NEW YORK, April 25, 2018 – The Harris Poll’s 30th annual EquiTrend Study (EQ) reveals the strongest brands across the media, travel, financial, automotive, entertainment, retail, restaurant, technology, household and nonprofit industries, based on consumer response.
Measuring brand health over time, the EquiTrend Brand Equity Index is comprised of three factors – Familiarity, Quality and Purchase Consideration – that result in a brand equity rating for each brand. Brands ranking highest in equity receive the Harris Poll EquiTrend “Brand of the Year” award for their respective categories. This year, more than 77,000 U.S. consumers assessed more than 3,000 brands across more than 300 categories.
This year’s EQ study reflected an emerging trend in consumer behavior – the push to simplify and align with brands they know and trust. The common thread in the 2018 EQ study is waning familiarity strength among consumers. While the overall EQ study score average is stable overall, one-quarter of brands measured in 2017 showed a significant decline in EQ scores. The decline reveals that consumers are becoming less connected to a large set of brands and more connected to a smaller, select set of brands, marked by decreasing brand awareness and quality perception in this year’s study.
While many of these brands are mainstays with strong equity as a whole, it seems that in the social age of waning attention spans and the fast pace of new products, consumers are turning inward and focusing on select brands they know and trust. Only 10% of brands saw a significant increase in equity from 2017.
“The EQ study reveals that brand equity is no longer guaranteed by size or media impressions,” says The Harris Poll CEO, John Gerzema. “This is actually a time when being ‘big’ is code for being the establishment. As private label and the popularity of craft products rises, brands are now differentiated on their values, personal connection and their ability to build community.”
The Harris Poll 2018 EquiTrend Brands of the Year
This year, the 30th year that the Harris Poll has been measuring brand equity, 80 companies were awarded the coveted Brand of the Year designation, the list of category winners is provided below. We monitor over 3,000 brands, to see the top category performers, please contact us and we would be happy to send you the findings.
| Award Category | 2018 Brand of the Year |
| Animal Welfare Nonprofit | Best Friends Animal Society |
| Burger Restaurant | Five Guys Burgers & Fries |
| Car Audio | Bose In-Vehicle Audio |
| Casual Dining Restaurant | (TIE) The Cheesecake Factory and Texas Roadhouse |
| Chicken Restaurant | Chick-fil-A |
| Coffee Shop | Krispy Kreme |
| Coffee Maker | Keurig Coffee Makers |
| Computer Manufacturer | Microsoft Computers |
| Cruise Line | (TIE) Disney Cruise Line and Royal Carribean International |
| Department Store | Kohl’s Department Stores |
| Digital Camera | Canon Digital Cameras |
| Disability Nonprofit | Autism Society of America |
| Economy Hotel | Microtel Inn & Suites |
| Environmental Nonprofit | National Wildlife Federation |
| Extended Stay Hotel | Home2 Suites by Hilton |
| Factual Entertainment | History Channel |
| Footwear Store | DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) |
| Full Line Automotive | Honda Vehicles |
| Full Service Airline | Hawaiian Airlines |
| General Entertainment | AMC Television Network (American Movie Classics) |
| Greeting Card | Hallmark Greeting Cards |
| Hardware & Home Store | The Home Depot |
| Health Nonprofit | (TIE) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children |
| Home Entertainment Electronics | Bose Home Entertainment Electronics |
| Ice Cream & FroYo Shop | Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop |
| International Aid Nonprofit | Food For The Poor |
| Internet Radio Service | Pandora Internet Radio |
| Investment | The Vanguard Group |
| Kids TV | Disney Junior Television Network |
| Life Insurance | AXA Life Insurance |
| Luxury Automotive | Lexus Vehicles |
| Luxury Department Store | Nordstrom Department Stores |
| Luxury Hotel | Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts |
| Major Appliances | KitchenAid Appliances |
| Media Streaming Device | Amazon Fire TV/Fire Stick |
| Mexican Restaurant | Taco Bell |
| Mid-Market Hotel | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Military & Veteran Serving Nonprofit | Paralyzed Veterans of America |
| Mobile Payment | PayPal |
| Multi-line Insurance | AAA Insurance |
| National Bank | Capital One |
| News Service | BBC News |
| Off-Price Retailer | TJ Maxx Stores |
| Online Auto Shopping | Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com) |
| Online Bank | Barclays Online Bank |
| Online Home Search | Zillow.com |
| Online Job Search | Indeed.com |
| Online Travel Service | TripAdvisor |
| Package Delivery | UPS (United Parcel Service) |
| Pay Cable TV Network | HBO Television Network |
| Payment Card | Visa |
| Pizza Chain | Blaze Pizza |
| Premium Hotel | Marriott Hotels |
| Printer | HP Printers |
| Property and Casualty Insurance | GEICO Auto & Home Insurance |
| Real Estate Agency | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices |
| Rental Car | Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
| Sandwich Shop | (TIE) Panera and Subway |
| Smartphone | Apple iPhone Smartphones |
| Smartwatch | ASUS ZenWatch Smartwatch |
| Social Networking Site | YouTube |
| Social Services Nonprofit | Ronald McDonald House Charities |
| Sporting Goods Store | DICK’S Sporting Goods |
| Sports TV | ESPN Television Network |
| Super Regional Bank | BB&T Bank |
| Tablet Computer | Apple iPad Tablets |
| Tires | Michelin Tires |
| TV Network | PBS Television Network (Public Broadcasting Service) |
| TV News | The Weather Channel |
| Upscale Hotel | Courtyard Marriott |
| Value Airline | Southwest Airlines |
| Video Streaming Subscription | Netflix |
| Virtual Personal Assistant | (TIE) Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri |
| Wireless Carrier | Verizon Wireless |
| Youth Nonprofit | Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) |
Methodology
The 2018 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study is based on a sample of 77,031 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over surveyed online, in English, between January 3 and February 15, 2018. The survey took an average of 30 minutes to complete. The total number of brands rated was 3,015. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 40 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data was 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. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
The Brand Equity Index is the keystone to the EquiTrend program, providing an understanding of a brand’s overall strength. A brand’s Equity is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality and Purchase Consideration. Brand of the Year is determined by a simple ranking of brands.
The Harris Poll EquiTrend methodology has been validated by academic business experts in the Journal of Marketing Research (1994) and International Journal of Research on Marketing (2012).
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building a twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.
The Harris Poll EquiTrend results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Poll.
