• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 3, 2011

According to the Harris Interactive first annual Youth EquiTrend study, asking asks 8-24 year olds to rate selected brands on several key elements of brand equity, including familiarity, quality and purchase consideration, M&Ms really are "always fun," ranking first in brand equity.

Google ranks second, and is the only online organization youth rank among the top ten brands. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Oreo's rank third and fourth, respectively, followed by Apple's iPod, which rounds out the top five brands with the highest equity among youth.

Brand Equity Rating
Rank	Brands rated by all respondents
1	M&Ms
2	Google
3	Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4	Oreo's
5	iPod
6	Target
7	Subway
8	Hershey's Milk Chocolate
9	Doritos
10	Pixar
Source: Harris Interactive, December 2010

Regina A. Corso, SVP, Youth and Education Research at Harris Interactive, says "Today's youth are not just tomorrow's consumers; they are already consumers in their own right with their own money to spend... At this stage, the brands that resonate the most with youth are mostly ones that involve food... "

Nintendo Wii ranks highest in brand equity among the youngest set, ages 8-12 years old, followed by Doritos and Oreo's, ranked second and third, respectively. The Disney Channel, though ranked fifth among this age group, overall the Disney Channel ranks highest among the media and television brands for the 8-12 year old age group.

Brand Equity Rating by 8-12 year olds
Rank	Brands
1	Nintendo Wii
2	Doritos
3	Oreo's
4	M&Ms
5	Disney Channel
6	Nickelodeon
7	Nintendo DS
8	McDonald's
9	Toys R Us
10	Cartoon Network
Source: Harris Interactive, December 2010

While ranking third in brand equity among all age groups, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups take the top spot for highest brand equity among 13-17 year olds. Apple's iPod is ranked second highest in brand equity among this age group.

Equity Rating By 13-17 Year Olds
Rank	Brands rated
1	Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2	iPod
3	Google
4	M&Ms
5	Oreo's
6	Subway
7	Hershey's Milk Chocolate
8	Target
9	Sprite
10	Microsoft
Source: Harris Interactive, December 2010

Though sweets and toys topped the brand equity lists for younger teens and tweens, it's all about tech for young adults. Among this group, Google ranks highest in brand equity, followed by Facebook. Apple's iPod is ranked third in brand equity for young adults.

Equity Rating By 18-24 Year Olds
Rank	Brands rated
1	Google
2	Facebook
3	iPod
4	Gatorade
5	Target
6	Subway
7	Apple
8	iTunes
9	Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
10	Oreo's
Source: Harris Interactive, December 2010

College age youth (18-24) show more fondness for online brands than their younger counterparts. Google and Facebook rank first and second, respectively, while online music provider iTunes comes in eighth.

iPod comes in third and Apple seventh, showing a growing interest in technology as youth enter early adulthood. However, snack and fast food brands show the continued importance of quick, tasty food to young adults.

Corso concludes, "As kids age... their favorite brands, change with them. Tweens are all about Disney, Nick and gaming, where teens add more technology to the mix... for young adults the snack foods are still there, but technology takes an even stronger presence in their top ten... (and) youth have ways to learn about brands, as well as discuss brands, that previous generations could not have dreamed of.

For more from Harris Interactive, please visit here.