Nespresso coffee products and the search engine Google have jumped onto the list of the 20 strongest brands in Switzerland.

The latest edition of the annual brand-assessment study released by Young & Rubicam marketing and communications agency says that for the first time since the list was started in 1995 some traditional Swiss names have been forced out by more innovative brands.

The study attributes this change to the fact that the new brands exploit the possibilities provided by the electronic media to promote themselves to customers at relatively low cost.

Names like Appenzeller and Tilsiter cheese and Sugus sweets have given way to several newcomers, including such foreign ones as Kellogg's cornflakes and Nutella.

The study revealed a great difference between the German and French-speaking areas of Switzerland. The four top brands on the French list did not appear on the German one at all, and the three top brands on the German list were not included on the French one.

For the study, consumers were asked about their perceptions and attitudes toward more than 1,100 different brands. It found that despite the fact that the Swiss are worried about the economic situation, 83 per cent did not believe their own financial circumstances would change.

The quality of the goods they buy is still important to them, and unlike in previous economic crises, they favour brands that are environmentally friendly.

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