Apple has been named the most influential brand in a poll of branding professionals thanks to its hugely popular iPod product line. Apple topped both the global and North American rankings in the survey of nearly 2,000 ad executives, brand managers and academics by Brandchannel, displacing search engine Google from last year’s top spot.
“Apple’s just done an extraordinary job with innovation, technology and design. The iPod is what has put Apple in the lead this year,” Brandchannel editor Robin Rusch said. “Sony has had less luck tying together its products as a lifestyle. From a branding perspective, they haven’t caught up with Apple’s design and ability to capture the imagination.”
Rounding out the top five were: Swedish furniture chain Ikea, premium coffee chain Starbucks, and Arabic media channel Al Jazeera.
