London — Software maker Microsoft has finally managed to topple its arch rival Google off the prized top spot to claim the title of the biggest brand in the UK with the best reputation, according to the latest Superbrands survey.
The annual survey lists of the 2010 Top 500 (PDF) looked very different this time last year, when Google took pole position and Microsoft was fourth. BlackBerry languished at 42.
While Google has suffered an ignominious fall from first place to fifth, the top 10 consists of three technology firms, one less than in 2009. Nokia and Sony have been substituted by Blackberry, which rucked up in third place.
For Google, which claimed the top position in 2009, the fall from its perch to fifth place was not nearly as large as that of the Royal Bank of Scotland, which fell out of the top 500 altogether.
These surveys attempt to unearth what brands have mindshare in particular areas of society and gauge the effectiveness of their respective marketing departments. Superbrands does not reveal why the changes have happened, but the latest list suggests that UK consumers are flexible when it comes to putting their faith in a business.
Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive at the Centre for Brand Analysis, which conducts the survey, argued that, while technology giants continue to do well, often at each others’ expense, other companies are using green agendas, for example, to move forward.
“Once again Microsoft and Google have proved their potency by fighting it out for the top spots, while many other brands have reaffirmed their consistent performance year on year,” he said.
“The financial services sector, however, has seen mixed results with investment banks particularly losing ground over the year, while the Co-operative Bank, with its ethically focused strategy and co-operative structure, climbed 91 places.”
Votes were cast by a panel of 35 experts and more than 1,700 British business professionals.
Rolls-Royce Group retains its second position in this year’s poll, with BlackBerry rising from 42nd to third.
Back in the top 10 is British Airways, which bounced back into eighth place from its worst position last year (36th) – but souring this improvement is fierce rival Virgin Atlantic, which is new into the top 10 in fourth position.
The survey is collected for the Superbrands organization by the Center for Brand Analysis, which creates league tables based on the opinions of marketing experts, business professionals and thousands of British consumers.
“Google has started to lose some momentum with its market dominance becoming more and more evident whilst it has increasingly been criticized in the media for, among other things, its privacy policies,” said Cheliotis. “Both brands remain powerful forces but Microsoft must be delighted to finally beat its younger upstart.”
Also among the new entries into the top 10 are the credit card company Visa in ninth (14th last year) and accountancy group PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 10th (17th last year).
Last week, Walmart came out on top in a survey by Brand Finance of the world’s most valuable brands.