Interbrand's Brandchannel.com released its rankings of the most-influential brands of 2005. Just as in previous years, Google and Apple jockeyed for the top position. Google won out in the Global category, but Apple held onto number one spot in North America. The lists are voted on by the Website's readers during November and December; this year, about 2500 people in 99 countries voted. The largest group of voters was men ages 26 to 35.

The global top ten had a few surprises, with Skype ranked third and Firefox eighth (both probably helped by voting being done online). Craigslist, which ranks number six on the U.S. list was also likely helped by the Web-based voting. The U.S. list also features Oprah at number nine, up from ten last year but, surprisingly, still behind Lance Armstrong at number five. Maybe that just goes to show the branding power of Armstrong's yellow bracelets.

What brands influenced you in 2005?