Internet: Search - 2011 US Buzz Rankings
Google’s launch of Google+ (quickly amassing 60 million members) and ramped up support of flagship browser Google Chrome helped the brand to the number one position within Internet Search and a place in the Top 10 amongst all brands. Google and Yahoo are the clear leaders in the Internet Search sector, with Google leading number two Yahoo! by over 10 points and Yahoo! also leading number three Bing by over 10 points. Bing, Ask.com and MSN are bunched closely together in the top five, with only a four point gap between the three brands.
Only two internet search brands experienced buzz gains in 2011, with MSN and AOL as the only improvers, though neither brand improved Buzz scores by more than 0.6 points. Yahoo! scores fell to their lowest recorded levels in 2011 after controversy surround the firing of CEO Carol Bartz, and though Buzz scores returned to baseline within a month, Yahoo! experienced a net decline for 2011.
These brands were rated using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score which asks respondents, "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
The Buzz Rankings chart shows the brands with the highest average Buzz scores between January and December 2011. The Buzz Improvers chart ranks the brands with the highest increase in Buzz between Jan-Dec 2011 and the same period in 2010. Both scores are representative of the general population.
All Buzz scores listed have been rounded to a single decimal place, however, we have used additional precision to assign ranks.
