best global brands 2008Google is the fastest growing global brand, according to Businessweek and Interbrand’s Best Global Brand Survey.

The online search company first appeared in the top 100 list in 2005, at number 38; today, it is 10th on the list. Google’s brand value is calculated to be more than 25 billion dollars, and has risen 43% from its 2007 value of $18 billion. The key is Google’s quest for omnipresence:

“Innovations like Google Mobile, Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Google Book Search extend the brand’s reach and ubiquity and make it an increasingly important part of our everyday lives.”

While it has been a difficult year for the global economy, the fastest risers on the list
are tech companies: Apple, Amazon, Nintendo, SAP, Cisco, and Oracle also notched double-digit increases in brand value. The only other companies to do so were clothing retailer Zara, and luxury companies Audi and Cartier.

Five of the top ten brands are technology companies. In addition to Google, appearing are IBM (2), Microsoft, (3), Nokia (5), and intel (7).

Apple, which is now ranked 24th, saw its brand rise 24% from 2007. Microsoft held fast against its competitor, though its growth was minimal at 1%. While the distance between the two giants remains large – Microsoft at $59 billion versus Apple’s 13.5 billion – if this trending continues, and Apple continues to lead several of the largest tech markets while Microsoft continues to lose consumer trust, Apple could be worth than its competitor within the next ten years.

Who leads the list? Perhaps not surprisingly as it has long been a cultural symbol as well as brand, Coca Cola was number one in the survey.

Interbrand uses a three-part methodology to determine brand value: analysis of current and future revenue; analysis of how a brand drives customer demand; and the brand’s ability to secure customer support. Best Global Brands has been “voted the third most influential industry benchmark by business leaders.”

Source: www.atelier-us