Interbrand has concluded its study of this year's top brands and released its annual Best Global Brands survey, a valuation based on several factors of international reach and financial growth. A number of tech companies, including Google, IBM, and Nintendo saw the most positive gains, while financial giants and even Microsoft saw their places slip from previous years.

While Coca-Cola retained its place as the number one global brand for its eighth year in a row, Google saw explosive 43 percent growth from 2007, leaping from its spot at number 20 and breaking into the list of top 10 brands at number 10. IBM also grew by three percent this year, rising from number three in 2007 to knock Microsoft out of its number two spot. The rest of Interbrand's top ten brands for 2008 continue with GE at number four, then Nokia, Toyota, Intel, McDonalds, and Disney.

That Google shot so far up the charts so quickly and broke into the top 10 brands in just 10 years of existence is no small feat. Between successfully growing and defending its dominance in search over the last year, as well as expanding aggressively into mobile and business services, Google has become a household name and a part of everyday vocabulary.

Interbrand says it uses a proprietary formula for constructing this list, a methodology that takes into account several components of a company's brand, such as financial strength, influence over point-of-purchase customer demand, and its ability to retain customers and demand for products, which in turn sustains future earning forecasts.

Other brands that saw significant gains include Nintendo, with 13 percent growth and a rise from spot 44 in 2007 to 40, Apple, with the second largest positive gain of 24 percent growth and a move from spot 33 to 24, and Amazon with a 19 percent growth and shift from spot 62 to 58.

In light of the turbulent financial week, it should come as no surprise that brands, like Merrill Lynch, fell 12 spots to number 34. Strangely, though, some credit card companies did quite well due to their brand strengths, with Visa making its first entrance on the list at 100, and American Express holding its own at 15, with five percent growth from 2007.

Interbrand notes that one of the most important new factors driving brand value across all sectors—financial services, consumer goods, and especially automotive—is sustainability. Car manufacturers, and even luxury specialists, like Mercedes, are placing a much greater emphasis on fuel efficiency, with Honda being the only auto maker reporting better sales in 2008 over the previous year.

"In troubled economies business doesn’t cease. Companies may struggle, but the practice of buying and selling continues no matter what," Jez Frampton, Global CEO of Interbrand, said in a press release. "Many of the Best Global Brands know this and come through these difficult times stronger and better poised to compete. The key to success, in good times and bad, is understanding how your brand creates value."