London - Google (NASD: GOOG) once again claimed the top spot in market research firm Millward Brown's annual list of the top 100 most powerful brands, beating out other leading brands like GE/NBC Universal (NYSE: GE), Apple (NASD: AAPL) and Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) for the honor for the third year in a row. The report estimated Google's value at $86 billion, up 30% on a year ago; second-place General Electric's brand value was estimated at $71.4 billion.

Further down the line were Microsoft ($70.89 billion), Coca-Cola ($58.2 billion) and China Mobile ($57.2 billion).

Apple's brand value was $55.6 billion, a 123% increase from a year ago.

"This year's brand ranking demonstrates the importance of investing in brands, especially in times of market turmoil. Strong brands generate superior returns and protect businesses from risk," said Millward Brown CEO Joanna Seddon.

"Our data shows that strong brands continue to outperform weak ones in terms of market share and share price during recessions."

Poll - Tell Us What You Think - Is Google The World's Most Powerful Brand?

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/256y6 (PDF of report)