WebProNews

It's somewhat surprising that this is Coca Cola's first number one spot on Harris's "Best Brands" poll, considering the amount of money the company spends on branding and the subsequent associations branding has built in the consumer mind.

In recent tests, when consumers didn't know the brand, they exhibited no preference between Coke and Pepsi. When the brand was known, they overwhelmingly chose Coke.

Harris's poll reflects that, too, as it there was no list of options given to respondents; the poll appears to have been open response, asking "Which three brands do you consider best."

While Coke landed on top, up from the seventh spot a decade ago, Pepsi was seventh this time, up from the 10th spot – perhaps proof positive that branding works. Then again, with the influx of pharmaceutical ads on television – you know, where there used to be Pepsi and Nike spots – it's a wonder nobody chose Pfizer or Zoloft.

"Top of mind association with being 'best' is a good position for any brand," said Robert Fronk, Senior Vice President, Brand and Strategy Consulting, Harris Interactive.

"For a truly successful brand relationship though, the objective is not just awareness, but to foster the ongoing process and outcome of brand engagement, which requires more custom and sophisticated measures based upon the interaction of the brand and its desired audience."

I think he's talking about sales.

Four brands have remained on the top ten list for the past ten years: Ford, Sony, Coca Cola, and Pepsi.

A noticeable absentee from the list is Google, which has been chosen the top brand by branding professionals and market experts in various polls over the years. The difference here is that Harris's poll did not focus on professionals, but rather, over 2100 consumers.

Here are the top ten brands:

1.    Coca Cola
2.    Sony
3.    Toyota
4.    Dell
5.    Ford
6.    Kraft
7.    Pepsi
8.    Microsoft
9.    Apple
10.    Honda