• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 3, 2003

Sony Tops the List in Annual "Best Brands" Survey

Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll, in a recent release, reports Sony tops the list in the annual Harris Poll of "best brands" for the fourth consecutive year. Kraft moves up from fourth to second place this year while Dell slips down from second to third place. General Motors jumps from tenth to fourth place and Microsoft moves up to the fifth slot.

This year four of the top ten brands are from high-tech or electronics companies (including GE and Microsoft), compared to three last year and five in 2001. This probably reflects the end of the anti-trust case against Microsoft, which achieved its highest place this year, after not making the top ten last year. Four of the top ten are consumer and packaged goods brands (Kraft, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola and Kellogg's), as they were in 2002.

Analysis by Industry

Industries Represented in the Top Ten	2001	2002	2003
Electronics*	5	3	4
Automobiles	3	3	2
Consumer & packaged goods	2	3	4

*Including GE & Microsoft

BEST BRANDS
"We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?"(All three replies combined)

	'95	'96	'97	'98	'99	'00	'01	'02	'03
Sony	3	1	3	1	2	1	1	1	1
Kraft								4	2
Dell						5	*	2	3
General Motors	4	4	2	4	3	2	5	10	4
Microsoft	*	*	*	8	6	*	7	*	5
Ford	2	3	1	3	1	4	2	3	6
Coca-Cola	*	8	7	7	*	*	6	5	7
Procter & Gamble	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	8
Kellogg's	*	*	8	10	9	9	*	*	9
General Electric	1	2	5	2	4	3	3	6	10
Pepsi Cola	*	*	10	*	*	*	*	7	10

NOTE: These are spontaneous replies. Respondents are not read or shown a list of names.
* Not in top ten.

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