to social media as politicos and marketers alike wondered if Obama could once again become an unbeatable brand.

“It Begins with Us” is a new YouTube commercial which dropped this week just in time for the announcement. The “Yes We Can” and “Hope” spirit has washed off a little since his initial bid for the Oval Office in 2010. Instead this video has a realistic “sure things still stink but they could be worse” type of vibe. Rightfully, this early campaign is trying to get the people who voted for him the first time to become mobilized to vote for him again. As the only clear contender in the race on either side of the political coin, Obama’s campaign can’t be judged too harshly and as far as Internet political ads go, this YouTube video is far from offensive or cloying — it’s a little boring.

Like any good brand, Obama hopped right on Facebook the minute his re-election was announced.

“Today, we are filing papers to launch the 2012 campaign. Say that you’re in,” said the President early Monday morning. The message didn’t fall on deaf ears. Obama has more the 18 million followers on the social network and will undoubtedly be remembered as the “social media” president. But things in social media have changed since 2008 so this time the Prez will have to bring his A game to keep up with the increase of followers, the growing number of platforms and the suddenly fickle nature of social media users.

While Obama’s actual website looks a little empty right now, we can be sure that one of the world’s best digital marketers will once again leave no stone unturned when it comes to reelection — even if we can’t be sure he’ll win again.

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers Gmail Motion, Translate for Animals App and Touching Wood. April Fools! Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

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Brandsplat Video Report on Xoom, Android, iPad, Google, Content Farming, Oscars, YouTube Trends. from Enzo Cesario on Vimeo.

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers Xoom, Android, iPad, Google, Content Farming, Oscars and YouTube Trends. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode covers Orabrush, YouTube, X-Men, Facebook and the New York Academy of Art.Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids