“Reader’s Digest European Trusted Brands“ is a large consumer study carried out annually since 2001 by Reader’s Digest Magazine. The study encompasses six languages in seven countries: Austria, Finland, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Switzerland. Its aim is to find out which brands in different product categories people trust most.
Methodology
At first, respondents of the survey are asked in an open question to nominate their most trusted brand in each product category without giving them any suggestions for possible brands. There are 20 common product categories for all seven countries and an additional number of local categories specific for every country. Then, respondents have to rate their most trusted brands in terms of the qualitative attributes “Quality”, “Excellence Value”, “Strong Image” and “Understands Customer Needs”. What is more, respondents are surveyed on the social responsibility of their trusted brands. The brand receiving the highest number of nominations becomes “Most Trusted Brand” in the respective category and country. It is possible that a brand scores #1 in one of the qualitative attributes without being the category’s “Most Trusted Brand”. In this case the respective brands receive so-called Attribute Awards. In total, 15,822 respondents answered the survey with 39% of them coming from Germany.
Results
The German skin and body care brand Nivea can be considered the “winner” as it is the “Most Trusted Brand” in skin care in all seven countries and in hair care in three countries. In the credit cards category Visa is the “Most Trusted Brand” in all seven countries having bumped Master Card from the pole position in Switzerland for the first time. Samsung continues its triumph and becomes the “Most Trusted Brand” in mobile phones in six countries. Other brands that are the “Most Trusted Brand” in their respective category in at least three countries are: Canon (camera), HP (PC), Kellogg’s (breakfast cereals), Miele (kitchen appliances), Toyota (automotive), Nestlé (breakfast cereals), VW (automotive), Yves Rocher (cosmetics).
Other areas surveyed
In addition to the trust in brands the survey also asks respondents about the trust in institutions (such as the church, politics, trade unions, etc.), professions and the European Union. Another surveyed area is personal recommendations and their influence on consumer behaviour. In Germany for example, 78% said that personal recommendations have an important impact on their buying decisions.
Details and more results can be found on the survey’s website.
