Executive Dossier
Google leads Apple in global brand ranking; YouTube, Wikipedia in Top 5
MUMBAI: For the second year running, it is internet giant Google that has bagged the top spot ahead of Apple in the annual survey by online branding magazine brandchannel.com.
New additions to the top five list are recent Google acquisition YouTube and Wikipedia.
Google was Brandchannel’s pick for hogging technology headlines throughout 2006; first with its $ 900 million deal with News Corporation to provide service to sites such as MySpace and then the big one when it purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion. But perhaps its most noteworthy brand achievement last year was the addition of the verb “to google” in two major English-language dictionaries, states the online magazine.
Iconic computer label Apple just barely kept back YouTube for the runner-up slot.
Coming in at the fourth spot is the “spreading-like-Google Wikipedia”. Interestingly, the backbone of both YouTube and Wikipedia is user-created content.
Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown slowly and steadily to become the premier online research tool.
For perennial Asia-Pacific winner Sony, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Gamers drooled at the release of the long-awaited PlayStation 3 game console, and Sony’s digital camera, mobile phone, and film divisions (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby drove in $162 million worldwide) were successful. But laptop users were inconvenienced (or, in some cases, risked burns) by malfunctioning Sony-made batteries. Companies including Apple, Toshiba, Dell, and Lenovo recalled millions of these power cells, resulting in a second-quarter net-income loss of 94 percent.
Toyota is Toyota so no surprises there really except over how Sony stayed ahead of it, considering the kind of year the electronics giant had. Toyota is on target to become the world’s largest automaker this year.
Coming in behind Toyota is multinational bank HBSC cashing in at third place, its highest ranking ever. Number four and five are Samsung and Honda.
More than 3,600 people from 99 countries voted in the 2006 poll. The greatest number of voters fell in the age range of 26 to 35 year olds, with an almost equal number of men and women. Voters claiming employment with actual brands as opposed to agencies was greater by half.
Respondents per region were: 3,625 for Global; 1,595 for US & Canada; 1,420 for Asia-Pacific; 1,358 for Europe & Africa; and 581 for Latin America.
MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.
Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.
Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.
Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.
Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.
With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.
