Germany's most successful brands were presented with the best brands awards during a prestigious gala at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich today: the winner of the "Best corporate brand" category was car manufacturer Volkswagen, and the "Best product brand" was won for the second year in succession by toy manufacturer Lego. Meanwhile, the consumer electronics group, Apple, won the "Best growth brand" category. The best brands award in this year's special category "Best service brand for decision-makers" went to European luxury hotel chain, Kempinski. These sought-after awards, which are presented each year, are particularly unique: instead of a jury, consumers themselves decide on the winners by means of a representative study conducted by market research company GfK. In addition to a glass best brands trophy, prizewinners also received a cheque totalling more than EUR 1 million for publicity and media services from ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, WirtschaftsWoche and the Serviceplan Group.