Google, not Microsoft, is world's top brand

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By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 6:50am BST 24/04/2007
Google has replaced Microsoft as the world's most powerful brand, research showed yesterday.
The internet search engine recorded a 77 per cent increase in its value to £33.2 billion last year from £18.7 billion in 2005, a study reveals.
But Marks & Spencer, which entered a list of the globe's 100 biggest names for the first time at 68, is the fastest growing brand.
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It recorded a 192 per cent rise to £4.75 billion to become the fourth biggest name in Britain, according to a study by Millward Brown, a market research firm.
However, Vodafone, the mobile phone network operator, was the highest-placed UK name, ranked 22nd with a value of £10.5 billion.
It was followed by HSBC in 31st with £8.7 billion and Tesco in 32nd with £8.3 billion, according to the study, which combined their value with consumer sentiment.
Google, which topped the list, last week released the results for its first quarter, which showed a 63 per cent increase in revenue compared to the same period last year. It was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were still students at Stanford University, California.
Microsoft, which topped the last list, saw its brand value drop by 11 per cent to £27.5 billion, putting it in third place.
Second was General Electric, the same position it held in the previous ranking.
Other technology companies in the top 10 were China Mobile, in fifth place, and IBM, in ninth.
The combined value of the top 100 brands has risen by 10.6 per cent in the last year to £0.8 trillion.
At least one million consumers were interviewed for this year's survey, which covered almost 400,000 worldwide brands.
Other British names in the top 100 were Royal Bank of Scotland in 82nd with a brand value of £3.6 billion, Barclays in 87th with £3.3 billion, BP in 93rd with £2.9 billion and Asda in 97th with £2.7 billion.

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