London: Supermodel Kate Moss is the new face of Spanish high street store Mango.

The 38-year-old is the latest celebrity to appear in a campaign for the store, following in the footsteps of Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Olivia Palermo, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I'm really excited to be working with Mango for S/S (spring-summer) 2012, we had a great time shooting the campaign, the team are so easy to work with and shooting with Terry is always fun," said Moss.

The ad has been shot by photographer Terry Richardson.

New York : Hennessy, the number one selling cognac in the world, announced today their exclusive Hennessy V.S bottle collaborative project with world-renowned artist, KAWS, which will hit shelves in September 2011.

Each limited edition KAWS Hennessy V.S bottle is adorned with signature KAWS artwork and is individually numbered. The bottle marks the brand's first customized collaborative project in 2011.

"I admire the Hennessy brand and from the start, felt strongly about working on this project," said KAWS. "Hennessy invited me to Cognac where I was able to experience and gain a full understanding of the steps and processes behind Hennessy's craftsmanship, which in turn, inspired the artwork I created for the bottle."

The Hennessy KAWS V.S bottle will be sold nationwide in 750ml sizes and will retail for $29.99. The new bottle design will debut later in July at a private launch event in New York City.

"Hennessy is a brand that not only prides itself on presenting the world with a quality variant, but also on creating out-of-the-box partnerships that heighten our consumer's experience," said Rodney Williams, SVP of Business for Hennessy. "We look forward to the feedback from not only from Hennessy loyalists but also KAWS eclectic fan base about this exciting partnership."

Hennessy is imported and distributed in the U.S. by Moet Hennessy USA, Inc. and is produced by Jas Hennessy & Co., a subsidiary of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. Hennessy distills, ages and blends a full range of marques, including Hennessy V.S, Privilege V.S.O.P, Hennessy Black, X.O, Paradis and Richard Hennessy.

New York : Registering a staggering 84 percent increase in value over the past year, Apple has emerged as the most valuable brand in the world, ending the four-year reign of Google at the top of the table in the sixth annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study.

The Apple brand, as calculated by Millward Brown Optimor, a WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY) company, has increased in value by 859 percent since 2006 and now stands at $153.3 billion. Other key findings in the study are that during the economic recovery of the last year, the combined value of all the brands in the top 100 has risen by 17 percent and is now worth $2.4 trillion. In terms of geography, according to the 2011 BrandZ study, 19 of the Top 100 brands now originate in "BRICs" markets, versus only two in 2006.

"The importance of brand for global business success is becoming increasingly significant," said David Roth at WPP. "In the last year, the global economy shifted from recovery to real growth, the combined value of all brands in the Top 100 ranking has risen by 64 percent since 2006 and is now worth $2.4 trillion. Strong brands, while not immune to the vicissitudes of the market, are more protected, prepared, resourceful and resilient."

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, identifies and ranks the world's most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity. 

"Our brand valuations are a powerful measure of an organization's ability to create real and lasting value for shareholders," said Eileen Campbell, CEO of brand research company Millward Brown. "By nurturing its brand and constantly innovating, Apple is able to command a high price premium and weather economic turbulence, providing a global business success story that other brands can learn from."

"Business leaders can embrace brand management as a critical competency for building long-term financial value," she added. "Compared with an overall improvement of 13 percent in the world's equity markets during 2010, the best brands grew their value 30 percent faster."

Other key findings highlighted in this year's research report include:

One in five brands is from the BRICs: This year, 19 brands come from emerging markets compared to two in 2006 and 13 in 2010. The growing presence of brands from BRICs in this global ranking highlights the expanding purchasing power of people in these countries. While many of these brands are buoyed by the size of their local customer base, many more now have international ambition including Petrobras in Brazil (No. 61 in the ranking with a brand value of $13.4 billion); ICICI Bank in India (No. 53 and worth $14.9 billion) and China's largest search engine Baidu. Now listed on the NASDAQ index, Baidu has a brand value of $22.5 billion and moves up 46 places in the ranking to number 29. Despite these successes, consumers in the BRIC regions continue to favor Western brands. Louis Vuitton, for example, (for which Brazil is its second-largest market) benefited from the new energy and confidence in the BRICs region. Its 23 percent growth in brand value to $24.3 billion has helped this luxury retailer achieve 26th place in the ranking, a three-spot increase from 2010.

