First Annual Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend® Study Uncovers Brands with Highest Equity Among 8-24 Year Olds

NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global market research firm, Harris Interactive, today released the 2010 results of the first annual Youth EquiTrend® study, which asks 8-24 year olds to rate between 98 and 125 brands on several key elements of brand equity including familiarity, quality and purchase consideration.  Youth EquiTrend® is a complement to Harris Interactive's EquiTrend® study which has been tracking consumers' awareness and perception of brands for over 20 years.  

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Youth's Top Brand Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand

It seems M&Ms really are "always fun," per their slogan. The chocolate candy ranks first in brand equity, according to the Youth EquiTrend® study. Google ranks second, and is the only online organization youth rank among the top ten brands. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Oreo's rank third and fourth, respectively, followed by Apple's iPod, which rounds out the top five brands with the highest equity among youth.

"Today's youth are not just tomorrow's consumers; they are already consumers in their own right with their own money to spend. What companies need to remember is that if brand loyalty is built in these early years, that brand loyalty will remain for years to come," according to Regina A. Corso, SVP, Youth and Education Research at Harris Interactive.  "At this stage, the brands that resonate the most with youth are mostly ones that involve food – six of the top ten are candy, snacks or restaurants."

Tweens Wild for Wii

Nintendo Wii ranks highest in brand equity among the youngest set, ages 8-12 years old, followed by Doritos and Oreo's, ranked second and third, respectively. M&Ms follows next, ranking fourth in brand equity among this age group. Finally, rounding out the top five is the Disney Channel. Though ranked fifth among this age group, overall, the Disney Channel ranks highest among the media and television brands for the 8-12 year old age group.

There's No Wrong Way... to Rate a Reese's

While ranking third in brand equity among all age groups, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups take the top spot for highest brand equity among 13-17 year olds. Apple's iPod is ranked second highest in brand equity among this age group, followed by Google, ranked third. M&Ms and Oreo's continue to make appearances in the top five brands, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively, among this audience.

Young Adults "Googley" for Technology

Though sweets and toys topped the brand equity lists for younger teens and tweens, for young adults, it's all about tech. The ongoing Google vs. Facebook battle continues, though, among this group, Google ranks highest in brand equity, followed by Facebook. Apple's iPod is ranked third in brand equity for young adults, followed by Gatorade and Target, ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

"As kids age, their tastes, and therefore their favorite brands, change with them. Tweens are all about Disney and Nick as well as gaming, where teens add more technology to the mix.  For young adults the snack foods are still there, but technology takes an even stronger presence in their top ten," according to Corso. "It's also important to remember that youth have ways to learn about brands, as well as discuss brands, that previous generations could not have dreamed of. When marketers focus their efforts on just adults, or even just young adults, the teens and tweens take notice of that perceived snub. And, not only do they have the tools at their disposal to let their dissatisfaction with a brand be known, they are not afraid to use them."

Methodology

The Youth EquiTrend® study evaluates Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration. The 2010 Youth EquiTrend® study was conducted online in August 2010, among 5,077 U.S. 8-24 year olds, including: 740 interviews among 8-9 year olds; 860 interviews among 10-12 year olds; 879 interviews among 13-15 year olds; 644 interviews among 16-17 year olds; 1,086 interviews among 18-21 year olds; and 868 interviews among 22-24 year olds.

The sample was drawn primarily from the Harris Poll Online(SM) (HPOL) panel of respondents ages 13-24. Respondents 8-12 years of age were recruited through HPOL parents.  Potential respondents were drawn at random within targeted age and gender quotas and were invited by email to visit the password-protected survey site and participate. Unless otherwise noted, data represents all 8-24 year olds.

The total number of brands rated was 98 among 8-12 year olds and 125 among 13-24 year olds.  Each 8-12 year old respondent was asked to rate 12 randomly selected brands, and 13-24 year old respondents rated 19 randomly selected brands each.  Brands rated by both 8-12 year olds and 13-24 year olds received approximately 700 ratings.  Brands rated by just 8-12 year olds received around 150 ratings, while brands rated by only 13-24 year olds received around 500 ratings.  

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The EquiTrend® study results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Interactive.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris Interactive specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Harris Interactive