Apple beats Aston Martin in brand race

COMPUTER giant Apple has knocked Aston Martin off its throne to claim the crown of the “coolest” brand in the UK,
according to a survey.

The luxury car, which shot to fame as fictional spy James Bond’s vehicle of choice, lost the top spot to the technology superbrand which has just launched its iPhone5 to near universal acclaim, with fans laying siege to stores to get their hands on the latest “must have” gadget.

The iconic car company fell to third place after dominating the CoolBrands list for six of the past seven years.

The 11th annual poll placed YouTube second, Twitter fourth and Google fifth.

Luxury brands falling out of the top 20 include Maserati, Ferrari, Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, with analysts saying the recession has prompted a re-evalution of “cool” and a move towards consumer pleasures within many people’s budget.

It is also the most “affordable” list yet, with 25 per cent of the brands free to consumers, including YouTube, Google, Twitter, Skype and BBC iPlayer, and 15 per cent costing less than £10, including Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and Vogue.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands expert council, said: “It is interesting that in this age of austerity our perception of cool has increasingly shifted from aspirational, luxury brands to free or more affordable brands that provide us with pleasure.

“The presence of the online brands like BBC iPlayer, Twitter, YouTube and Skype are a great case in point.

“Whether watching our favourite shows online, sharing opinions, viewing comedy clips or speaking with friends from across the world, these brands bring us inexpensive entertainment and enjoyment that we
appreciate and value highly.

“Perhaps, reflective of its lack of success since becoming a public company, Facebook has failed to join its peers in the top 20.

“It will be interesting to see next year if the luxury brands fight back, or whether the list continues to feature so many online brands together with the tech giants.”

Some 3,000 British consumers and a panel of 39 “key
influencers”, including chart acts Rizzle Kicks and Plan B
and actor David Harewood, ranked a shortlist of 1,200 brands from more than 10,000 considered.

Almost half the list is made up of technology and media brands (45 per cent) compared with just a quarter last year, while a record number of online brands made the top 20.

Among the highest movers into the top 20 were Twitter, Skype and Nikon. YouTube was up eight places from last year, while Facebook did not feature.

Professor Paul Freathy, of the Institute of Retail Management at the University of Stirling, said the list reflected a type of “counter-culture” against luxury brands.

“The newer and free brands are not going to replace all forms of luxury brands overnight,” he said. “But what we are seeing is a list which reflects brands at the centre of our culture today.”