Car Chat General discussion about Lexus, other auto manufacturers and automotive news.

Harris Poll EquiTrend Full Line AutoMotive Brand of the Year

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 03-27-11, 02:29 PM
  #1  
GS69
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
 
GS69's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NC
Posts: 4,238
Received 10 Likes on 8 Posts
Arrow Harris Poll EquiTrend Full Line AutoMotive Brand of the Year


NEW YORK, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing their steady climb back into the hearts and minds of consumers, domestic brands Ford and Chevrolet nabbed the top 2 spots in the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study while last year's highest ranked brand, Toyota, fell to 4th in the rankings, behind Honda. The 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Full Line Automotive Brand of the Year is awarded to the highest ranked brand in this category. Overall, awards are given in each of 46 different categories.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/ha...ractive/44737/

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110322/MM68969 )

Mercedes-Benz ranked highest among Luxury Automotive brands and was named 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Luxury Automotive Brand of the Year with last year's highest ranked company, Lexus, ranked 2nd, followed by BMW and Infiniti.

"Improved product among the domestic automotive manufacturers is clearly having a positive impact on consumers and their perceptions of Ford and Chevrolet,"
said Carol Gstalder, Senior Vice President of Business and Industrial Research at Harris Interactive. "Both award recipients – Ford and Mercedes-Benz – have faced recent challenges, but both have introduced strong new and redesigned products. The opportunity is sustaining this improvement in the face of increased competition."

Automakers that showed the greatest improvement included Kia, Land Rover, Acura and Audi. Hyundai and Subaru have also shown steady improvement each of the past 4 years.

"Traditionally strong automotive brands are being challenged by up and coming brands, Kia and Hyundai, that are offering strong value propositions with improving product quality," said Gstalder. "If the economy continues to remain stagnant and gas prices continue to rise, these brands will be positioned to increase their market share."

Additional automotive categories measured and awarded "Brand of the Year" include Automotive Service Centers (Goodyear), Automotive Tire Brands (Michelin), Gasoline Retailers (Speedway Gasoline), Motor Oil (Pennzoil Motor Oil) and Motorcycles (Harley Davidson).

Methodology

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over on the basis of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.

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

The EquiTrend® study results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Interactive.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

For a complete listing of all the brands covered in the study, contact Dagney Cassella at 212-539-9600 or dcassella@harrisinteractive.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

Press Contact:
Corporate Communications
Harris Interactive
212-539-9600
press@harrisinteractive.net

Last edited by GS69; 03-27-11 at 02:32 PM.
GS69 is offline  
Old 03-27-11, 03:10 PM
  #2  
Hoovey689
Moderator
iTrader: (16)
 
Hoovey689's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: California
Posts: 42,296
Received 125 Likes on 83 Posts
Default

yeah Ford!!!
Hoovey689 is offline  
Old 03-27-11, 04:21 PM
  #3  
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
 
mmarshall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Posts: 91,115
Received 87 Likes on 86 Posts
Default

If one takes into account simply the wide range of vehicles that Ford offers, I have to pretty much agree with the ranking. Reliability, on the average, has also risen for most Ford-labelled vehicles, to the point where some of them now, such as the Fusion, outrank their Japanese-designed competition.

Ford, though, IMO, still needs to work on some of the interior trim for their vehicles. A number of their interiors, IMO, even on just-introduced new models, are rather stark, and simply don't have the plush, well-detailed look that the latest GM and Dodge/Chrysler models do. GM and Chrysler have improved their interiors enormously in the last few years....... (Cruze, Malibu, Tahoe/Suburban and their twins, Charger, 300, and Jeep Grand Cherokee are good examples), and Ford products, by and large, have not followed suit, even with some of the Lincolns, IMO.
mmarshall is offline  
Old 06-25-12, 05:20 AM
  #4  
GS69
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
 
GS69's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NC
Posts: 4,238
Received 10 Likes on 8 Posts
Lightbulb 2012


After 3 years of turmoil and consumer skepticism, the automotive industry is beginning to rebound. With new car sales finally on the rise, 2 manufacturers - Mercedes-Benz and Honda - reign supreme in successfully harnessing their equity and leading their industries as Brands of the Year. In fact, Mercedes-Benz is enjoying this achievement for the 2nd year in a row, according to the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® (EQ) study, a yearly brand health assessment from Harris Interactive, one of the world's leading custom and multi-client market research firms.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/44754-har...tive-scorecard

Mercedes-Benz Retains Title as Lead Luxury Auto Brand In a segment where luxury is synonymous with superb quality and craftsmanship, the Mercedes-Benz brand resonates more strongly with consumers than any other luxury automotive brand included in the Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Mercedes-Benz's strong performance in EQ has earned it the Luxury Automotive Brand of the Year accolade for the 2nd year running.

"Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have been battling over this top ranking for the last 8 years," says Mike Chadsey, Senior Consultant for Harris Interactive's Customer Relationship Consulting team. "Mercedes has ranked at the top for 2 years in a row and 4 of the last 8 years, while Lexus has made it to the top spot 3 times. BMW is also usually within the top 3, with especially strong scores over the last 3 years. Quality and Purchase Consideration both play important roles in these annual rankings," says Chadsey.

