Google leaps, Microsoft drops in brand value
The value of Google's brand soared 43 percent, according to an annual study, and IBM knocked Microsoft down from second to place. Coke is still king.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Google's brand name value jumped from 20th place last year to 10th in 2008, according to the latest version of an annual study that ranks the best brands, with only four technology companies ahead of it on the list.
Microsoft slipped from second to third place, edged down a peg by IBM, according to the study by BusinessWeek and Interbrand, which base their results on the value of the brand as judged by how much revenue it will likely earn for the company.
Google showed the strongest gain, with a value that increased 43 percent to $25.6 billion, the study said. Next in line was 24th-place Apple, whose brand value rose 24 percent to $13.7 billion.
Coca-Cola remains the top, with a $66.7 billion in brand value, but technology companies are well represented on the list. No. 5 is Nokia, Intel No. 7, Hewlett-Packard No. 12, Cisco No. 17, Samsung No. 21, Oracle No. 23, and Sony No. 25.