• by January 31, 2005

WHAT'S THE MOST POWERFUL BRAND IN NEWS? HINT: IT'S NOT FOX NEWS, OR EVEN CNN - You could argue whether Apple Computer was truly the most influential brand worldwide during 2004. You could even question whether Google, Ikea or Starbucks deserved to be among the globe's top five. But the emergence of Al Jazeera as the fifth most influential consumer brand in the 2004 edition of BrandChannel.com's annual Reader's Choice survey says something about the nature of branding, as well as the world we live in. Not only did the Arabic satellite TV news channel beat out such former global brand powerhouses as Coca-Cola, Sony and Toyota, it left all other media brands in the dust, including the likes of more established news brands like CNN or the BBC.

All Jazeera, now in its ninth year of broadcasting, has been accused of editorial bias, and has suffered through a series of setbacks that would have hobbled other news brands - banned reporters, boycotts by advertisers, and even rumors that it may be backed by the CIA (go figure that one out). But despite such skepticism, Al Jazeera now has more than 35 million viewers and 30 news bureaus worldwide, and has become to the Islamic world what CNN and the BBC are to Western Civilization.

"Al Jazeera is viewed as relatively independent within its region and is increasingly gaining mainstream credibility beyond its borders," said BrandChannel.com Editor-in-Chief Robin Rusch, in a posting explaining why its readers selected it. While there is a geographic bias to perceptions of Al Jazzera's brand (it ranks high in Europe and Africa, but not in North America), that could soon change. The satellite news channel to spin off an English-language news service in 2005.

Top Five Global Brands

Apple 
Google 
Ikea 
Starbucks 
Al Jazeera 

Source: 2004 BrandChannel.com Reader's Choice survey.