Harris Interactive info-uk@harrisinteractive.com    +44 (0) 208 263 5200    SEARCH
Company InformationResearch ServicesReportsData CollectionIndustries
News Room > Press Releases

Sony Tops the List in Inaugural "Best Brands" Survey of Britons

London, UK —7 October, 2003—Britons have picked Sony as their nation’s best brand. The electronics maker came in first in the inaugural HI Europe Poll conducted recently among 4,098 Britons (aged 15+).  Heinz, Marks and Spencer, Kellogg’s, Tesco, Flora, Coca-Cola, Boots, Nestlé, and Cadbury rounded out the top ten.  

Across the Atlantic, Americans also picked Sony as their nation’s best brand in a poll conducted earlier this year by Harris Interactive, parent company of HI Europe.  Only Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola were able to join Sony on the British and U.S. top ten lists.  The differences between these lists, rather than the similarities, suggest that there is no shortage of challenges facing brands that aspire to rank highly on both sides of the Atlantic: 

  • Huge, global fast moving consumer goods brands such as Kraft, Procter & Gamble, and Pepsi-Cola made little to no impression on Britons despite ranking among America’s ten best brands.


  • Great Britain’s top ten list included no automotive companies while America’s list included Ford and General Motors.


  • In Great Britain, nationwide retail brands were far stronger than in the U.S., and retail shops such as Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Boots received high marks. Retail brands were altogether absent from America’s top-ten list. 


  • Cadbury and Nestlé ranked among Great Britain’s best brands but received nary a mention from Americans.


“Nationwide retail brands are remarkably strong in Great Britain whereas automobile brands are remarkably strong in America,” stated George Terhanian, President of HI Europe.  “A crude implication is that Britons place more value than Americans on where they shop and less value on the car they might drive to the shop.  Britons also seem to truly appreciate their chocolate.”

Marek Vaygelt, Managing Director of Operations for HI Europe, added, “Great Britain has a much longer tradition of nationwide retail than the US. There is virtually no town without a Marks and Spencer, Boots and Tesco. This may help to explain the difference in retail brand presence between US and Great Britain top-ten lists.”

The HI Europe Poll also asked Britons to rate the importance of the corporate reputation of those brands they deemed best, with Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Dell, and BMW receiving the highest marks.

“Companies should pay heed--corporate reputation is too important to ignore in the post-Enron era, particularly when consumers are asked to spend their hard-earned pounds,” Terhanian stated.

TABLE 1*
TOP 10 BRANDS
“We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?”

Base:  (See methodology statements below for US and UK surveys)

 

UNITED STATES

 

GREAT BRITAIN

1

Sony

 

Sony

2

Kraft

 

Heinz

3

Dell

 

Marks and Spencer

4

General Motors

 

Kellogg’s

5

Microsoft

 

Tesco

6

Ford

 

Flora

7

Coca-Cola

 

Coca-Cola

8

Procter & Gamble

 

Boots

9

Kellogg’s

 

Nestlé

=10

General Electric

 

Cadbury

=10

Pepsi-Cola

 

-

*NOTE: These are spontaneous replies.  Respondents are not read or shown a list of names.

TABLE 2
IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE REPUTATION IN CHOOSING “TOP BRANDS”
“When you think about why (BRAND MENTIONED AS TOP BRAND) is a top brand, how important is the reputation of the company and what you know about the company that makes that product or provides that service?”

Those Saying “Extremely Important”
Base: Britons aged 15 and over
 

Extremely

Important%

Rolls Royce

41

Mercedes-Benz

39

Dell

38

BMW

31

Marks and Spencer

31

Cadbury

29

Kodak

29

Virgin

27

Benecol

26

Nike

25

Methodology for HI Europe Poll
This HI Europe survey was conducted online within Great Britain between July 29th and August 16th, 2003 among 4,098 Britons, aged 15 and older. Figures for age, sex, race, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample is not a probability sample.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the US National Council on Public Polls.

Methodology for US Poll
The Harris Poll®was conducted online within the United States between June 16 and 22, 2003, among a nationwide cross section of 879 adults.  Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.  "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. 

In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus four percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters).  It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.  This online survey is not a probability sample.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

About HI Europe

HI Europe (www.hieurope.com)is a market research and consulting firm known for its expertise in strategic business and consumer research, particularly in the IT and telecom industries. HI Europe plays a major role in solving its clients' complex business problems through thoughtful application of innovative methodologies and sophisticated technologies, focusing on those that areInternet-based. Headquartered in London, HI Europe is a subsidiary of US-based Harris Interactive®, one of the world’s largest market research companies, known for its pioneering use of the Internet to conduct scientifically accurate market research.

Press Contacts:

Carole Holland
HI Europe
+44 (0) 20-8263-5268
cholland@hieurope.com

Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
USA 585-214-7316
nwong@harrisinteractive.com

Press Releases
Media Coverage
Events





PRIVACY POLICYONLINE SURVEY DEMOJOIN OUR PANEL

©2006 Harris Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.