Heritage brands stay relevant in a technology age: Coca-Cola (No. 6), GE (No. 10), IBM (No. 3) and McDonald's (No. 4), stand out in this study of global brand strength as brands that have survived for more than 50 years.  Leadership, strategy and tactics aside, what all of these companies have in common is their use of brand to remain relevant to consumers and drive global business success.

Technology and telecom brands dominate the ranking: Technology brands, which make up one-third of the Top 100 brands, continue to demonstrate their relevance in our daily lives. While Apple leads the ranking, it is followed in second place by Google, with a brand value of $111.5 billion, and IBM in third place with a brand value of $100.9 billion. Facebook makes its debut in the Top 100 ranking this year at No. 35 with the highest increase in brand value, 246 percent, making the brand worth $19.1 billion. Online retailer Amazon also edged past Walmart to become the No. 1 retail brand and 14th overall, with a 37 percent rise in brand value to $37.6 billion.

Fast food, luxury and technology brands led brand value appreciation: Each of the 13 market sectors covered in this study grew in value over the last year. Fast food led the sector growth (22 percent) followed by luxury (19 percent) and technology (18 percent). The oil and gas sector experienced the slowest rate of growth (1 percent).

Tech and convergence create brand interdependencies: Brands are ever more dependent on their use of technology to win consumers' hearts and minds. The brand values of Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Coca-Cola all benefited from their use of technology for example by harnessing social media and apps. At the same time, the dependencies demonstrated in the physical world between applications, devices and operating platforms are creating similar branded interdependencies. Brands that are aware of the risks can leverage these associations to drive value and growth. 

Toyota reclaims position as most valuable car brand demonstrating the power of strong brands to recover from the most fundamental challenges to product efficacy and reputation. Toyota's brand, which is rated by consumers as "great value," rose 11 percent to $24.1 billion.

New York : New consumer research launched today by brand research company Millward Brown reveals that Amazon is the most Value-D brand in the world. The online retailer is balancing its brand perception with its pricing strategy effectively, according to a new report entitled: ‘Value-D: balancing Desire and Price for brand success’.

The Value-D report was created in conjunction with The Futures Company and shows that in this post-recession world, where consumers’ cautious spending is the norm, price alone is not enough to attract consumers. On average only seven percent of consumers buy on price alone, but 81 percent regard brand as an important reason to purchase.

“In the current economic climate many brands worry about their prices being perceived as being too high, leading to lost business. Others are concerned that prices are too low leading to profit loss. What is needed is a balance between the consumer’s desire for a brand and the price they are prepared to pay for it. This new report will help brands to see where there is a shortfall and how to increase sales potential,” said Peter Walshe, Global BrandZ Director, Millward Brown.

The Value-D research separates brands into cheaper ones or more expensive. Low-priced brands can still be perceived to be a “Poor Value” if they don’t create desire. Conversely, even in price-sensitive categories, brands who generate strong desire are seen as “Great Value”. The more expensive brands can justify their premium or simply be too expensive. Any score over 100 is considered to be strong as it indicates the optimum value mix of price and desire.

Value-D is a special analysis from the BrandZ database, which measures thousands of brands across 20 countries.

Global top 10 Value-D brands
 
Brand Value-D Score  Brand Type 
1. Amazon 146  Great Value 
2. Colgate 133 Great Value
3. Nokia 128 Great Value
4. Pampers 126 Justified Premium
5. Visa 125 Great Value
6. Coca-Cola 125 Justified Premium
7. Microsoft 125 Justified Premium
8. McDonalds 124 Great Value
5. Nescafe 120 Great Value
10. Lidl 118 Great Value

Source: Millward Brown

“Too many brands fail to fully optimize their power and instead overemphasize Price and downplay Desire. The consumer usually desires a brand first and then considers the price to determine whether to purchase or not. Amazon.com has mastered the art of being a trusted brand that consumers want to buy goods from. Its pricing is perceived to be great value, but it is its brand power that attracts customers in the first place,” commented Peter Walshe, Global BrandZ Director, Millward Brown.

