• Ad Age, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 11:15 AM

Heinz--the Pittsburgh-based pickle purveyor and condiment company--beat out ever other marketer in the country in the University of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index because it's very good at segmenting the market and its products do not "break down or malfunction," according to Claes Fornell, head of ACSI at Michigan and a professor of both business and marketing. "There's an element of trust," he says.

Fornell, however, notes some extenuating circumstances to consider about the group (non-durable goods) and sub-section (food manufacturing) that Heinz is a part of. The marketplace practically ensures high levels of customer satisfaction in the category because the products are generally cheap, so consumer rarely switch brands. There is also little-to-no service aspect involved in the rating, which generally results in higher scores.

Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, adds Heinz "has been in existence for over 100 years" and has a less complicated path to satisfying customers than No. 2, Amazon.com. Still, the company launched 200 new products in 2007, up from 150 a year earlier, and hitched marketing spend by double-digits in both years (15% in '07).

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