Here’s an interesting (but unverified) factoid about the halo effect that occurs from Google’s branding. This popped up in an Adage article a few days ago:

“[…] Google has conducted internal tests, according to people familiar with them, in which the company put its logo and treatment on another engine’s search results. Users still prefer the results with the Google logo, even if they’re not Google results.” (Abbey Klaassen; May 25, 2009)

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