Google, Apple, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, & Ikea, In That Order

by , 3:00 PM EST, February 11th, 2003

What do Google, Apple, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, & Ikea all have in common? They were all five voted as the biggest brands in a poll conducted Interbrand, a major UK advertising agency. More interestingly, they were voted in that order, placing #2 Apple above marketing behemoth Coca-Cola and mainstream powerhouse Starbucks. That's officially not too shabby for a company often dismissed by pundits as A.) Going out of Business Soon™, and B.) nothing more than a niche technology player that is no longer relevant. Perhaps those pundits will note today's news.

The bigger news, at least as far as the mainstream world is concerned, is that Google itself earned some15% of the poll's vote to take the #1 spot. Google has become its own powerhouse, and has done so without the aid of such devices as "advertising," especially on TV. There's little doubt that Coca-Cola wishes it could claim the same, as that company spends more on advertising in a single year as many a small country. Google beat out Apple for the #1 spot, though Apple claimed that position in last year's poll.

Interbrand also says that Apple came in #2 in the US and Canada, having been beaten by Target for the #1 slot. This follows the same trend as last year's poll, where Target again took the #1 spot, followed by Apple in that region in that poll. Apple didn't place in the Top 10 in any other portions of the world. From the report issued by Interbrand:

Not far behind Google is Apple with 14 percent of the vote (last year's Readers' Choice number one global Brand of the Year). Beloved by a small but vocal contingency, Apple has an overall market share of less than 3 percent worldwide and less than 5 percent in the US, its "strongest" market. Nevertheless its steady array of new product releases and cheeky David-to-Goliath positioning makes it hard not to notice and perhaps explains why our readers tend to favor it.

Caffeinated treats Coca-Cola and Starbucks are third (12 percent) and fourth (11 percent) with furnishings retailer Ikea setting up home at fifth place with 10 percent of the readers' global vote.

US & Canada: Bull's-eye
In the United States and Canada, Target takes the lead with 19 percent of the vote based on 1,983 respondents in this section. Apple follows close behind at 18 percent, showing a similar trend to the 2001 results where Target took top prize and Apple pulled in second.

North Americans clearly have strong feelings about their coffee and doughnuts as retail coffee house Starbucks and doughnut joint Krispy Kreme received 13 and 12 percent of the vote respectively; both of these brands have been tirelessly expanding to bring a hot steaming cup of coffee and a freshly glazed doughnut to an outpost near you. Tying with Krispy Kreme is the fashionably cheap New York-based airline, JetBlue.

Target, Apple, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme were all in the top ten US and Canada category last year, and their continued impact is not surprising given that they are all brands that are expanding and innovating on a regular basis. However, JetBlue's rise from 11th place in 2001 to tie at fourth place in 2002 is evidence of fast-growing interest in this three-year-old brand. Proving that cheap doesn't necessarily mean nasty, JetBlue offers leather seats, personal TV units, efficient ticketing, on-time arrival and departure and above all, excellent customer service. After 2002's abysmal showing for commercial airlines, it's astonishing that JetBlue's revenue grew by 98 percent.

Coca-Cola, among last year's top five winners, slips down to number seven in 2002, contrary to its rise in the global section where it rose from tenth to third.

You can find more information on the subject in the report issued by Interbrand.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Apple's brand has always been amazingly powerful. Steve Jobs has often mentioned that power when listing off the assets of the company he heads. As such, these poll results are about what we might expect, in terms of Apple's strong overall global positioning, and its no-show status in Asia, South America, and Europe when looking at those regions separately.

This sort of thing must chap the hide of Michael Dell, who has voiced dismay in the past at how much press Apple gets when the company has such a small market share. Accordingly, we take even more pleasure from the news.

Interbrand Report