Brands That Have Staying Power - Visa®, Coca-Cola®, Craftsman®, Sony®, Verizon®, Subway®, Gatorade®, and Hallmark® are "Still the One"

According to the 23rd Annual Harris Poll® EquiTrend® Study, fifteen brands celebrate an 8-time consecutive run at the top of annual brand study that measures equity of 1500+ brands, highlighting that leadership and momentum help brands lead

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Harris Interactive

Mar 27, 2012, 04:19 ET

NEW YORK, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Year after year, consumers identify superior brands as leaders in their industry, according to recent findings in the 2012 Harris Poll® EquiTrend® (EQ) study. While some brands score high in equity across one or two components, real staying power comes from being exceptional across the board. Perennial favorites continually surpass a highly competitive field of top consumer brands.

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Still the One—Brands with Staying Power

This year EquiTrend assessed 1,500+ brands across more than 127 product categories, identifying 15 brands that have flexed their staying power "muscle" year after year and ranked number one in their respective categories every year since 2005 (when the current EquiTrend methodology began). Within this list are "mega-brands" that in essence came to define their respective categories. Mega-brands like Coca-Cola®, Craftsman®, Gatorade®, HBO®, and Life Savers® have significant staying power because each brand consistently delivers on its brand experience and remains relevant to today's consumers. Other perennial favorites who consistently lead their categories include Southwest Airlines® and Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts.

Fifteen Brands Consistently Ranked #1 Since 2005

Category	Brand
Health Insurance	Blue Cross Blue Shield
Soft Drink	Coca-Cola
Power Tool	Craftsman
Sports Drinks	Gatorade
Greeting Card	Hallmark Greeting Cards
Pay Cable TV Network	HBO
Mid-Market Hotel	Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts
Non-Chocolate Candy	Life Savers
General-Interest Magazine	National Geographic Magazine
Cookie	Oreos
Consumer Electronics	Sony Consumer Electronics
Value Airline	Southwest Airlines
Quick Serve Restaurant	Subway Restaurants
Mobile Network	Verizon Mobile Network
Payment Card	Visa

How do they do it? In examining the 127 top brands, these eight-time highest ranked brands stand out in one area more than any other – brand momentum. To have strong momentum, a brand must be seen as leader, be popular among friends and family, have high-levels of visibility, be exciting and engaging and be a brand that consumers believe has a bright future.

"These 15 top brands have consistently found a way to remain relevant and valuable to the consumer," said Aron Galonsky, Senior Vice President for Harris Interactive's Brand and Communication Consulting group. "It's not surprising why these perennial leaders continue stay on top. They continually deliver a consistent and balanced brand experience, year after year, that really resonates with the consumer."

While not yet eight-year category leaders, other prominent brands that are poised to lead and strengthen their categories are the Apple® iPad and iPhone, Google®, Android™ Amazon®'s Kindle, and the National Football League® – all of which showed strong signs of brand momentum. In addition, newcomers like Chobani® Greek Yogurt and the health non-profit organization, Stand Up To Cancer™, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, showed significant promise for the future.

Top Gainers

Although brand equity is generally slow moving, strong brands, once established, will typically maintain their brand momentum. For example, this year, Apple's iPhone continued its rise and became one of the top technology brands in EquiTrend. Other brands with strong year-over-year performance that garnered them a 2012 "Brand of the Year" distinction include Yamaha® Motorcycles, Glaceau vitaminwater®, BB&T Bank® and Physicians Formula Cosmetics®

A handful of financial services brands, such as The Vanguard Group®, TD Ameritrade®, ING Sharebuilder®, and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney®, were able to make progress in rehabilitating their equity. Finally, Toyota®'s ranking jumped up, a signal of its ongoing recovery from the damage from the "recall" crisis.

Brands of the Year

Within each respective category, the strongest brand rose to the top and based on their Equity Score, brands were ranked in ascending order. This year, 127 brands became a "Brand of the Year."

