What Makes A Brand The Best?

Studies

from the idle-contemplation dept

The results of the latest “Best Brands” survey are out, with Sony, Dell and, um, Kraft topping the list. Every year, a market research company asks a sample of American adults “which three brands do you consider the best?” and every year, the results are slightly puzzling. Another company compiles a global list each year, applying quantitative criteria to come up with its rankings, which feature the more usual list of suspects, and differs pretty significantly. So what, then, makes a brand the best or most valuable, and furthermore, aren’t these lists pretty meaningless? For example, a Mac news site points out that Apple didn’t make the cut on the US survey, with 3 of its competitors in the top ten. Those companies also outrank Apple on the global list, but it hasn’t stopped it from destroying them in iPod sales. One valid argument there is that the iPod brand is probably separate from — and maybe stronger than — the Apple brand. But is that really very important, as long as products keep selling?