Sony is the USA's favourite brand, says poll

A new poll of the best brands in the USA has placed Sony in the number one spot for the fourth year in a row - ahead of console rival Microsoft, which has nonetheless shot up to fifth place this year.

The poll is conducted on an annual basis by Harris, and is considered to be a fairly decent measure of American consumer attitudes to leading companies and brands. Somewhat tellingly, Sony is the only non-American owned brand in the top ten.

Last year Microsoft was nowhere to be found in the top ten, so a fifth place spot for the company is quite an achievement. It's pure speculation of course, but it seems likely that the launch of Xbox - the company's most overtly consumer-facing and "cool" product in a very long time - may have helped significantly here.

The Register