Search king tops Apple, Starbucks, and Skype in a survey as most influential brand.

[Ashok]

After a hectic week in which its legal battle with the U.S. government over search data was made public and its stock had its largest single-day decline, Google regained the title as the most influential brand in the world.

According to survey results announced on Monday by online branding exchange Brandchannel.com, Google took the 2005 title from Apple, which placed second in the annual survey conducted by Brandchannel. The exchange asks voters to rank the brands that had the most impact, good or bad, on them.

Google received about 39 percent of the votes cast, while Apple took about 37 percent.

Papers filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday revealed that Google refused to comply with a government subpoena for a wide range of search information. By the end of the week, Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL all admitted they had cooperated with the government, releasing some version of the information that the government wanted from Google.

Last Friday, Google’s stock price fell 8.5 percent, posting its largest single-day drop ever. Earlier in the week Yahoo announced disappointing fourth-quarter earnings. The Yahoo earnings, combined with the information about the government request for data, could have played a role in investors’ sudden unease with Google.

Shares of Google rose $11.28 to $410.74 in recent trading Monday.

The Skype brand, now owned by eBay, was voted the third-most influential brand in the world, with a little over 13 percent of the votes. Starbucks, Ikea, Nokia, Yahoo, Firefox, eBay, and Sony rounded out the field in that order.

Branding Around the Globe

In Europe and Africa, Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone company, was voted the most influential brand after slipping in recent years to as low as fourth place during 2004. Ikea, the Swedish retailer, was a close second. Skype, which is likely to be shifted to North American in future voting, placed third.

Zara, BMW, BBC, Adidas, Al Jazeera, and H&M rounded out the Europe/Africa field.

Apple may have lost the global battle to Google, but it finished in the top spot in North America, beating Google by a fairly healthy 44 vs. 34 percent margin. North Americans like the smell of coffee in the morning, which would explain Starbucks taking the third spot.

Retailer Target was fourth, while Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, rounded out the top five. Craigslist, Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, Oprah Winfrey, and Amazon.com completed the top 10.

Despite its problems, Sony was voted the most influential brand in the Asia Pacific region, followed closely by Toyota, Samsung, LG, and financial conglomerate HSBC. Singapore Airlines, Honda, Lonely Planet, Tiger Beer, and Hello Kitty rounded out the top 10.

In Central and Latin America, relaxation was the order of the day. Beer maker Corona wobbled into first place followed by rum maker Bacardi.

Movistar, a mobile phone operation from Telefónica, the Spanish telecommunications firm, was third. Havaianas, a rubber sandal maker, placed fourth, followed by the Mexican cement maker Cemex. Café de Colombia, Bimbo, Natura, Lan Airlines, and Concha y Toro rounded out the top 10.