Google named as UK’s most powerful brand

Google has been named as the most powerful business brand in the UK, ahead of Microsoft and BP. Google and fellow internet giant eBay are the only brands in the top 50 Business Superbrands 2008 list to have been launched after 1990.

The list ranks the brands that make the most impact and have the best reputations in the UK business sector. On average, the members of the top 50 are 90 years old, demonstrating the power of longevity and familiarity in UK business.

The top ten is made up of BBC (Worldwide), GlaxoSmithKline, Rolls-Royce Group, Financial Times, British Airways, Fedex Express and Hertz. The list is compiled by a council of senior business leaders and an independent survey of 1,500 professionals.

Stephan Cheliotis, chairman of the Superbrands Council, says: “British business opts for what it knows and trusts and as we head toward economic slowdown this is only going to become more important.”

The Superbrands Council is urging businesses to “hold their marketing nerve” in the face of the economic downturn. He adds:”Reputation is a company’s greatest asset and brand building is likely to become even more crucial over the next few years than in the last decade of stability.”