Google's rise to the top of the brand charts is symbolic of the systematic beating in two key areas: search and acquisitions. Following a slight
falloff in media interest about six months ago, a slew of new offerings and big-time acquisitions catapulted the search giant back to the realm of media ubiquity. And while a couple of these new
assets (notably YouTube) have drawn criticism, there's always the old adage that any press is good press.
Moreover, Google's invaluable flagship product (which many consumers use several times a day) is also its main branding mechanism. Google.com is nothing more than a huge brand image with a little search box below it. It's no wonder that as the search company's market share rises (up 5.6% in the year to March 31, according to comScore) to nearly 50%, so has its brand value.