A recent article on MediaPost quoted a recent study (conducted by Millward Brown), which found that Amazon.com is the most trusted brand in the United States, based on two key branding criteria: trust and recommendations.
Millward Brown’s study, entitled “Beyond Trust: Engaging Consumers in the Post-Recession World”, used a new metric called “TrustR”, which helped to determine the top-performing brands. Consumer responses are used to calculate this metric, which asks consumers questions like, “how trustworthy is this brand?” and “would you recommend this brand?”
The study is suggesting that many consumers in this post-recession economy are more reluctant than ever to spend on a brand they don’t trust. I do think that this also partially fuels the argument that consumers are willing to spend their money, but only if (a) the entity they’re shopping with is a recognized brand, and (b) they’re looking for reputable brands because they’re worried about identity theft (implying that they think larger, more established brands have more at stake).
What do you think? Is Amazon.com the #1 trusted brand in your mind?
