Aston Martin still the coolest brand

Aston Martin has retained its title as the UK’s coolest brand for the third year running. The luxury car marque beat off competition from brands such as iPhone and Bang & Olufsen to top the 2008 CoolBrands list.

The top 20 in the annual poll has been dominated by brands from the world of technology, with iPhone the runner-up and Apple in third place. YouTube, Google and Nintendo came fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Playstation, Sony and Facebook also made the top 20.

Well-established luxury brands also score highly. Upmarket audio and video equipment manufacturer Bang & Olufsen made it to fourth place, watchmaker Rolex was ninth and champagne house Dom Perignon was 11th.

While Aston Martin, aided by its continuing link with James Bond, heads the list, luxury car marques Ferrari and Lamborghini also made the top 20 at 13 and 20, respectively.

The annual CoolBrands poll reflects the opinions of industry experts and more than 2,500 members of the public. Members of the expert judging panel include Mother strategy director Dylan Williams, fashion designer Ben de Lisi and television presenters June Sarpong and Lauren Laverne. The panel is chaired by Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis.

The top 20:
1 Aston Martin
2 iPhone
3 Apple
4 Bang & Olufsen
5 YouTube
6 Google
7 Nintendo
8 Agent Provocateur
9 Rolex
10 Tate Modern
11 Dom Perignon
12 Virgin Atlantic
13 Ferrari
14 Ducati
15 PlayStation 1
16 Sony Advertisement
17 Nike
18 Bose
19 Facebook
20 Lamborghini (ANI)