Video shows moment tech companies eclipsed Coca-Cola, McDonalds

Up until 2013, soft drink giant Coca-Cola was the biggest global brand but was overtaken by Apple and Google. Photo / Getty Images

A 60 second clip tracking the rise and fall of the world's biggest companies is doing the rounds on the internet and the movements are telling.

The video, shared on Linkedin by AI entrepreneur Tarry Singh, documents the transformation of consumer habits, trends and, of course, the sharp rise of tech companies.

Up until 2013, soft drink giant Coca-Cola was the biggest global brand but was overtaken by Apple and Google, both rising at an exponential rate.

McDonald's also featured high on the list until its growth started moving backwards in the same year as Coke's.

These brands have weakened as consumers have become more health conscious, according to Queensland University of Technology retail expert Gary Mortimer.

"Those particular brands grew substantially in the '40s, '50s and '60s when they were entering new markets," he said.

"Then they moved into a period of maturity when those brands had penetrated nearly all markets and are now starting to move into decline as consumers are looking for healthier options."

Microsoft was one of the world's biggest companies in the early 2000s but it was largely a software company, while companies that have harnessed the internet have grown at a much faster pace.

Apple, Google and Amazon are the main examples of this.

"They're growing because 20 years ago we didn't have the broadband speeds and the infrastructure we have today," Mortimer said.

"As infrastructure increases, as broadband band speeds improve, more tech companies will continue to grow."

Like Apple and Samsung today, between 2000 and 2010 every teen's eyes were glued to their Nokia mobile phones.

But the Finnish brand was squashed by its Chinese and US competitors.

"One of the risks that companies face when they're in a growth period is that they become complacent and they don't bother to evolve or differentiate their offer," said Mortimer.

"And a case in point would be Nokia, which led the market in mobile phone technology, became complacent, and got very quickly blindsided."

Another notable mover in the clip is tobacco company Marlboro.

In the 1990s, it was common to see sports events littered with smoking advertisements. But that has clearly changed today as the health risks are well documented.