London: Pop singer Gwen Stefani has joined the likes of Beyonce Knowles, Cheryl Cole and Eva Longoria to become the newest face of L'Oreal.

"I can't believe I get to be one of the L'Oreal Paris girls. I love playing dress up, on stage or shooting videos, it's always been one of my favourite parts of being in a band," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Stefani as saying.

The 41-year-old has managed to make red lips her trademark look and this is what she will be fronting for the campaign. The first advertisement will be for the brands Infallible Le Rouge lip colour.

FutureBrand has announces that Canada takes the No.1 spot in the FutureBrand 2010 Country Brand Index (CBI), presented in partnership with BBC World News. The sixth and most comprehensive study of country brands to date, which assesses 110 countries across 26 image attributes and six other measures of brand strength, highlighted the role of media freedom among key drivers of positive perceptions of a country.  In the survey, the Scandinavian countries enter into the top 20 the first time, whilst the economic crisis knocks the USA and UK down in this years ranking.  Elsewhere, demand from China helped Australia and New Zealand rise in the rankings. 

The 2010 CBI is an in-depth study that explores the complexity, dynamics and benefits of how nations manifest as brands. The strength of a country brand is determined in the same way as any other brand – it is measured on levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit.  However, the most important factors that truly differentiate a nation(‘s) brand are its associations and attributes – the qualities that people think of when they hear a Country’s  name, read or see images of a location, or  plan a  business or leisure trip. 

This year’s leading country brands share some common features. They are all democratic, progressive, relatively politically and economically stable and do business in English. As ever, there are rising and falling stars, but position is not the whole story. Themes are emerging in 2010 that hint at future drivers of country brand strength, including the importance of value systems and the freedom of communications: a major factor in world perception of a country, its culture, people, businesses and brands.

The Trends from this year’s report include:

The Role of Media:

It should come as no surprise that the leading country brands have a healthy mixture of public and commercial broadcast networks with multiple stations, some international reach and a relatively free press. They also have excellent communications infrastructure with high levels of Internet and mobile phone penetration. In a world defined by user-generated content, borderless communication through social networks and unprecedented access to news, information and rich media, a country brand is now partly built by aggregated sentiments and content arising from peoples’ personal experience. Therefore it isn’t a co-incidence that digital openness is a common feature of the strongest country brands.

Weathering the Storm:

The economic crisis is also a powerful factor in country brand strength this year, but mainly for those that avoided it. The top three brands managed to escape the worst of the banking collapse and maintain relatively strong economies throughout 2010. Australia and New Zealand have both enjoyed consecutive-quarter growth thanks in part to continuing demand for commodities like iron ore, timber and milk from China. Canada has also shown strong performance among the G7 nations, being the last into recession and the first out, not least thanks to fiscal conservatism that helped it to avoid the sub-prime crisis. Other countries that have fallen down the rankings – notably the USA and the UK – have both suffered conspicuously as a result of high-risk ventures and the banking collapse.

The Obama Effect:

The USA has fallen 3 places this year, showing that the ‘Obama effect’ can work both ways. Just as its rise to the top spot in 2009 reflected global attention, hope and anticipation of change promised by the new administration, the USA has suffered in parallel with the waning approval ratings of its new President. This could indicate that brand USA was artificially stimulated by the charisma of an individual, covering up some of America’s challenges in the wake of the global economic crisis. With unemployment nearing double figures and a slower than predicted recovery, the world’s largest economy has also been affected by the Gulf of Mexico disaster and sustained criticism over foreign policy.

Brand USA however continues to communicate strong and desirable values in everything from popular culture and entertainment to food and retailing brands.

