Millward Brown conducted a consumer study over the course of 2009 and came up with a list of the Top 10 most trusted and recommended brands in the US. Amazon came in 1st, followed closely by Fedex.
There’s a pretty straightforward methodology -
TrustR is calculated by looking at consumer responses to the questions “how trustworthy is this brand?” and “would you recommend this brand?”
The scores are indexed and combined to reach a TrustR score. The average score is 100, and anything over 105 is considered “good.”
The top 10 brands were -
- Amazon.
- Fedex.
- Downy.
- Huggies.
- Tide.
- Tylenol.
- Toyota.
- WebMD.
- Pampers.
- UPS (United Parcel Service).
Impact of Trust according to Millward Brown
Millward Brown feel that in a global recession trust in brands is especially crucial -
we found that the number one “TrustR” brand in each of the 22 countries we researched was nearly seven times more likely to be purchased and consumers were 10 times more likely to have formed a strong bond with these brands,” commented Eileen Campbell, Global CEO of Millward Brown.
They also have high praise for Amazon -
Amazon.com, the brand ranked first in the U.S. by TrustR, has achieved that status through exceptional service and providing its own recommendations to users.
This combination has made Amazon the gold standard of trust and recommendation in the U.S.”
Why Amazon being the most trusted brand matters
Amazon have built up trust over a long time and their store of trust is crucial as they transform Publishing.
Consider the various attacks and events over the life of the Kindle -
- The 1984 incident.
- The Pricing wars with Publishers.
- NFB complaint that Kindles don’t work for blind students.
- EFF’s concerns over eReader privacy.
- Attacks on the lack of openness.
- Attacks on the DRM.
- Attacks on the share Amazon gets.
- The one user who got kicked out of their Kindle account.
A company that didn’t have as much consumer trust would not be able to handle even a few of these – let alone all of them.
The fact that Amazon came in 1st even after all these little flare-ups says a lot about just how much users trust it.
Customers’ trust in Amazon lets it do really big things
Consider the Kindle and the Kindle Store -
- Getting users to pay $259 for an eReader.
- Telling users that Amazon is in it for 10 years and their investment in a Kindle is safe and users believing them.
- Getting users to trust their books and data are safe.
- Getting users to trust Amazon over Publishers and Authors.
There are just so many ways in which Amazon can think big and be aggressive thanks to customers’ trust in it.
You have to wonder how much bigger Amazon will think as customers’ trust in them grows.
Filed under: kindle Tagged: | amazon, amazon insights
I was always going to buy a kindle, have been waiting for kindle3 to come out. Tired of waiting, I’m going to buy the new Irex 800 SG, it looks great and affordable, $399.99, screen nice and big, easy to use. Is there anyone out there who has it and can confirm my details? Please notify me ASAP as I am going to order in a few days.
lizspoto@nc.rr.com
Thank you, Liz
Liz, this is not an official Kindle or Amazon blog. Please check with Amazon customer service.
Speaking of trust, when I asked Amazon about the Pre-Order Price Guarantee I was assured that it applies to Kindle books as well. However, lately I am wondering if they are doing some things to get around that. Have you ever noticed that there are sometimes more than 1 Kindle version of a book and each has a different price? For instance, I pre-ordered The Vampire and the Virgin a week ago for 6.39 and as of today there are 2 Kindle versions (6.39 and 5.59). The link from my order goes to the 6.39 version which makes me think that even though it is indeed available for less today, I will not get that price adjustment automatically. I would probably have to cancel and order the cheaper version (while it is available which I am betting is for a limited time) or complain after the fact and maybe get satisfaction. I am going to wait it out and see if I am correct because it’s only 80 cents and I want to see what happens. Has anyone else had experience with this issue?
Cristina, it might be due to book versions in different countries. Have noticed some books that have multiple listings and different prices and a lot of the time it’s different countries.
It might also be something else entirely.
So I waited and I did get the lower price for the book when it released today.
Yay Amazon! After a couple of days there was only one version available again (the cheaper one).
Of course this only works for pre-orders. If a Kindle book has already been released you have to look out for there being 2 versions and specifically pick the cheaper one if you want the cheaper price.
So my trust in Amazon has been affirmed.