Recognition and trust are two very different things in the corporate world, apparently.
According to results from AlixPartners LLP and posted by GameDaily.biz , Sony is just as powerful as ever. AlixPartners conducted their annual 2007 Brand Power Index ranking study, and based on a survey of 5,000 consumers, Sony is the most powerful brand name out there. This particular index supposedly tried to distinguish between popularity and "true brand name power" via a trust-versus-distrust formula.
"While Nike was, by far, the most frequently mentioned name when consumers were asked to select any favorite brand, the ratio of consumers who trust Nike – both the brand and the company – to those who distrust it lowered its final score," said Fred Crawford, a managing director with AlixPartners who also oversees the AlixPartners Consumer Sentiment Index. "On the other hand, other great brands such as Newman's Own [33rd], Ben & Jerry's [41st] and 3M [86th] have tremendous trust among consumers, but their penetration in the marketplace remains quite low."
It's an interesting look at how consumers view corporate names, and how it goes far beyond simple recognition. That Nike symbol might be recognized in another universe at this point, but trust is always what ultimately matters. The list of the top 10 looks like this:
1. Sony (NYSE-SNE)
2. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE-JNJ)
3. Kraft (NYSE-KFT)
4. Procter & Gamble (NYSE-PG)
5. Campbell's (NYSE-CPB)
6. Toyota (NYSE-TM)
7. Tylenol
8. Dell (NasdaqGS-DELL)
9. General Mills (NYSE-GIS)
10. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE-HPQ)