Study: Amazon, Google among top brands

New York – Amazon.com and Google were among the biggest winners in the annual CoreBrand Top 100 Most Powerful Brands Rankings for 2014, both increasing in their rankings. Walgreens and UPS dropped 11 spots each.



The report ranks the top 100 corporate brands in terms of market reputation and awareness. Consumer-cyclical and consumer-staple brands represent 58 of the top 100 corporate brands, which CoreBrand says indicates that the most powerful brands have a strong connection to consumers.



In 2008, the average BrandPower of the top 100 brands was 65.7. That average dropped through 2009 and into 2010, bottoming out at 61.7, for a loss of four points or 6% in just two years. In recent years, brands have experienced a minor bounce back. In 2013, the average BrandPower was 63.6, gaining back nearly half of what was lost since 2008, which indicates that brands are breaking out of the doldrums that have held them back due to the economy.



"In 2013, we saw corporate brands break out of the funk they've been in since the 2008 financial crisis," commented James R. Gregory, founder and CEO of CoreBrand. "2012 was a slow year in regards to recovery, with the average brand ranking gaining only a fraction of a point. This year, we saw that number jump nearly a full point – in research terms, that is huge. As the economy continues to recover, we see that the business decision maker is regaining confidence in companies."