NEW YORK -- Green Mountain Coffee has been named the Coffee Brand of the Year in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. In a category with 13 well-known coffee brands such as Folger's, Dunkin' Donuts, Eight O'clock, Seattle's Best and Starbucks, Green Mountain leads in overall equity.
Although Green Mountain is less well-known among consumers than brands like Folger's, Maxwell House and Starbucks, it earns the highest quality and purchase consideration ratings within the category.
"One of the great strengths of the Harris Poll EquiTrend study is that it is a measure of brand value rather than just brand recognition," says Robert Fronk, executive vice president at Harris Interactive. "Green Mountain Coffee is by no means the best known coffee brand, but it is clear that those who do know it, love it. Green Mountain's high standing may also be a reflection of the efficacy in 'doing well by doing good.' It has attained a reputation as an exceptional corporate citizen. One implication from this study is that good corporate citizens that also produce high-quality products are very likely to generate exceptional levels of brand equity."
Harris Poll EquiTrend Coffee Brand of the Year
1. Green Mountain Coffee (Equity Score: 65.05).
2. Folger's Ground Coffee (63.88).
3. Dunkin' Donuts Ground Coffee (62.98).
4. Millstone Ground Coffee (60.22).
5. Eight O'clock Ground Coffee (59.66).
6. Maxwell House Ground Coffee (59.62).
7. Caribou Ground Coffee (59.25).
Category Average: 58.84
Lipton Tea products, of both hot and cold varieties, have become the 2012 Hot Tea and Bottled Ice Tea Brands of the Year. Other hot tea brands include Bigelow, Twinnings, Celestial Seasonings, and Tazo, while top bottle iced teas include Luzianne and Turkey Hill.
Harris Poll EquiTrend Hot Tea Brand of the Year
1. Lipton Teas (Equity Score: 70.59).
2. Bigelow Tea (68.18).
3. Twinnings Tea (67.89).
4. Celestial Seasonings Tea (67.57).
5. Tazo Tea (66.18).
Category Average 65.92
Harris Poll EquiTrend Bottled Iced Tea Brand of the Year
1. Lipton Iced Tea (Equity Score: 69.16).
2. Luzianne Tea (64.67).
3. Turkey Hill Tea (63.94).
Category Average 63.57
Harris Poll EquiTrend is a leading Brand Equity tracking study conducted by Harris Interactive that measures and compares brand health for more than 1,500 brands. The study was conducted online from January 31 through February 20 and analyzes the responses of more than 38,500 consumers on key measures of brand health--including how well the public knows a brand, how positively they think of the brand and their consideration to do business with or donate to a brand. Each brand is rated 1,000 times among respondents who are familiar with the brand. Harris Interactive has conducted its EquiTrend study regularly since 1989, and can offer yearly trended data from 2005. The Equity Score, a key takeaway from EquiTrend, has been validated against financial performance by Georgetown University.
New York City-based Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms. Known for The Harris Poll, it offers expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant and consumer packaged goods.
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