Friday, January 26, 2007, 11:00 am

Google edges Apple in worldwide brand survey

By Slash Lane

For a second straight year, Internet search giant Google has muscled past Apple to secure the top spot in a worldwide ranking of most influential brands.

Apple placed second in the survey of 3,625 branding professionals and students commissioned by online branding magazine brandchannel, which asked participants: "Which brand had the most impact on our lives in 2006?".

The iPod maker barely edged YouTube for the runner-up slot, which came in third, followed by Wikipedia and Starbucks.

While Google kept its top global ranking, Apple held on to its number-one spot in North America, according to the survey. YouTube, Google, Starbucks and Wikipedia again rounded out the top five, respectively.

"Though Apple hasn't yet taken credit (or blame) for it, the company is also responsible for the proliferation of products whose names begin with a lowercase i, even if they're not iPod compatible," said brandchannel.

"In kicking off 2007 with the iPhone and Apple TV (and despite those increasingly annoying 'I'm a Mac…I'm a PC' ads), the company, which altered its brand by dropping 'Computer' from its name, will likely be a top contender in next year's poll."

Apple was not amongst the top five brands in survey rankings for Europe & Africa, Latin America, or Asia Pacific.