Looks as though Aussies love affair with Vegemite might be on the wane, according to a study conducted last month by Y&R Advertising Group’s, Brand Asset Consulting (BAC).
Our much-loved iconic spread has been replaced by tech brands such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Nokia.
The study, in which 2000 Australians participated, found that Vegemite and Toyota had taken brand hits potentially as a consequence of major problems both companies faced the year before.
Vegemite lost six places, from 4 to 10, after the launch of its iSnack product disaster. Toyota, the top auto brand since 1997, slid to 6th place following the recall of cars due to a stuck accelerator problem (and the ensuing negative publicity).
It seems Aussies are much less forgiving than overseas counterparts, stripping 18% from trust levels in the brands compared to a 6% average globally.
The biggest losers included nappy brand Huggies, Venus razors, slimming brand Ultra Slim and Dare milk. BP has also suffered in the wake of the environmental issues it has been battling in the US.
The top 10 brands were:
1. Google (Search Engine)
2. Microsoft
3. Google (Portal)
4. Microsoft Office
5. Nokia
6. Sony
7. Apple
8. eBay
9. Apple iPhone
10. Vegemite
Among the least-loved brands on the list were magazines FHM and InStyle, along with Tiger Airlines, MySpace, LinkedIn and Nutrient Water.
Several brands are also emerging as ones to watch as they move up the popularity ladder.
These include ISP iiNet moving from 684 to 364, and manufacturer HTC climbing from 740 to 223 on the back of its Android operating system.
Among the most trusted brands include Panadol, which remained in first place from last year, followed by Band Aid, along with Canon, Nurofen and Google.
Some of the biggest improvers included phone brand HTC, Colgate Total and wholegrain snack brand Grainwaves.
Apple has five brands in the study, all of which ranked 90 per cent or higher in the study, including the iPad, after just 13 weeks in market.
Like this topic? Check out Interbrand’s World’s Best Brands.
