New national survey and analysis reveals most trusted brands in Canada

The Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria has launched its first national, in-depth analysis of which corporate and product brands are most trusted by Canadians.

The annual Gustavson Brand Trust Index was established to raise awareness of the role trust plays in the minds of consumers when making purchasing decisions. The initiative highlights the Gustavson School of Business’s goal of educating and championing responsible leadership, part of the vital impact that drives UVic’s sense of purpose as a leading teaching and research hub.

Among the most trusted brands in Canada are Tim Hortons, President’s Choice, Shoppers Drug Mart, Google and Canadian Tire.

The Gustavson Brand Trust Index was designed by the business school to explore the relationships between social equity, trust and advocacy for brands in Canada and provides data-driven analysis and insights. The results indicate which factors are most important to consumers, including leadership, social and environmental performance, and authenticity.

“Our goal, with what will be an annual brand trust survey, is to highlight the connection between responsible business practices and customer responsiveness,” says Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School of Business. “We are bringing to the Canadian market an innovative brand measurement tool which includes powerful insights. We are sharing this knowledge, which is based on solid research on how consumers make buying decisions, in order to encourage a broader view of brand value.”

The Gustavson Brand Trust Index uses a statistically representative sample of 3,125 consumers to score 249 Canadian companies and brands against 40 attributes. It measures the performance of brands and companies in 22 industry sectors on a range of brand value measures.

As the first comprehensive survey of how Canadians perceive what companies are doing to gain their trust, brands were scored against a range of functional, emotional and ethical considerations. Respondents were also asked to rate brands on a range of other factors including quality, value, innovation, leadership and corporate social and environmental responsibility.

The survey results can be broken down by demographics and regions to show how perceptions of trust and advocacy differ between men and women, across age groups and across the country. The number 1 driver of brand trust in each industry is also revealed.

Canada’s Top 10 Most Trusted Brands:
1. Tim Hortons
2. President’s Choice
3. Shoppers Drug Mart
4. Google
5. Canadian Tire
6. Kraft Foods
7. Campbell Soup Company
8. Heinz
9. Canada Post
10. Johnson & Johnson

While consumers recommend brands that they perceive to be honest, consistent, and reliable, the Gustavson Brand Trust Index also revealed that women tend to trust brands more than men do, though they rank the top brands similarly, while older consumers tend to trust the top brands more than younger consumers do. In addition, new ‘challenger brands,’ such as Green Works, Happy Planet and Earth’s Own, are winning on environmental responsibility.

The Gustavson Brand Index is based on proven methodology, developed by London-based GoodBrand, the company that created the Envero Brand Trust Index, which measures over 2,500 international brands using surveys of more than 30,000 consumers in over 20 countries.

The Peter B. Gustavson School of Business is celebrating its 25th birthday as a pioneer in business education that creates sustainable value, with the four pillars of international, integration, innovation and sustainability/social responsibility underpinning all aspects of the school.

More information about the Gustavson Brand Trust Index is available at www.uvic.ca/gustavson/brandtrust/index.php.

See link below for backgrounder including list of consumer-trusted choices by industry sector.

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