Google 'the most improved brand'

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Google is the brand that has gained the most in value over the past year, according a survey of global brands.

The report from Interbrand found that Google's brand value had risen 44% in the past 12 months to $17.8bn (Â£8.8bn), which put it in 20th place.

Coca-Cola came top of the league for the seventh year running, despite its value falling 3%.

Nokia is the highest-ranking brand from outside the US, while American brands made up more than half of the top 100.

BEST GLOBAL BRANDS 2007 1 Coca-Cola2 Microsoft3 IBM4 GE5 Nokia6 Toyota7 Intel8 McDonald's9 Disney10 Mercedes-Benz Source: Interbrand/Business Week

The brands are valued using sales and a consideration of how important the brand is in the sector.

In soft drinks, for example, branding is considered very important, while it is much less important to people buying garden tools.

The biggest faller was Ford, whose brand value fell 19%, putting it at number 41 in the league.

The report says that Ford's long-term decline demonstrates how an iconic brand can lose its way.

It highlights the carmaker's permanent discount policy in the US as a factor that has eroded the value of its brand.