OUR TAKE

Google Finds Brand Power

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By Rex Moore (TMF Orangeblood)
February 11, 2003

The votes are in, and the top brand in the world is... Google. The Internet search engine finished ahead of such household names as Coca-Cola and Starbucks in voting by readers of brandchannel.com.

 

A strong brand can be one of a company's most important assets. It can provide a strong competitive advantage that keeps consumers coming back for more and more.

 

The power of a strong brand is perhaps best summed up by this paragraph from our Rule Breaker strategy page: "We look for companies with strong consumer appeal. All else being equal, a company that imprints its logo in the minds of the public stands a better chance of surviving than one that does not. A strong brand serves to attract, to habituate, to profit, and to protect."

 

According to the survey, here are the brands that had the most impact on respondents' lives in 2002:

 

Globally

1. Google.com

2. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)

3. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO)

4. Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX)

5. Ikea

 

U.S. & Canada

1. Target (NYSE: TGT)

2. Apple

3. Starbucks

4. JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU)

5. Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD)

 

Asia-Pacific

1. LG Electronics

2. Samsung

3. PlayStation (NYSE: SNE)

4. Sony Ericsson

5. Toyota (NYSE: TM)

 

Cental & South America

1. Corona

2. Bacardi

3. Café de Colombia

4. Telemundo

5. Bimbo

 

Europe & Africa

1. Nokia (NYSE: NOK)

2. Ikea

3. Mini

4. BMW

5. Absolut

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