There’s lots of complete nonsense being spouted about a survey supposedly listing the world’s top brands.
Supposedly Apple is the brand with “the most global impact” in 2004. Complete nonsense. This is followed by Google, then Ikea, Starbucks and Al Jazeera.
These brands are patently the ones that affect a certain type of monied middle-class westerner the greatest deal. But if you’re trying to tell me that they’re admired by your average Nigerian, Chinese or Indian then I’d say you’re very much mistaken.
Apple got in because of the iPod. Fine device undoubtedly. But they’ve sold something like 10 million worldwide (and for worldwide, read US & Europe) which is a drop in the ocean compared to say, oh, Coca-Cola.
Google is a fine brand, if and only if, you’re a member of the minority of the world with online access.
They probably don’t all drive over to their local Ikea on bank holidays to buy furniture in Africa.
And the closest African Starbucks franchise is probably somewhere in Kuwait. Indeed I’m not sure that it’d have much impact in South America where they, er, grow the coffee.
Oh, and Al Jazeera doesn’t have that great viewing figures around to the world compared to CNN and the BBC, so how does it do so well?
Let’s just check the fine print shall we?
A total of 1,984 brandchannel readers from 75 countries voted online between November and December 2004.
A shortlist for each region is provided but readers are given a chance to write in brand(s) to compensate for omissions on the part of brandchannel.
So less than 2,000 people with internet access voted, and chose primarily form a pre-picked list. What that list was, we’re not told.
Certainly, the methodology goes on to state that the brands must have been “highly visible” that year. But then which year doesn’t Ford or Coca-Cola outspend Apple in advertising? And which global detergent brands aren’t more visible?
Still, thousands of column inches, including these ones, will be spent carefully dissecting the list and looking for positive stories, when the whole thing is a complete puff-piece.