Top trusted brands in 2009

By LBV

23 Dec 2009

Trust has never been as important to consumers as it is now. The results of the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands 2009 survey reveal a number of successful brands have topped the polls once again. Thomson Holidays, Lloyds TSB, Nurofen, Hotpoint, Persil and Colgate are celebrating after being crowned the most trusted brands in their category every year since the survey began in 2001.

Discount own-branded products have only accounted for 3% of almost all the categories in the Trusted Brands survey, indicating that although we may be cutting back in the economic downturn, our loyalty and trust remains with our favourite brands.

The major winners in the survey, such as Boots and Tesco retailers, have shown a consistency with quality and service delivery and established a trusting relationship with their consumers.

So what is it about a brand that makes us want to use them again and again? For me it comes down to how much I can rely on the brand to deliver what it is promising. Most of us have at least one brand that we can rely on implicitly – perhaps sometimes even more than our friends and family! My top ten most trusted brands are those I can rely on, having used for a long time and built up a lasting relationship with. They are:

1. Sony Ericsson
2. Apple
3. Boots
4. Asda
5. Cadbury
6. Nivea
7. Thomson Holidays
8. Coca Cola
9. Ford
10. Halifax

I trust these brands even though there have been occasions when a couple of them have let me down. Like the time I bought a new Sony Ericsson phone and it stopped working barely days after I’d unwrapped the packaging. Of course I was annoyed and questioned whether I could still trust the brand to deliver what I needed, but when I contacted Sony I was dealt with in a quickly yet friendly manner and given a replacement phone straight away. Because of the positive way Sony dealt with the problem, and taking into account nothing similar had happened in the several years since I had begun using the brand, I kept my trust in them and have enjoyed a continuous trusting relationship since.

When a crisis occurs within an organisation, it can easily damage the brand’s image, sacrificing the trust of its most loyal customers. A few years ago Cadbury faced a health scare that could well have destroyed its whole reputation but this year’s Trusted Brands survey proves the scare is well and truly behind it as it takes the title of the most trusted confectionary brand. It seems that longer-established brands such as Cadbury are in a better position to turn things around when something goes wrong because they have already built up a loyal consumer base.

Although we accept the ultimate aim of a brand is to make a profit, we still want to feel like our values as consumers are important. A brand that doesn’t appear to care about its consumers is not likely to gain any trust. I’ve experienced this with certain mobile phone networks and insurance providers and as a result I would not want to use them again because of the poor level of customer service I have received.

Ultimately trust in a brand has to be earned and deserved.

Tony Garner, managing director, Viva PR.
 

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft David Nichol John Garnett Aydan Jones and Laura Tilley

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft

12 Sep 2025

2

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change University of Lancashire new feature

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change

12 Sep 2025

3

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

4

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

5

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September
TMM Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September

Chorley, PR7 2SL

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin