By Patrick Avenell
An Australian survey conducted by Reader’s Digest has revealed which brands are the most trusted in the country. The survey, unlike the reputation report covered earlier this week, was Australian-centric. This is welcome news for Samsung, which was bottom of the consumer electronics pile in the worldwide report, but a respectable sixth in Australia. Interestingly, Haier and Sharp, the top two worldwide in consumer electronics, failed to make the top nine, beaten by brands such as Toshiba and BenQ.
The survey was conducted by Leading Edge and appears on the front cover of their current edition.
The overall electronics winner was Sony, with Panasonic second and Canon third. Comments from voters published by Reader’s Digest explaining their choice of Sony point to the company’s longevity in the market, and their perceived high quality, as reasons for this selection.
The most trusted whitegoods manufacturer is LG, with the Korean brand beating off Westinghouse for top spot. Other brands to rate well with consumers include Fisher and Paykel, Whirlpool and Simpson.
LG is also a trusted brand in mobile phones, coming in second behind Nokia, and above big-hitters such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Motorola.
Important for the appliance and electronics industry, retailers of these products are not amongst the most trusted retailers in the country. Reader’s Digest names Bunnings Warehouse and Big W as the two most trusted retailers, with only Dick Smith (5) and Harvey Norman (12) making the top 13.
Other brands trusted by Australians include Vodafone and Optus (telecommunications), and HP and Toshiba (computers). The overall most trusted brand in Australia is Cadbury.