Ad Execs Deem Google Strongest Digital Brand, Like Facebook For Mobile

Despite challenges from social media juggernauts Facebook and Twitter, Google remains the strongest brand in digital media among advertisers and agency executives, according to the most recent findings of a twice-annual study of the perceptions of ad executives by Advertiser Perceptions Inc.

The most recent study was conducted in the fourth-quarter of 2010, and is the first in which AIR released the identities of the top-rated media brands in its key categories. The ratings, which are kind of like Madison Avenue's version of the automotive industry's J.D. Power scores, actually go beyond simple metrics like customer satisfaction to probe other key attributes that ad executives use to value media.

In the digital media category, Google rated No. 1 in terms of "brand strength," a composite of ad industry perceptions of three criteria: ad results, audience and the image of a media company's brand.

The Google Ad Network also had the highest brand strength in the online advertising networks category, while Facebook had the highest brand strength in the mobile category, a finding that surprised AIR executives, because Facebook has yet to commercialize its mobile app, and ad executives cannot currently place their media budgets on it.

AIR Partner Ken Pearl noted that the overall scores for digital media have been improving in recent surveys, reflecting that digital media companies are working harder to fulfill the expectations of ad executives.

In terms of specific attributes, News Corp.'s WSJ.com rated highest in terms of "sales knowledge," while Yahoo was No. 1 in "customer service," and ESPN.com dominated "advertiser satisfaction."

Microsoft scored highest in terms of advertiser satisfaction in the vertical digital categories of mobile and advertising networks.

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