Google beats Microsoft, Coke in brand stakes

[Rappy Veteran]

Google has knocked Microsoft off the top spot and been named the most powerful global brand of 2007 in a recently published ranking.

It's the second year in a row a tech brand has beaten household names such as Coca-Cola, Marlboro and Toyota.

In the ranking, which factored in financial performance and consumer sentiment, Google ranked first with a brand value of more than $66 billion, nearly double its value in the 2006 ranking, according to market researcher Millward Brown Optimor.

Microsoft came in third this year with a brand value of $55 billion. Fellow tech companies in the top 10 are China Mobile, in fifth place, and IBM, in ninth.

According to Millward Brown Optimor, here are the 10 most powerful global brands of 2007, plus brand value:

1. Google--$66.4 billion

2. General Electric--$61.9 billion

3. Microsoft--$55 billion

4. Coca-Cola--$44.1 billion

5. China Mobile--$41.2 billion

6. Marlboro--$39.2 billion

7. Wal-Mart--$36.9 billion

8. Citigroup--$33.7 billion

9. IBM--$33.6 billion

10. Toyota Motor--$33.4 billion

Other technology companies featuring in the top 100 list include Nokia (12th), Hewlett-Packard (15th) and Apple (16th).

"Google is an absolutely phenomenal brand in the sense that it is very clear what it stands for and it has perceived leadership and innovation," Peter Walshe, global brands director at Millward Brown Optimor, told Silicon.com.

Out of the complete top 100 listings, finance is the most dominant vertical with one in four listings coming from that sector. Technology is the second-most prolific, with one in five brands, and retail is the third-most popular sector.

Walshe said one of the key drivers to improve a company's brand is innovation, and that's where technology brands tend to score very well. "People are rating technology brands as exciting, as brands they like and as brands they admire," he added.

The aim of the ranking is to calculate the value a brand is expected to generate for its owner in the future.

SOURCE

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

wow this is cool :p coca cola should make their own OS :p

[mad_onion]

i dont really understand how they calculate how much revenue the brand is going to generate. how do they work out which part of revenue is earned from a brand name rather than from the usual reasons?

ah ok, dont worry i read the report pdf it explains it well enough for my questions to be answered.

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

its an educated guess really it depends on current value how long they have been doing, how much they have made in previous years and what they have planned

[guruparan]

Now at first..tats ok..

when youtube is made with ads & low security & cracks peek into google, next year it will be pushed back..

after 2 yrs..it will be another yahoo.

Acquiring some companies and getting into no.1. is not good...rather they should innovate..where it lacks other than in search & ads. most of the other products failed to reach the spot! I hate them.

In mean while, what Google stands for...an ad company, a search company or some say is tat a "innovation" company?...

[kevbo]

I suppose now the only words heard more around the world than Coca Cola are Google and OK

[RaisinCain]

I find it hard to believe that the oil/gas companies aren't at the top.

[Rappy Veteran]

I find it hard to believe that the oil/gas companies aren't at the top.

Maybe they excluded them because it would be obvious they would be there...

[.Ark]

This is the first time that I have seen the brand, "China Mobile"

[Veedems Veteran]

This is the first time that I have seen the brand, "China Mobile"

Considering how many people are in China, I don't think we Americans need to know about the brand for it to be in that list lol.

[L3thal Veteran]

The list doesn't look surprising, but what's Walmart doing up there? I would've guessed Target would beat them out in terms of consumer satisfaction, though we cannot compare the two in terms of revenue.

[Nashy]

How the hell does GE fall second to a search engine.

Search Engine vs. Multinational Corporation....

I don't think they are right, considering the profits GE Capital Finance Australia / New Zealand pulled in last 1/4.

[.Ark]

The list doesn't look surprising, but what's Walmart doing up there? I would've guessed Target would beat them out in terms of consumer satisfaction, though we cannot compare the two in terms of revenue.

I think almost anyone recognizes the name Walmart lol... It just seems like more people would just because of their size and the # of stores. But honestly, Target's customer service/products beat Walmart anyday*..

* IMO