he big global brands, McDonald�s or Nike might have expected to win the prize as the world�s most talked about brands, but a new survey shows that the accolade goes to luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz is the brand most owners talk about and recommend to friends, according to the first global study into the value consumers attach to global brands.

Mercedes� arch-rival BMW came second in the study by consultancy NOP World, with 53 per cent of its customers falling into the "brand ambassador" category, followed by Toyota with 51 per cent. US network CNN came bottom of the list of 49 brands, with 68 per cent of consumers who watched the channel indicating they were indifferent. In contrast, only 12 per cent of Mercedes owners indicated they were apathetic towards the marque. The BBC scored poorly, with 56 per cent of the respondents saying they won�t recommend it to friends.... more