Highest Ranked Brands in Each Award Category

Category	Award Name	Brand
Airlines	Full Service Airline	Alaska/ Horizon Airlines
Airlines	Value Airline	Southwest Airlines
Apparel/Accessories	Running Shoe	New Balance Running Shoes
Appliances	Major Appliances	KitchenAid Major Appliances
Appliances	Small Kitchen Appliance	KitchenAid Small Appliances
Appliances	Coffee Maker	Keurig Coffee Maker
Automotive Manufacturers	Full Line Automotive	Honda Vehicles
Automotive Manufacturers	Luxury Automotive	Mercedes-Benz Vehicles
Automotive Service Centers	Auto Service Center	Napa AutoCare Center
Automotive Tires	Automotive Tire	Michelin Automobile Tires
Beer, Wine, Liquor	Beer	Yuengling Traditional Lager Beer
Beer, Wine, Liquor	Light Beer	Michelob Ultra Beer
Beer, Wine, Liquor	Scotch Whiskey	Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Beer, Wine, Liquor	Vodka	Skyy Vodka
Beverages	Bottled Iced Tea	Lipton Iced Tea
Beverages	Diet Soft Drink	Diet Coke
Beverages	Soft Drink	Coca-Cola
Beverages	Coffee	Green Mountain Coffee
Beverages	Energy Drink	SoBe Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink
Beverages	Fruit Flavored Drink	Juicy Juice
Beverages	Fruit Juice	Tropicana Juices
Beverages	Hot Tea	Lipton Teas
Beverages	Bottled Water	Poland Spring Bottled Water
Beverages	Coconut Water	Goya Coco Water
Beverages	Enhanced Water	Glaceau vitaminwater
Beverages	Sports Drink	Gatorade
Car Rentals	Car Rental	Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Computer-Related Products	Computer	Apple Computers
Computer-Related Products	Tablet Computer	Apple iPad (Tablet)
Computer-Related Products	E-Readers	Amazon Kindle e-reader
Computer-Related Products	Printer	HP Printing & Imaging
Consumer Electronics	Car Audio	Bose In-Vehicle Audio
Consumer Electronics	Consumer Electronics	Sony Home Electronics
Consumer Electronics	Digital Camera	Canon Digital Camera
Consumer Electronics	GPS Navigation System	Garmin Navigation System
Cruise Line	Cruise Line	Royal Caribbean International
Entertainment/Recreation	Gaming Platform	Nintendo Wii
Entertainment/Recreation	Movie Studio	DreamWorks Movie Studio
Financial Services/Insurance	Insurance	AAA-American Automobile Insurance
Financial Services/Insurance	Investment	ING DIRECT
Financial Services/Insurance	Payment Card	Visa
Financial Services/Insurance	National Bank	Chase Bank
Financial Services/Insurance	Super Regional Bank	BB&T Bank
Foods	Chocolate Candy	Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Candy
Foods	Non-Chocolate	Lifesavers Candy
Foods	Gum	Extra Gum
Foods	Premium Chocolate	Ghirardelli Chocolate
Foods	Cookies	Oreo Cookies
Foods	Energy Bars	Clif Energy Bars
Foods	Popcorn	Orville Redenbacher Popcorn
Foods	Salty Snack	Lay's Chips
Foods	Yogurt	Chobani Greek Yogurt
Government	Armed Forces	U.S. Marines
Health and Beauty Products	Mass-Market Cosmetics	Physicians Formula Cosmetics
Health and Beauty Products	Prestige Cosmetics	Origins Cosmetics
Health and Beauty Products	Sun Screen	Neutrogena Suncare
Health and Beauty Products	Weight-Loss Plan	Weight Watchers
Health Care	Hospital	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Health Insurance	Health Insurance	Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Hotels	Economy Hotel	America's Best Value Inn
Hotels	Extended Stay Hotel	Homewood Suites by Hilton
Hotels	Full-Service Hotel	Marriott Hotels
Hotels	Luxury Hotel	W Hotels
Hotels	Mid-Market Hotel	Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
Household Products Other	Carpet	Shaw Carpet
Household Products Other	Cookware	LeCreuset Cookware
Household Products Other	Everyday Dinnerware	Corelle Tableware
Household Products Other	Faucet	Kohler Faucets
Household Products Other	Gas Grill	Weber Gas Grill
Household Products Other	Household Cleaner	Lysol All Purpose Cleaner
Household Products Other	Kitchen Cabinetry	Thomasville Cabinetry
Household Products Other	Lawn Mower	John Deere Lawn Mower
Household Products Other	Innerspring Mattress	Serta Mattress
Household Products Other	Memory Foam Mattress	Bodipedic Memory Foam Mattress
Household Products Other	Paint	KILZ
Household Products Other	Cat Food	Hills Science Diet Cat Food
Household Products Other	Dog Food	Cesar Canine Cuisine
