According to Millward Brown, a market research firm, Amazon.com was the most trusted and recommended brand in the U.S. during 2009.
“Trust” and “recommendation” are the keys to brand success, according to the company’s new report, “Beyond Trust: Engaging Consumers in the Post-Recession World.” The study was conducted along with The Futures Company and utilized the new “TrustR Score,” which is “a new metric for understanding and strengthening the bond between consumers and brands,” according to a press release issued by Millward Brown.
“Consumers are less likely to spend hard-earned money on brands that they don't trust,” according to Eileen Campbell, global CEO of Millward Brown. “In fact, we found that the number one "TrustR" brand in each of the 22 countries we researched was nearly seven times more likely to be purchased and consumers were 10 times more likely to have formed a strong bond with these brands.”
Amazon.com topped the list with a TrustR Score of 123, followed by FedEx with a score of 122.
“Amazon.com, the brand ranked first in the U.S. by TrustR, has achieved that status through exceptional service and providing its own recommendations to users,” according to Nigel Hollis, executive vice president and chief global analyst of Millward Brown. “This combination has made Amazon the gold standard of trust and recommendation in the U.S.”
Downy (120), Huggies (120), Tide (120), Tylenol (120), Toyota (119), WebMD (119), Pampers (118) and UPS (118) filled out the top 10 list of the most trusted and recommended brands in the U.S., according to Millward Brown.
The company notes that the study was conducted over the course of 2009, “prior to Toyota’s recent recall.”
TrustR scores are based on consumer responses to two questions: “How trustworthy is this brand?” and “Would you recommend this brand?” Scores are indexed and combined to get to a TrustR score. The average score is 100, with scores above 105 considered “good.”
Amazon also topped a 2009 year-end ForeSee poll for consumer satisfaction.
Sources:
http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/MillwardBrown/Content/News/PressReleaseView.aspx?id=/20100222_TrustR
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=122904
http://www.mybanktracker.com/bank-news/2009/12/31/amazon-com-ranked-highest-in-customer-satisfaction-this-holiday-shopping-season/
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