The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Google makes US brand top three

Almost as good as Coke, say Americans

Free whitepaper – PowerEdge M610 technical guidebook

Google has stormed an annual poll measuring public reputations and perceptions of the "most valuable" companies in US corporate culture.

The sprawling provider of search and Web 2.0 infrastructure services came third out of 60 household names in Harris Interactive's annual Reputation Quotation. This is the first time in its seven-year history that Google made Harris' poll.

In a tribute to the growing importance placed on search by US internet users, or possibly the growing chatter in the media and on Wall St concerning the subject of search, Google was the highest placed tech company.

Google's aspiring search rival Microsoft, meanwhile, dropped a position to seventh, swapping places with Sony. Only blue chip giants Johnson & Johnson and the Coca-Cola Company beat Google, coming first and second respectively.

Elsewhere in the top 20, 3M Company came fifth, Intel tenth, Dell fifteenth, and IBM nineteenth.

Harris asked respondents to evaluate companies in the technology, airline, oil and energy, and retail sectors. Respondents assessed companies' products and services, financial performance, workplace environment, social responsibility, vision and leadership and emotional appeal. You can view the fill results for 2005 here. ®

Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer: 30-day free trial.

Don’t Miss

DustbinDirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide

Ventblockers Horror beyond human imagination

SC09Top 500 supers - rise of the Linux quad-cores

SC09 Jaguar munches Roadrunner

Ubuntu teaser Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu's Karmic Koala

Smooth Windows upgrade it ain't

Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter

Narrowcasting for the email classes