Household Products Other	Power Tool	Craftsman Tools
Household Products Other	Vacuum Cleaner	Dyson Vacuum
Household Products Other	Window Covering	Levolor Blinds & Shades
Media Magazine	Business Magazine	Money Magazine
Media Magazine	General-Interest Magazine	National Geographic Magazine
Media Magazine	Weekly News Magazine	The Economist Magazine
Media Magazine	Women's Magazine	Real Simple Magazine
Media News service	News Service	Yahoo News
Media Television	TV Network	CBS Television Network
Media Television	Kids TV	PBS KIDS Sprout
Media Television	Pay Cable TV Network	HBO
Media Television	Topical interest TV Programming	History Channel
Media Television	TV News	The Weather Channel
Media Television	Variety TV Programming	A&E Television Network
Motorcycles	Motorcycle	Yamaha Motorcycles
Non-Profit Corporations	Animal Welfare Non-Profit	Best Friends Animal Society
Non-Profit Corporations	Environmental Non-Profit	Wildlife Conservation Society
Non-Profit Corporations	Health Non-Profit	Stand Up To Cancer
Non-Profit Corporations	International Aid Non-Profit	Food for the Poor
Non-Profit Corporations	Social Services Non-Profit	American Red Cross
Non-Profit Corporations	Disability Non-Profit	Goodwill
Non-Profit Corporations	Youth Interest Non-Profit	Girl Scouts of the USA
Online Organizations	Online Auto Shopping	Kelly Blue Book (KBB.com)
Online Organizations	Online Daily Deal	Woot.com
Online Organizations	Online Job Search	USAJobs.com
Online Organizations	Online Travel Service	Kayak.com
Other Products	Greeting Card	Hallmark Greeting Cards
Other Products	Motor Oil	Pennzoil Motor Oil
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Cold / Allergy	Vicks Cold Medications
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Digestive Aid	Tums
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Fiber supplement	Fibercon
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Laxative	Phillips Milk of Magnesia
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Pain Relief	Advil Pain Reliever
Over-the-Counter Products	OTC Sleep Aid	Tylenol PM
Resorts/Attractions	Amusement Attraction	Disney World
Restaurants	Casual Dining Restaurant	Panera Bread Restaurant
Restaurants	Italian Dining Restaurant	Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant
Restaurants	Quick Service Restaurant	Subway Restaurants
Restaurants	Coffee & Quick Service Restaurant	Einstein Bagels
Restaurants	Pizza Chain	Papa John's Pizza
Retail	Convenience Store	Speedway Convenience Store
Retail	Department Store	Kohl's Department Store
Retail	Luxury Department Store	Nordstrom's Department Store
Retail	Drug Store	Walgreen's Drugstores
Retail	Value Retail Store	Target Stores
Retail Gasoline	Gasoline Retail	Costco Gasoline
Sports	Sport League	NFL (National Football League)
Telecommunications	Mobile Network	Verizon Mobile Network
Telecommunications	Mobile Phone	Apple iPhone
Telecommunications	No-Contract Mobile Carrier	Verizon Wireless (no contract wireless phone)

Harris Poll ® EquiTrend® methodology

A sample of 38,529 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over were surveyed online by Harris Interactive from January 31 through February 20, 2012 and the survey took an average of 40 minutes to complete. The sample was from the Harris Interactive online panel of respondents, a multimillion-member database consisting of cooperative respondents who have double-opted in to be randomly invited by Harris Interactive to take part in online surveys. The total number of brands rated was 1,529. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 40 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over based on age by sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online. This is the same precision weighting approach Harris has used to become the leading online polling organization when calling elections.

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 health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in more than 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris 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.

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SOURCE Harris Interactive