Apple beat out such names as Volkswagen, Nokia and Starbucks to win the Reader’s Choice 2001 Brand of the Year survey conducted by Brandchannel, an online exchange committed to providing a global perspective on brands.
Brandchannel defined a “Brand of the Year” as that which had the most impact on our lives in 2001. “That is, the Brand of the Year is not necessarily the biggest or the one with the most revenue — it is the one that makes us stand up and take notice,” the company said in announcing its survey results.
Apple led the pack with 14 percent of the global votes. The next four most mentioned brands worldwide were Volkswagen, Nokia, Google and Absolut (a tie), and Starbucks. The top five brands in Europe/Africa were: Nokia, Ikea, Absolut, Virgin and BMW.
Topping in list in the US/Canada were Target, Apple, Krispy Kreme, Coca-Cola, and a three-way tie between Google.com, Starbucks, and Martha Stewart (tie)
The top five brands in the Asia Pacific were Sony, Samsung, Toyota, Singapore Airlines and a tie between Hello Kitty and Lonely Planet. The big brand names in Latin/Central America were Corona, Quilmes, Bacardi, Itau, and Arcor. You can check out the Brandchannel Web site for details.