Brand UK plays to its strengths:

Perceptions of brand UK might have been particularly affected by recent public spending cuts and a move towards a new ‘austerity’ following this year’s change of government. However, despite a slight fall in 2010, brand UK is still a global contender. A major exporter of music, television, film, fashion and literary icons – from the BBC to the Man Booker Prize, syndicated TV talent show formats, Vivienne Westwood and James Bond – the UK still punches above its weight in global media and popular culture. It continues to be a centre of research and learning with Oxford and Cambridge as well as notable business schools appearing prominently in global rankings. And global brands with UK provenance such as Burberry, M&S, GSK, Diageo, British Airways and Virgin Group do much for brand UK’s international image. Unlike more youthful counterparts among the leading country brands, the country also consistently achieves high scores in the dimension for Heritage and Culture that makes up for a rather weak performance in the dimension for Tourism this year. It is also important to remember that the UK hosts some of the most powerful sports brands in the world, from Manchester United to Chelsea and Arsenal as well as the English Premier League. It will be interesting to see whether brand UK maintains its Top 10 position over the next three years – particularly with the London 2012 Olympic Games firmly in view – with a new administration and hopes for a steady recovery from economic difficulty.

English as a first language:

What Canada, Australia and New Zealand have in common with the UK is English as a first language – the unifying force behind global communications and commerce. Rising business schools and universities position them well as education hubs providing talented mobile students who act as international ambassadors for their countries’ brands. The strong tourism draw for all three markets is closely related to each country’s diversity of natural beauty and tourism-friendly urban centres. All three are notable for their strong commitment to natural and environmental causes, and are often used as locations for major films, television shows and commercial advertising as well as promoting themselves as diverse and affordable destinations for adventure and relaxation.

The Rise of Brand Scandinavia:

Perhaps most interestingly this year, the Top 20 performance of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark reveals a strong emerging preference for ‘brand Scandinavia’ across the world. From Denmark’s role as the host of the Copenhagen Summit, to Sweden’s internationally-renowned welfare state, brand Scandinavia represents a commitment to freedom, well-being, global citizenship and quality of life that unites these Northern European countries in people’s perceptions.

As a ‘rising star’ in 2010 – moving from 21 to 10 – Sweden in particular cultivates very strong perceptions around the dimensions for Value System and Quality of Life. Specifically, Sweden performs well in attributes such as Environmental Friendliness, Education and Healthcare System – which are all ranked at number two. The strong performance of brands like the airline SAS that bring Scandinavia together shows the power of unifying individual country brands behind regional flag carriers or corporations that represent common values.

Rising stars for 2010 :

Chile  (#40 +19) has improved across every measure this year with huge leaps in Awareness and Advocacy, as well as in perceptions of Political Freedom. The San José miners’ rescue became a global news event generating extraordinary goodwill for President Pinera and brand Chile. This, coupled with growing economic stability, makes Chile a brand to watch in the region.

Israel (#30 +11)  With significant marketing investment for tourist destinations, Israel moves in the right direction in 2010 – particularly in Tourism metrics like Authenticity and History, which align very well with campaigns promoting heritage and culture.

Argentina ( #33 +10)  scores are up across the board for brand Argentina this year – particularly for Advocacy. After a quarter-finals position in the World Cup and significant GDP growth in the first half of the year, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage in a move signalling a triumph of liberal values in the region.

Iceland ( #24 +1 ) rise is a counter-intuitive development for a beleaguered country that suffered negative global attention during the banking crisis and the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud flight ban affecting millions of travellers. Perhaps a signal that the world’s oldest democracy still carries some goodwill with international audiences, as well as highlighting the impact of efforts to market Iceland as an attractive transatlantic stopover at a time of unprecedented global brand awareness, scores for Familiarity have leapt up this year.

Falling stars for 2010
Greece (#22, – presents the most conspicuous shift, dropping 8 places from 14 to 22, set against a high-profile financial crisis and subsequent industrial relations problems following government spending cuts and tax increases. Associations of Greece as a tourist destination are traditionally strong in this study, but during sustained periods of bad news – affecting confidence around core services and infrastructure – consideration and advocacy are threatened.

