• Brandchannel, Monday, March 23, 2009 11 AM

Apple was voted the "most inspiring" brand by the 4,310 readers who participated in Brandchannel's 2009 Brandjunkie awards voting. It was little wonder, as they seemed to finish in the top five of nearly every category, from "best retail environment" (#1) to being "green and eco-friendly" (#3) to "most controversial" (#4). But they were, by the way, also voted "best able to rebound from a crisis."

Pepsi racked up a good amount of mentions, too, and was voted the "most effective rebrand." Wal-Mart was No. 2 in that category. General Motors predictably didn't fare so well. It was No. 1 at "most controversial" but otherwise absent from the list. Ford, on the other hand, took No. 3 in the "rebrand" category.

Tiger Woods had the "best relationship with a brand." Which one? "When you think of Tiger Woods, you think of Tag Heuer," writes one reader. Do you? I don't. I still think Buick. President Barack Obama was No. 5 in the category. His unsolicited and sincere attachment to his favorite technology [his BlackBerry] just may provide a glimpse into the future of brand sponsorships," writes Brandchannel editor Jim Thompson.

The No. 1 answer to attempting to be "green and eco-friendly" was "none." Consumers are skeptical of eco-friendly claims, Thompson says, "and express resentment about disingenuous brands that lie about a concern of great interest to them."

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