Forbes has an interesting article on how Google has built a $2 Billion brand through a superior product promoted through word-of-mouth. Apparently, this $2 Billion number is an estimate based on conversations with industry sources. They then support this estimate with an Interbrand survey that rated Google as the top brand in 2002, ahead of Apple, Coca-cola, and Starbucks. It really is an amazing accomplishment for Google, especially when you compare it to the millions that dot coms spent on advertising to reach consumers.

Google also seems to be doing very well on the revenue side as well. Forbes estimates that Google had $100M in profits in fiscal year 2002. I've read other articles that are more conservative, but the point is that they're continuing to increase their revenue and profts.

On the flip side, you're starting to see some Google backlash now that Google has entered the mainstream. Do a search for "Google evil" on Google and you'll see some interesting results such as Google Watch. So far, the backlash seems to be from the fringes, but it'll be interesting to see how Google deals with this growing backlash.