India (#23, – 5) is another falling brand, dropping five places to 23 this year, straight off the back of negative global media coverage of health and safety concerns at this year’s Delhi Commonwealth Games, as well as tourist attacks leading up to the event.

Spain (#10, -4) and Ireland ( move down the table, showing that even traditionally strong tourist destinations are not immune to shifting brand strength in straightened economic times.

Italy (#12, – 6) also falls down the ranking despite increased efforts to boost tourism this year with high profile internal and external advertising initiatives featuring the Prime Minister himself. However, this is set against a backdrop of sustained criticism of Silvio Berlusconi’s premiership and the financial difficulties the country has faced in the global economic crisis.

China (#56, -8) The Olympic effect seems not to have lasted long for China, with 2010 bringing public relations challenges around post-Copenhagen environmental impact and high-profile censorship battles with Google. Significant decline in perceptions of Political Freedom contribute most to this year’s drop in the rankings. A fall for China despite its promotion to the second-largest economy shows that financial growth is no guarantee of brand strength.

UAE (#28, -5) While Tourism metrics overall remain relatively strong, falls in Preference and Consideration contribute to brand UAE’s decline in 2010. Despite significant investment in brand building over recent years, high-profile economic troubles affecting Dubai and the other Emirates impact a country brand keenly associated with wealth and prosperity, but traditionally scoring less well on the dimension for Value System.

Russia (#81, –9) Anti-government protests surrounding March elections, ongoing corruption scandals and economic uncertainty provide the backdrop to a steep fall for Russia this year. Specifically, a steep drop in the score for Political Freedom has hit this emerging market in the 2010 rankings.

The worst performing brands:

This year’s weakest country brands struggle variously with political instability, security concerns, corruption, economic turmoil, natural disasters and high levels of state control, all of which confirm an unavoidable correlation between perceived brand strength and political, social and economic realities in the world’s most challenged countries. As a group, these country brands perform poorly in the assessed dimensions of Tourism and Value System. But it is important to consider that low awareness remains a strong part of the problem for these country brands, rather than merely negative associations. With significant formal or informal constraints on media freedom (with notable exceptions like El Salvador and Senegal), frequent travel restrictions,

New York: Ogilvy & Mather has released in the United States the first-ever study that benchmarks the appeal of specific brands to Muslim consumers, giving highest marks to food, beverage and personal care brands such as Lipton, Nestle and Nescafe.  At the same time, the research shows the financial services industry, as represented by brands including Citibank and HSBC, ranks most poorly in terms of being “Muslim-friendly.”   

The Ogilvy Noor Brand Index sheds light on how Shariah values and the practice of their compliance (halal) are closely aligned with the ideals of authenticity and transparency.  Important to the global “green” movement, the Index also draws parallels between sustainability and the values of Shariah compliance. 

In compiling the Index of global brands, the researchers first measured the five categories of most importance to Muslim consumers according to halal status and Shariah compliance.  They then tested 35 global brands to create the Index. The five most relevant industries are Beverages, Food and Dairy, Personal Care, Financial Services and Aviation.  The Index can be taken as indicative of how appealing these brands are to Muslim consumers relative to each other. 

“A market of almost 1.8 billion people that has scarcely been tapped, Muslim consumers offer enormous potential to businesses around the world, but only if their values are fully understood,” said Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.  “This Index identifies behavioral trends and insights that will be valuable to marketers in developing meaningful relationships with this emerging global community.”

The Ogilvy Noor Brand Index uncovered three key learnings:

Origin matters less than sincerity.  In consumers’ eyes, an Islamic brand does not have to originate in a Muslim country, as evidenced by the number one and two ranking of Lipton and Nestle, respectively, and the low rankings of Emirates and Etihad, two brands originating in Muslim countries.  Genuine empathy and understanding, demonstrated through all aspects of a brand’s behavior, are much more important than place of origin to today’s Muslim consumers.

