• Associated Press, Monday, October 15, 2007 11:15 AM

Google is ubiquitous. By some counts, it's the most popular brand in the world, yet it's unlike just about any other global brand, spending almost no money on marketing. Ironically, perhaps, advertising has been the pathway to Google's mega millions. That it's become a necessary tool for those searching for content and advertisers searching for consumers is advertising enough for the $190 billion Web company. Indeed, who needs to advertise when you provide a service people (and advertisers) need?

At the same time, Google crushes its competitors by being better, not by out-marketing them-but with research and development. Google seems to launch at least one new product a week; the press coverage alone is enough to keep people thinking about its brand.

Interestingly, Google isn't the only Web company to make it without advertising. News Corp.'s MySpace, YouTube (now owned by Google) and Facebook have all become household names while spending little or nothing on advertising. They, too, have products that seem to sell themselves-although they have nowhere near the profit margins of the Web's undisputed king.

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