Fourth annual Gustavson Brand Trust Index reveals trends among Canada's most trusted brands

May 1, 2018

The Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria has unveiled the fourth annual analysis of the brands most trusted by Canadians, highlighting how shared values, relationship management and customer experience influence consumer trust.

The Canadian Automobile Association leads the ranking as the most trusted brand in Canada, with MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op) in second position and Costco Wholesale rounding out the third spot in the top 10.

“Trust is an important driver of consumer purchasing decisions,” says Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School of Business. “Our index highlights the continued success of some of Canada’s best-known brands, but it also serves to highlight the impact of failing to meet consumer expectations and the rebound of brands who have faltered on consumer trust in the past.”

The Gustavson Brand Trust Index was established to raise awareness of the role trust plays in the minds of consumers when making purchasing decisions, and measures the relationships between brand performance, social equity, trust and advocacy for brands in Canada. The initiative highlights Gustavson’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.

The annual Gustavson Brand Trust Index uses a statistically representative sample of 6,342 consumers to score 299 Canadian companies and brands. It measures the performance of brands and companies in 26 industry sectors on a range of brand value measures. The survey results can be broken down by demographics to show how perceptions of trust and advocacy for particular brands differ between men and women, in different regions and across age and income groups.

Canada’s Top 10 Most Trusted Brands for 2018 (Rank in 2017):