The annual Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement survey ranked BP as the gasoline brand "best able to engage consumers and create loyal customers," followed by Texaco, Sunoco, Chevron, Mobil, Exxon and Shell.
The Brand Keys Customer Loyalty [image-nocss] Engagement winners are those brands best able to engage consumers and create loyal customers. Initiated in 1997, the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index is fielded annually in the spring and fall. The current Index examines customers' relationships with 518 brands in 71 categories.
The Brand Keys data paints a detailed picture of the category drivers that engage customers, engender loyalty and drive real profits. These drivers not only define how the consumer will view the category, compare offerings and, ultimately, buy, but also identify the expectations the consumer holds for each driver. The brand whose drivers come closest to meeting (or even exceeding) those of the category Ideal is always the one whose customers will demonstrate the highest levels of engagement and loyalty over the next 12 to 18 months.
2010 Brands Listed by Category (convenience store industry-related):
Beer (Light): Coors Light Beer (Regular): Budweiser Bottled Water: Aquafina/San Pellegrino (tie) Bottled Water (Enhanced): Vitamin Water Coffee : Dunkin' Donuts Gasoline: BP Pizza: Domino's Quick-Serve Restaurant: McDonald's Soft Drink (Diet): Diet Pepsi Soft Drink (Regular): Pepsi Click here for the full list of brands.
Separately, global market research firm Harris Interactive has released the 2010 results of EquiTrend, its annual brand equity study that measures more than 1,000 brands across 42 categories.
Hershey's Kisses was the highest rated brand in the entire survey with several other brands from the comfort foods category (e.g., M&Ms, Hershey Bar, Oreo Cookies and Snickers) ranking high.
The remaining brands in the top 25 represent icons of quality within their respective categories. In fact, certain brands have managed to hold the top ranked spot within their categories uninterrupted for years, including Coca-Cola, Visa, Duracell, Sony, Tide, Kleenex, Hallmark and Subway.
25 Highest-Ranked Brands:
Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Candy M&M Plain Chocolate Candy Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars Google.com Duracell Batteries Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Chocolate Candy Heinz Ketchup Kleenex Facial Tissues Oreo Cookies Neosporin Ointment Cheerios Cereal Ritz Crackers Kraft Foods Inc. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Campbell's Soups Snickers Chocolate Candy Coca-Cola Sharpie Dawn Dish Detergent Johnson & Johnson Energizer Batteries UPS Hershey's Chocolate Chips M&M Peanut Chocolate Candy Hallmark Greeting Cards The lowest-rated brands in the study come from the cigarette companies, online dating sites, online universities and the financial sector. The fallout from the government bailouts tarnished many well established brands, but the good news is that some are slowly rebounding (e.g., AIG and GM). These brands are working hard to understand how to win back the trust of the U.S. consumer.
"A common theme for those brands that are suffering from a loss in trust will be their ability to connect with their customers in a relevant wayand that will require showing they are really listening to them, and are addressing their concerns and needs at both the product level and in how they market their products," said Carol Gstalder, senior vice president of business and industrial at Harris Interactive.
EquiTrend covers a broad array of industry categories. Below is a list of the highest-ranked convenience store industry-related brands in certain select categories according to the 2010 EquiTrend study:
Beer: Blue Moon Beer Beverages: Coca-Cola Candy: Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Candy Motor Oil: Pennzoil Motor Oil Quick Service Restaurants: Subway Restaurants Retail Gasoline: Speedway Gasoline Tobacco: Basic Cigarettes
The EquiTrend study evaluates measures including equity, customer connection, commitment, energy, 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 EquiTrend study was conducted online among 19,708 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between Jan. 12 and 21, 2010. The total number of brands rated was 1,151. 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.
New York City-based Harris Interactive has been tracking consumers' awareness and perception of brands for more than 20 years.
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