• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 1, 2013

A digital media company -- Google -- ranks as the highest in terms of Madison Avenue’s overall brand perception for the first time in an annual survey of advertisers and agency executives. The results, which are being released today as part of the “What Advertisers Think About The Industry’s Highest Rated Media Brands,” is based on the opinions of more than 2,000 advertisers and agency executives polled by Advertiser Perceptions Inc.

The ascendency of the Google brand name is a first for a pure play digital media company. Last year, ABC ranked as the No. 1 overall media brand in the minds of ad executives. In 2010, the first year of the study, Meredith ranked No. 1.

Given its overall perception, Google’s brand not surprisingly also dominated the digital ad networks category with its Google Display Network scoring No. 1 in overall “brand strength,” though Tremor Media ranked No. 1 in “advertiser satisfaction,” Vibrant Media dominated “customer service” and the Meredith Women’s Network topped “sales knowledge.”

ESPN had the greatest overall brand strength in the “digital content” category, while Facebook dominated the “digital portals and social” and “mobile” categories.