NEW YORK, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As mobile networks engage in a very public ad campaign war, Verizon is named the Mobile Networks Brand of the Year among consumers according to the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study. In the Mobile Networks category, Verizon is highest ranked for the second-year running over archrival AT&T. Harris Interactive announced their Technology Brands of the Year in four other major categories: Mobile Phones (Motorola), Consumer Electronics (Sony), Computer Hardware (HP), and Gaming (Nintendo). Overall, awards are given in each of 46 different categories.

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"Since the change in the portability of phone numbers, switching mobile phones and mobile networks is significantly easier," said Jeni Lee Chapman, Executive Vice President of Brand and Communications Consulting with Harris Interactive. "Verizon's strong brand equity can have a large impact when consumers have a choice."

Motorola, buoyed by strong familiarity and a significant improvement over last year, led the Mobile Phones category, followed by HTC and Sony Ericsson. Nokia is fourth and Apple, ranked just above industry average, is fifth. Motorola offers both smart and feature phones, with the latter remaining a popular choice among consumers.  

"Apple may have the market cornered on technology enthusiasts, but Motorola satisfies a much wider audience," said Ms. Chapman. "There is still a large audience of consumers that aren't interested in a smartphone running their life, and Apple doesn't have a product to meet that need."

Sony continues to be the market leader in Consumer Electronics, closely followed by Samsung, Panasonic and LG, who have all gained ground narrowing the gap in brand equity. In particular, Samsung and LG's emergence and maturation in the space is reflected in its increased brand equity. Legacy brand computer hardware brand HP ranked highest in the computer category. In the highly competitive gaming category, Nintendo ranked highest, followed by competitors Sony and Microsoft's Xbox.

Methodology

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories.  Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 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 on the basis of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.

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.

For a complete listing of all the brands covered in the study, contact Dagney Cassella at 212-539-9600 or dcassella@harrisinteractive.com.

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 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