oddsod - 8:53 pm on Feb 23, 2009 (gmt 0)

Not every big brand is seeing this. So, it may be more than a case of non-link mentions of the brand in association with a particular product/service.

For example, big ad campaigns are largely defined by a surge in image and video links across the web. Such tidal flows (and ebbs) of advertising indicate big bucks typical of brand builders. And if someone has a large budget then they must be a big brand and "worthy" of a high rank.

However, even that may not be the whole picture.

I've held #1 in SERPs for some very competitive B2B keywords that a lot of the big boys with multi-million dollar ad budgets, well known brands and PR8 sites haven't been able to shake. I wish I knew what the secret sauce was that put me there.