• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 16, 2010

The underlying brand value of two of the digital media industry's most powerful names -- Microsoft and Google -- grew appreciably over the past 12 months, pushing them higher among the list of "Best Global Brands," according to an annual study released by Interbrands.

The value of Google grew 36% to $43.6 billion in 2010, and its ranking jumped from the seventh-most-valuable global brand in 2009 to fourth in 2010, placing it just behind Microsoft, which held steady in third place behind second-place IBM and first-place Coca-Cola.

Microsoft's brand value grew 7% to $60.9 billion in 2010.

While smaller in absolute value, Apple's brand value also soared during the past year, jumping from 20th place in 2009 to 17th place with a 2010 brand value of $21.1 billion -- up 37% from 2009.

Adobe, meanwhile, jumped from 95th place to 88th place, as its brand value grew 15% to $3.6 billion.

Yahoo was the only major digital brand on the top 100 list to actually decline in brand value, dropping 3% to $5.0 billion, and falling from 64th to 66th place in the Interbrands rankings.