Bangkok--24 Apr--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
You Buy Them Because You Trust Them.
Thais and Asians name the brands they trust most in Reader’s Digest Survey.
You wouldn’t undergo root canal by a dentist you didn’t trust. Same for products and services — you buy them because you trust them. Reader’s Digest has found out which brands have captured the hearts and gained the trust of people in Thailand and the rest of Asia in its annual consumer survey.
Currently in its eighth year, this year the survey has been renamed Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands to focus on the driving factor behind brand integrity — Trust.
"Millions of people around the world associate Reader’s Digest with trusted information. So we moved ‘trust’ to the forefront of our Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands. The winning brands are therefore truly top-of-mind brands when it comes to having consumers’ vote of confidence,” says Mr. Simon Cholmeley, Regional Advertising Director of Reader's Digest Asia.
Working with Nielsen Media Research, a world leader in international media research and analysis, Reader’s Digest sampled a total of 7000 people in Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Taiwan and the Philippines. A total of 251,000 questionnaires were mailed by Reader’s Digest magazine in the region and 34,000 phone interviews conducted by Nielsen Media Research. India is newly added in the survey for the first time this year.
Some highlights of the survey:
Homegrown brands rule in Thailand! Thais are supportive of local brands and service providers. A clear favourite locally, Thai Airways made it yearly since the survey started in 1999. Bangkok Bank, KASIKORNBANK (Thai Farmers) and Siam Commercial Bank are trusted banks. Thai Life and Viriyah insurance are awarded Trusted Brands status, together with AIA. AIS and DTAC are trusted mobile service providers. Malee, Tipco and Unif are their favourite juices. A-ngoon, Cook, Morakot, TIP cooking oil, Rose Dee and Tiparos seasoning products and Singha beer are some of the local brands that achieved Trusted Brand status this year.
Local jewellery chains beat International competition. Hua-Seng-Heng, Tho Kang and Yawarat jewellery were voted as Trusted Brands. This trend reflects the rest of Asia. In all the countries surveyed, local jewellery chains were voted, with the exception of Tiffany & Co. in Taiwan.
Japanese brands are still hard to beat and dominate Thailand and Asia markets in many of the categories from printer, office equipment, refrigerator, TV, video camera, air conditioners, paint to cars. Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fuji Xerox, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Sanyo, Toyota, Honda and Nippon Paint all made it as Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands this year.
With rising health scares in Asia like the bird flu, health supplements have become an important part of life. Amway Nutrilite and Brand’s are the healthy choices for Thais. They were voted locally and also made it as Asia’s Trusted Brands, together with Centrum.
“Ultimately, we hope our survey will continue to be a useful guide to consumers in Asia. Whether you’re buying a new refrigerator, computer or plasma TV, you are getting recommendations based on important measurements of trust, image, value, quality, customer service and innovation from 7000 people!” says Mr. Simon Cholmeley.
More highlights and full list of survey results will be shared at The Plaza Athanee Hotel on April 28, 2006.
About the survey:
Respondents voted (unprompted) for their single most preferred brand in 42 categories of products and services. This year’s new categories were investment fund companies, property developer, supermarket chain, paint and biscuit.
This year’s survey featured a new assessing attribute: innovation. Brands were assessed and ranked quantitatively and qualitatively based on 6 determining factors: trustworthiness, credible image, quality, value, understanding of customer needs and innovation.
Gold Trusted Brand status is awarded to brands whose performance rated significantly above others in their category. Platinum Trusted Brand status recognizes the cream of crop — only a handful of these top-notch brands achieved Platinum status. Platinum status is an extraordinary recognition of dominance, meaning no other competitor comes close to them. To achieve Platinum status, brands must achieve a rating score of at least double that of the nearest competitor.
The results of the survey will be published in the May 2006 issue of Reader's Digest Asia editions and Thailand results will be available on the website www.rdasiatrustedbrands.com at the end of April 2006. The website will also feature survey results from 1999 onwards.
Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. is a pre-eminent global publisher and direct marketer of magazines, books and home entertainment products that inform, enrich, entertain and inspire people of all ages and all cultures around the world. The company’s energies focus on four key affinities: Home, Family, Finance and Health. Global headquarters is located in Pleasantville, the United States. Sold in more than 60 countries, its flagship magazine, Reader’s Digest, is Asia’s and the world’s most widely read magazine. It is published in 50 editions and 21 languages.
For more information, pls. contact:
Khun Natcha Sirisathit
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