Apple couldn’t overcome Google for “brand of the year,” but they did beat out Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Ikea to place second in the poll.
Google got 1,315 votes (15 percent of the total) in a global survey conducted by brandchannel.com, a British branding agency. Respondents, who were described as above average intelligence professionals and students from over 72 countries, were asked which brand had made the most impact on their lives in 2002, either positively or negatively, according to a Reuters article.
Apple came in close behind Google, with 14 percent of the vote. Coca-Cola took third place with 12 percent. Fourth and fifth place went to, respectively, Starbucks and Ikea, the Swedish furnishings store.