New technologies are making a huge impact on UK culture: four out of the UK's top five favourite consumer brands are technology companies. Traditional 'old-economy' businesses have been pushed out of the top spots by internet and technology firms, a report from Marketing magazine showed.
Companies such as Google , Nokia , Amazon and eBay now out-rank brand classics such as British Airways, Coca-Cola and Heinz in the hearts of British consumers. In only a few short years, the UK's consumer landscape has "fundamentally altered", the report said.
The annual 'Brands we love and brands we hate' survey saw internet retailer Amazon overtake Tesco, pushing the supermarket giant back one place to the fourth slot. Mobile phone operators also scored well, with O2 (10), Orange (24) and Vodafone (37) all climbing in the popularity stakes.
AOL rising from nowhere
In the survey's 'Brands we hate' poll, AOL rose from nowhere to become the UK's third most unpopular brand. This raises the question of whether Carphone Warehouse 's £370 million acquisition of the company's UK arm last year is likely to pay off.
The battle of the sexes is also reflected in the results. Retail companies formed six of the top ten favourite brands among females. But women preferred their shopping brands online, with Amazon and eBay scoring better than IKEA (7) and Marks & Spencer (8).
"More than twice the number of UK consumers said they love Google as said they hate McDonald's. The technology and service brands that head this year's table prove the value of making consumers' lives simpler by providing accessible and easy to use technology," said Craig Smith, editor of Marketing magazine.
Nearly 2,500 consumers took part in the survey.
