Brand class of 2009: Google on top.
Interbrand has just revealed its latest list the top 100 most valuable global brands for 2009 and Google is at the top. Such is the confidence of Google as a brand that it has today (October 7) replaced its own logo on its website with a bar code, to celebrate the invention of the ugly little collection of lines and spaces which plays such a huge role in our consuming lives.
Google has notched up the biggest rise in brand value, which grew 25% over the past year to reach nearly $32bn. In growth terms, it was closely followed by Amazon, which saw its brand equity boosted 22% to almost $8bn.There were double-digit rises in the technology sector for BlackBerry and Apple, which made it into the top 20 global brands for the first time. Meanwhile, retail brands Zara and H&M also experienced brand value growth, despite the recession. The economic climate has, unsurprisingly, led to declines in the value of brands in the banking sector. UBS is this year’s biggest faller in the list with its value halving over the past year, while financial firms including Morgan Stanley, HSBC and American Express also saw double digit falls.
