Motorola, AT&T and GTE placed first, second and third, respectively, in an annual ranking of the best telecom brands prepared by Corporate Branding, L.L.C., a Stamford, Conn.-based firm specializing in global brand strategy and communications.
Notably, AT&T leapfrogged from its fifth-place showing last year to a smooth second place in 1999.
"Acquisitions and other aggressive moves by CEO Michael Armstrong to revitalize AT&T as a company are revitalizing AT&T as a brand," says James Gregory, CEO of Corporate Branding.
Gregory added that while the jury is still out on AT&T's long-term prospects, its current brand momentum will only help shore up its position in future battles on the cable TV front.
To compile its rankings of telecom leaders, Corporate Branding gauged the degree to which each company was familiar and favorable to key decision-makers (i.e.,VPs and other execs at the top 20 percent of U.S. corporations).
The firm interviewed 215 key business decision-makers over a nine-month period.
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