Physical, everyday usage makes halal non-negotiable.  The closer a category is to the human body, and the more regular its consumption, the more it must be completely Shariah-compliant.  This is particularly evident for food brands, followed closely by beverage and personal care brands.  The food category is one in which Shariah-compliant standards are the most developed, through the practice of halal, which clearly prescribes how a food product must be sourced and handled at all manufacturing stages.

Islamic branding efforts must be holistic.  Consumer skepticism accounts for one of the reasons that financial services brands rank relatively poorly in the Ogilvy Noor Brand Index, despite the large sums invested by global brands into their Islamic banking arms.  Consumers expressed a desire to feel that the brand genuinely understands and empathizes with Islamic values in all aspects of its operations and is not simply making a token play for them. 

“Despite the evident economic potential, Muslims are often overlooked by global brands for fear of getting it wrong,” said Nazia Hussain, Director of Cultural Strategy, Ogilvy & Mather worldwide and Head of Strategy of Ogilvy Noor.  “Today’s young Muslim consumers in particular are open to positive change and innovation just like consumers everywhere, as long as that change is aligned with their values from the start.”

The Index was researched by Ogilvy Noor, a multidisciplinary practice focused on Islamic branding within the Ogilvy & Mather global network, and research company, TNS.  The Ogilvy Noor Brand Index averages the composite scores of consumers in the majority-Muslim markets of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia.  The results are considered a representative demographic sample of the nearly 1.8 billion Muslims living in 57 countries in the world.  The scores are based on a 100-point index, with the final number representing the average percentage agreement with the statement, “this brand is completely halal or Shariah-compliant.”

The Index is part of a larger report entitled, “Brands, Islam and the New Muslim Consumer,” by Ogilvy Noor and research firm TNS.  The two-year study reveals what drives Muslims as consumers against the backdrop of ethnic, economic, political and religious diversity of the Muslim world.  The study further analyses the factors that drive beneficial relationships with Muslim consumers, distilling the findings into an eight-step toolkit. 

Chicago : Leo Burnett Worldwide  has released its new book HumanKind, which explores creativity and its impact on people's behavior. Co-authored by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Bernardin and Global Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel, HumanKind is about people, purpose, and creating acts, not ads – that transform the way people think, feel and ultimately behave.

"This book is not about advertising, brand propositions or selling products," said Tom Bernardin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide. "It's about people – what engages them, moves them and inspires them to act a certain way, and ultimately enriches their lives."

HumanKind invites readers into the world of the legendary advertising agency, Leo Burnett, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at a global creative network that believes modern-day communication needs to start and end with people.

"Our HumanKind philosophy puts a laser sharp focus on the infinite power of imagination and its ability to change the way people act," said Mark Tutssel, Global Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide. "It's the power behind some of the world's most recognized brands and it is rapidly becoming a global movement."

Within the book Bernardin and Tutssel discuss the four pillars of the HumanKind philosophy: People, Purpose, Participation and Populism. These four words are simple in nature, but represent everything that is HumanKind.

HumanKind is about People. They're not consumers, customers, purchasers or patrons. They're people, like you and me. Understanding that is the start of understanding them – their behaviors, beliefs, biggest fears and greatest loves. The things they need and the things that make them need them. All the answers are right there; all you have to do is know where to look.

HumanKind seeks Purpose. It shifts the conversation from what your brand does to what it means. What does your brand believe? What does your brand stand for? And why? A brand without purpose will never be embraced by the people. But a brand designed with a true human purpose in mind has the power to inspire people in all kinds of ways.

HumanKind requires Participation. It demands a different role for advertising. Rather than make a proposition or promise, it invites them in to participate. By creating acts not ads, we create an emotional connection over time. By relinquishing the control we pretend to have over people, we invite them in and create a lasting bond with the brand.

HumanKind thrives with Populism. Advertising agencies don't create iconic brands—people do. Time and time again, HumanKind acts capture imaginations and people respond. They start off responding in little ways, and those little ways turn into big ways. Then meanings become movements, and you've changed the way the world sees the world.

New York : Revlon, Inc. has announced that its Almay brand has signed one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Kate Hudson, as its newest Global Brand Ambassador.

