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Pearson's FT and The Economist (part owned by Pearson), were the only two media companies – aside from Google – to breach the top 25, the former surging from 31 to 17, while The Economist was up from 58 to 25 over the year.

A spokesman for The FT, commenting on the survey, said: "Our new position in this year's survey reflects the fact that readers turn to trusted brands in a difficult economic climate."

Rupert Murdoch's The Times and The Sunday Times, down one place from 56 to 55, and BBC Worldwide, stumbling from 15 to 31, were among the media companies to make the top 100.

The other media companies to make the top 100 were Google (5), Saatchi & Saatchi (35), Yellow Pages (69), Ebay (93) and polling companies Gallup (54) and Ipsos Mori (85).

The Guardian (188) its sister Sunday title The Observer (234) and The Telegraph/ The Sunday Telegraph (116) were the only other representatives of the UK national press in the poll.

However, other national newspapers, such as the Daily Mail and The Sun – neither of which are known as business brands – did not make the top 500 chart.

None of the big UK commercial broadcasters, such as ITV and Channel 4, were included in the survey, as according to survey criteria they are recognised as consumer and not business brands.

ITV, however, did not make the last top 500 consumer-brand survey, published in July last year, although rivals Sky and Channel 4 did.

Time Warner-owned CNN did make this year's list (156), as did satellite business channel CNBC (455).

One of the big fallers in this year's survey was outdoor company JCDecaux - which earlier this year completed the purchase of rival Titan Outdoor - tumbling from 212 to 274.

The outdoor industry has endured a tough year, but rival Clear Channel was up from 503 to 483.

Aside from Saatchi & Saatchi, advertising agencies were generally found lower down the pecking order.  M&C Saatchi (177) was the next highest, ahead of BBH (365) AND AMV BBDO (498).

The survey is worked out by the initial selection of 1,200 brands, which is whittled down to a shortlist of 500 by a panel of 25 branding and marketing experts.