Beyond these perennial leaders, Cadillac, Acura, Infiniti, and Audi also rank above the category's average equity score.

Honda: America's Favorite Full Line Automaker The ranking was close and the results are in -- Honda overtakes both Toyota and Ford to become the 2012 Full Line Automotive Brand of the Year. It replaces last year's top-ranked automaker, Ford.

Having overcome some quality concerns and recalls in 2011, Toyota has come back strong. It climbs into 2nd place, which is up 2 notches from its 4th-place position in 2011, and that much closer to the top spot it held only 2 years ago in 2010. Toyota's increase in brand equity is the largest of the brands measured in the category.

Although its equity score has actually increased, Ford has slipped to third place in the 2012 rankings -- a further testament to the highly competitive nature of the automotive market. Chevrolet, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai, and Volkswagen also rank above average in the full line automotive category.

In addition to measuring the brand equity of the luxury and full line automotive manufacturers, EQ also measures the auto industry's ancillary products and services, including tires, motor oil, and service centers, among others. Here's a look at the top brands in each category and how each of the categories stacks up overall:

Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com Debuts as Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year Online auto sales sites constitute a new Harris Poll EquiTrend category for 2012, and Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com earns the Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year accolade, followed by Edmunds.com in 2nd place. KBB.com is the more familiar brand, due largely to its long heritage and strong association as the industry benchmark for used car values. Additionally, KBB.com enjoys high Quality scores, compared to other brands surveyed.

Napa AutoCare Takes Brand of the Year Title in EQ Debut 1st-time EQ brand, Napa AutoCare outranks 19 competitors to earn the Automotive Service Center Brand of the Year accolade in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Discount Tire, also a new brand to the EQ study, places 2nd, surpassing last year's top-ranked brand, Goodyear Tire and Service Network, which fell to third. National Tire and Battery, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Firestone Automotive Service Centers, Walmart Tire & Lube Express, and Mobil 1 Lube Express all round out the top 8 brands above the category average.

Bose Tops New Car Audio Category Another of Harris Poll EquiTrend's new categories is Car Audio, where Bose debuts as the Brand of the Year. This is an especially important finding for luxury automotive manufacturers, which select branded audio systems that fit their own brand promises and appeal to consumers.

"Bose enjoys very strong Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention scores among the general population, as well as top-ranked Leadership and Brand Momentum scores. Clearly, Americans see Bose as a leader within its category, as well as a brand that has a bright future," says Chadsey.

Well-known by consumers, Harman/Kardon, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, and Alpine all ranked above the category average.

Pennzoil Motor Oil Makes It 3 Years in a Row In a category filled with many well-known brands, Pennzoil takes the Motor Oil Brand of the Year honor for the 3rd consecutive year. Despite a large drop in overall Familiarity, Pennzoil retains its strong Quality and Purchase Intention scores to keep its top ranking. Mobil 1, Valvoline, Rotella, Quaker State, and Castrol motor oils also placed above the category average.

Michelin Enjoys 6 Years as America's Tire Brand Michelin continues to dominate the automotive tire market, achieving the highest-ranked position in the Harris Poll EquiTrend study for 6 consecutive years. As usual, Goodyear and BF Goodrich round out the top 3 brands in the 2012 study. Bridgestone, Pirelli, and Cooper also rank better than the category average.

Garmin Navigates to Top Position Garmin is ranked as the GPS Navigation Brand of the Year for 2012. Garmin leads in key aspects of brand equity, including Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention.

Yamaha Cuts off Harley-Davidson Gains made in Quality and Purchase Consideration by Yamaha pushed the brand ahead of Harley-Davidson to secure the Motorcycle Brand of the Year accolade in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Higher scores in Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Intention helped move Yamaha ahead of Harley-Davidson.

About Harris Poll EquiTrend® Harris Poll EquiTrend® is a leading Brand Equity tracking study conducted by Harris Interactive that measures and compares brand health for more than 1,500 brands. The study was conducted online from January 31 through February 20, 2012 and analyzes the responses of over 38,500 consumers on key measures of brand health - including how well the public knows a brand, how positively they think of the brand and their consideration to do business with or donate to a brand. Each brand is rated 1,000 times among respondents who are familiar with the brand. Harris Interactive has conducted its EquiTrend study regularly since 1989, and can offer yearly trended data from 2005. The Equity Score, a key take-away from EquiTrend, has been validated against financial performance by Georgetown University.

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

The Harris Poll EquiTrend® study results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Interactive.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

For a complete listing of all the brands covered in the study, contact Corporate Communications at 212-539-9600 or press@harrisinteractive.net.

