We have know for some time that having high ranking Organic and Paid searches on the page increase the likelihood that you will get clicks from users.
However, there is a new study that shows it can help Brand Awareness as well. A new study done by Google with partner Ipsos MediaCT show that brands can see as much as a 6% lift in awareness.
There is a nice breakdown between the B2B, Auto, Retail and CPG industries to see a more direct effect for the area you or your clients might work in. The study on the Adwords blog also has details of the Meta Study on Think!