The latest CoolBrands survey, based on research carried out by the Centre for Brand Analysis, found that the iPhone had knocked Aston Martin off the top spot. The car maker had led for three years, and came second this time.
Hi-tech brands dominated the list in a reflection of how technology-aware the population has become, taking up nine places in the top 10. Apple had three places in the top 10, for the iPhone, the iPod and the company itself.
Decisions were made by a group of cool-hunters, including Radio 1's Edith Bowman, and actress and fashion designer Sadie Frost, and are decided by six main points: Are they stylish? Are they innovative? Are they original? Are they authentic? Are they desirable? Are they unique?
New entries to the top 20 include the iPod, BlackBerry, Xbox and the BBC iPlayer. Companies including Nike, Agent Provocateur, Facebook and Lamborghini have made their way out of the high rankers, but in most cases still lead their own categories.
Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands council and chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis, had little consolation for those firms that have not managed to penetrate the consciousness of those in the know, explaining that in his experience 'coolness' is not as fleeting as might be expected.
"Aston Martin has finally lost its top spot in the rankings, but only just," he said. "In fact, considering cool is seen to be very fluid and changeable, the top 20 shows remarkable consistency, with 15 of last year's top 20 in there again. Equally, most of the category winners are the same. So much for cool being a fleeting thing."
Skype was the coolest mobile telecommunications item, and YouTube came number one in the 'online' brand list.