About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is 1 of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com .
GS69 is offline  
Old 06-25-12, 06:18 AM
  #5  
MPLexus301
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
 
MPLexus301's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Friend Zone
Posts: 9,044
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

I have never even heard of this poll before?
MPLexus301 is offline  
Old 06-25-12, 06:55 AM
  #6  
Sulu
Lexus Champion
 
Sulu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 3,309
Likes: 0
Received 31 Likes on 24 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by GS69
Methodology

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over on the basis of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.
Originally Posted by MPLexus301
I have never even heard of this poll before?
What does this study measure, how is it measured and what questions are asked? Without this detail explained in the Methodology, the conclusions of the study mean absolutely nothing.

Anybody could draw up a list of random, useless questions and start asking people on the street (or the internet). But will the results of such a random study have any meaning or significance to anybody except the author of the study?
Sulu is offline  
Old 06-25-12, 07:01 AM
  #7  
SteVTEC
Lexus Test Driver
 
SteVTEC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Honda products are getting panned and criticized like crazy all over the place and their sales are slumping too, so wondering how on earth they could be ranked so high?

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.
SteVTEC is offline  
Old 06-26-12, 08:27 AM
  #8  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,700
Received 2,399 Likes on 1,572 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Sulu
Without this detail explained in the Methodology, the conclusions of the study mean absolutely nothing.
since toyota isn't at the top i knew it wouldn't be long before it was trashed on here.

but regardless, the methodology was laid out pretty clearly

Methodology

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over on the basis of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.


bitkahuna is online now  
Old 06-26-12, 08:29 AM
  #9  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,700
Received 2,399 Likes on 1,572 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by SteVTEC
Honda products are getting panned and criticized like crazy all over the internet
fixed.

and their sales are slumping too...
honda sales aren't too shabby, but were of course sadly cratered by the lack of availabilty due to the earthquake/tsunami. acura's been struggling in terms of sales levels though i believe.

the crv, accord, civic, rdx, and tsx in particular seem to be doing great.
bitkahuna is online now  
Old 06-26-12, 08:53 AM
  #10  
Joeb427
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Joeb427's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SC
Posts: 11,670
Received 17 Likes on 16 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
since toyota isn't at the top i knew it wouldn't be long before it was trashed on here.

but regardless, the methodology was laid out pretty clearly



[/COLOR][/FONT]
Originally Posted by bitkahuna
fixed.

honda sales aren't too shabby, but were of course sadly cratered by the lack of availabilty due to the earthquake/tsunami. acura's been struggling in terms of sales levels though i believe.

the crv, accord, civic, rdx, and tsx in particular seem to be doing great.
Joeb427 is offline  
Old 06-26-12, 09:06 AM
  #11  
LexBob2
Lexus Champion
 
LexBob2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 11,133
Received 138 Likes on 112 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
fixed.

honda sales aren't too shabby, but were of course sadly cratered by the lack of availabilty due to the earthquake/tsunami. acura's been struggling in terms of sales levels though i believe.

the crv, accord, civic, rdx, and tsx in particular seem to be doing great.
Honda North America for May +48% / YTD thru May +10%

Honda +46% / +10%
Acura +62% / +11%

Honda/Acura are doing fine and aren't going anywhere.
LexBob2 is online now  
Old 06-26-12, 11:15 AM
  #12  
LexFather
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
since toyota isn't at the top i knew it wouldn't be long before it was trashed on here.

but regardless, the methodology was laid out pretty clearly



[/COLOR][/FONT]
He apologizes for asking a question. Odd he doesn't mention Toyota or Lexus anywhere in his post.

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
fixed.

.
Not fixed at all. Those with open eyes including reviewers have made the same comments, its not just the internet. Steve is a long time Honda enthusiast not blinded to average and sub-par ways like many others. He's calling it as it is instead of rushing to their defense at every point. I'm sure he will chime in as he is quite an astute enthusiast.

Originally Posted by LexBob2
Honda North America for May +48% / YTD thru May +10%

Honda +46% / +10%
Acura +62% / +11%

Honda/Acura are doing fine and aren't going anywhere.
All the Asian brands are up due to the Tsunami last year. Either you forgot or are spinning figures to defend.
 
Old 06-26-12, 11:29 AM
  #13  
Infra
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (1)
 
Infra's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 1,091
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Since this is an opinion survey and nothing else, the results are in no way indicative of the actual product any manufacturer has on their lots.

In other news, your average consumer is clueless about the car business.

Bananas still yellow when ripe, sometimes green or brown too.
Infra is offline  
Old 06-26-12, 11:35 AM
  #14  
LexFather
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Originally Posted by Infra
Since this is an opinion survey and nothing else, the results are in no way indicative of the actual product any manufacturer has on their lots.

In other news, your average consumer is clueless about the car business.

Bananas still yellow when ripe, sometimes green or brown too.
lmfao.......
 
Old 06-26-12, 05:27 PM
  #15  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,700
Received 2,399 Likes on 1,572 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
He apologizes for asking a question. Odd he doesn't mention Toyota or Lexus anywhere in his post.
based on his other posts vigorously defending and supporting toyota/lexus, i assume he wasn't thrilled with toyota coming in 4th.

regardless, the methodology seems sound to get people's perceptions about brands.
bitkahuna is online now  


Quick Reply: Harris Poll EquiTrend Full Line AutoMotive Brand of the Year



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:04 PM.