Apple tops UK's Coolbrands list for 2012
International technology company Apple has topped the CoolBrands list for 2012.
The list, which claims to highlight the coolest brands in Britain, saw Apple beat Google’s video streaming site YouTube to the top spot, while previous winner Aston Martin fell to third.
Last year Apple finished second, behind Aston Martin.
Fourth on the list was microblogging site Twitter, followed by Google.
The rest of the top ten, compiled by an expert panel, was made up of BBC iPlayer, Glastonbury, Virgin Atlantic, Bang & Olufsen and Liberty, respectively.
Commenting on the list, 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. As we have seen over the last five years, the bulk of the top 20 is dominated by international brands, which is very sad for UK plc.”
He added; "Despite Team GB's success it remains unlikely that next year's top 20 will see any change in that pattern. 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."
The top 20 brands on the list can be viewed below.
Apple
YouTube
Aston Martin
BBC iPlayer
Glastonbury
Virgin Atlantic
Bang & Olufsen
Liberty
Sony
Bose
Haagen-Dazs
Selfridges
Ben & Jerry's
Mercedes-Benz
Vogue
Skype
Nike
Nikon