In her role as Global Brand Ambassador for Almay, Kate will be the face of new and existing Almay products and will appear in global multi-media campaigns that include television, print, in-store and internet placements.  Kate’s first television and print campaign for the brand is set to debut later this year.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Revlon President and Chief Executive Officer, Alan T. Ennis, said “We are thrilled to welcome Kate to the Almay family.  She is smart, confident and vivacious.  Her energy and youthful spirit are contagious – Kate is a perfect ambassador for the Almay brand.”

In addition to being featured in upcoming global advertising campaigns, Kate Hudson will be involved in various company-sponsored philanthropic and fundraising events.  She will represent the brand at the Almay Rainforest Concert on Thursday, May 13th at Carnegie Hall in New York City.  The concert benefits The Rainforest Foundation, founded by Sting and Trudie Styler to support indigenous and traditional people of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment.

“Almay is known for its fresh, effortless approach to beauty,” said Kate Hudson.  “I share that philosophy and I’m honored to be partnering with a brand that believes cosmetics should bring out the natural beauty inside every woman.  At the end of the day we all want to have fun and feel beautiful – that’s what Almay is all about.”

New York : MyBrandz, the independent Web service for brand fans, has released its latest rankings of the world’s 200 top brands. This latest ranking demonstrates a significant shift in the public’s perception of top consumer brands, illustrating the impact of consumer loyalty on a company’s popularity.

MyBrandz uses its dynamic “MyBrandz Brands Map” mapping companies and sorting them by popularity and affinity. With the MyBrandz Brands Map, members find out which companies are considered the hottest now — and which are gaining global esteem. By using this tool, the company found that Facebook has overtaken Google and is on its way to narrowing the gap with Apple to become the most loveable brand on Earth.

Facebook’s jump in brand rank has been impacted by numerous factors, including increased site traffic and positive sentiment in online conversations, especially when compared to negative sentiment about Google stemming from a mixed reaction to Google Buzz and the firm’s crisis in China. Also Toyota couldn’t stop its falling to the sixth place in the “Cars and Automotive” category

“MyBrandz Brands Map offers insight into what consumers value — right now,” said Eran Gefen, MyBrandz CEO. “Facebook is solidifying its place in the brand universe, and every organization can learn from their efforts to engender consumer affinity. It’s not just about traffic or eyeballs; a lasting brand understands that consumer loyalty is impacted by a multitude of factors.”

The Brand Rank was built using MyBrandz’s proprietary algorithm, which takes into consideration more than 28 distinct qualitative and quantitative parameters, including buzz, brand sentiment, number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, site traffic and passion for the brand on MyBrandz.com. 

Apple’s place atop the latest Brand Rank comes as no surprise. As the top placed news brand, CNN ranks 7 spots ahead of its nearest rival, FOX. Proving the value of classic tech brands, Sony squeaked into the top 10 at number 9, with Disney (3), NBA (4), MTV (6), Starbucks (8) and Twitter (10) rounding out the upper echelon.

Proving that luxury brands can maintain their status even in the midst of a global recession, Ferrari landed at number 24, and National Geographic’s spot at number 32 is testament to the power of a “life-long” brand.

The top 50 brands

1 Apple 2 Facebook 3 Disney 4 NBA 5 Google 6 MTV 7 CNN 8 Starbucks 9 Sony 10 Twitter 11 Nintendo 12 Nike 13 Microsoft 14 Adidas 15 FOX 16 NHL 17 the New York Times 18 eBAY 19 Dell 20 NFL 21 Ford 22 Nokia 23 Playboy 24 Ferrari 25 Linux 26 Marvel 27 Yahoo! 28 ABC 29 CBS 30 RedBull 31 BlackBerry 32 National Geographic 33 BestBuy 34 Pepsi 35 Vogue 36 GAP 37 Virgin 38 CocaCola 39 Wired 40 NBC 41 Gibson 42 Honda 43 McDonald’s 44 HTC 45 Amazon 46 Oreo 47 Converse 48 BMW 49 Barbie 50 Verizon