NEW YORK-- When it comes to carbonated beverages, the Coca-Cola "megabrand" swept the regular and diet soft drink categories. Coca-Cola and Diet Coke were ranked as the Soft Drink and Diet Soft Drink Brands of the Year in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend (EQ) study. EQ is a study of brand health that is conducted yearly by Harris Interactive.
They were followed by Pepsi-Cola, Sprite, 7-Up and Dr Pepper, which all rank above category average in the regular soft drink group. Sprite Zero, Diet Dr Pepper and Coke Zero are the next highest ranked diet soft drinks.
Harris Poll EquiTrend Soft Drink Brand of the Year
1. Coca-Cola (Equity Score:72.30).
2. Pepsi-Cola (70.07).
3. Sprite (68.05).
4. 7-Up (67.32).
5. Dr Pepper (66.08).
Category Average 65.86
Harris Poll EquiTrend Diet Soft Drink Brand of the Year
1. Diet Coke (Equity Score:57.55).
2. Sprite Zero (55.53).
3. Diet Dr Pepper (55.06).
4. Coke Zero (54.33).
Category Average 53.62
As the energy drink market grows, the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study shows that SoBe Adrenaline Rush is the Energy Drink Brand of the Year among Americans looking for an extra something to keep them going. AMP and RockStar also rank above the energy drink category average.
Harris Poll EquiTrend Energy Drink Brand of the Year
1. SoBe Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink (Equity Score: 47.59).
2. AMP Energy Drink (47.45).
3. Rock Star Energy Drink (46.89).
Category Average 45.75
Water has been reinvented and is more varied than ever. Goya Coco Water becomes the Coconut Water Brand of the Year, while the highest ranked enhanced water is Glaceau vitaminwater. Gatorade is the top brand among sports drinks; however, when yearning for regular water to quench their thirst, consumers ask for Poland Spring, the 2012 Bottled Water Brand of the Year.
Harris Poll EquiTrend Coconut Water Brand of the Year
1. Goya Coco Water (Equity Score: 60.17).
Category Average 58.37
Harris Poll EquiTrend Enhanced Water Brand of the Year
1. Glaceau vitaminwater (Equity Score: 61.13).
Category Average 58.43
Harris Poll EquiTrend Sports Drink Brand of the Year
1. Gatorade (Equity Score: 64.05).
Category Average 58.34
Harris Poll EquiTrend Bottled Water Brand of the Year
1. Poland Spring Bottled Water (Equity Score: 64.03).
2. Deer Park Bottled Water (63.35).
3. Arrowhead Bottled Water (63.28).
4. Ice Mountain Bottled Water (63.25).
5. Aquafina Bottled Water (62.88).
6. Dasani Bottled Water (61.79).
Category Average 60.85
When consumers crave fruit juice, they turn to Tropicana, the Fruit Juice Brand of the Year. Other favorite fruit juice brands that rank above category average include Ocean Spray, Florida's Natural, Welch's, Minute Maid and Dole. Meanwhile, Juicy Juice takes the top spot for Fruit Flavored Drink Brand of the Year, followed by Kool-Aid and Capri Sun.
Harris Poll EquiTrend Fruit Juice Brand of the Year
1. Tropicana Juices (Equity Score: 69.14).
2. Ocean Spray Juices (68.67).
3. Florida's Natural Juices (68.40).
4. Welch's Juices (67.88).
5. Minute Maid Juices (67.87).
6. Dole Juices (67.54).
Category Average 65.73
Harris Poll EquiTrend Fruit Flavored Drink Brand of the Year
1. Juicy Juice (Equity Score: 61.89).
2. Kool-Aid (59.73).
3. Capri Sun (59.50).
Category Average 57.71
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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