Trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity and reliability of others. As consumers seek the products to meet their needs, fundamental to the search process is their trust in brands. Those companies and products that are seen as trustworthy are sought for purchase among consumers. Given the importance of consumer trust, companies and brand managers have become much more focused on understanding how to achieve trust, as well as how to mitigate loosing trust. So, the question is – which brands are trusted the most by consumers?
The Lifestory Research America’s Most Trusted Study, in its fourth year, awards companies that provide services or products to customers in their home. Brands currently awarded the designation of America’s Most Trusted include: home builders, active adult resort home builders, cabinets, faucets, electric utilities, HVAC systems, kitchen appliance brands, laundry appliance brands, paint, and residential realtor organizations.
For the second consecutive year, Trane ranks highest in trust among Heating and Air Conditioning System Brands according to Lifestory Research 2016 America’s Most Trusted Study™. The study, based on 17,878 national consumer opinions, tracks how trust impacts consumers’ evaluations of HVAC brands. Consumer opinions are collected over the course of the prior 12 months across the United States. To qualify to participate in the study, participants must have indicated that they were aware of specific brands. Participants completed several questions including motivational drivers, demographic characteristics, and brand equity measures. The brand measures include measures of brand awareness, quality, current brand in home, and trust.
In the Lifestory Research America’s Most Trusted Study, consumers are asked about their trust in home based brands. Trust is measured through the Lifestory Research Net Trust Quotient Score in which every brand can be divided into three categories: “advocates,” a customer who feels a significant trust toward the brand; “neutrals,” those who trust a specific brand, but do not see a specific brand as standing on the shoulders of other brands in regards to trust; and “antagonists,” who are skeptics with little, if any, trust in a specific brand.
Using this approach noted above, Lifestory Research calculated T scores for the brands in the study. A new feature of this years study is that all brands, across all categories, the T scores were based on all brands in the study. An index score of 100 is average for all home brands included in the study. In the following table is the rank order of the brands. The rankings are based on the Net Trust Index Quotient Score.
The brands included in the ranking list are based upon those brands most recognized by consumers. Some brands included in the study are not represented in the list since they did not generate a brand awareness score high enough to be included.
Charts and graphs must be accompanied by a statement identifying Lifestory Research as the publisher and the Lifestory Research 2016 America’s Most Trusted™ Study as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or Lifestory Research survey results without the express prior written consent of Lifestory Research.
About Lifestory Research
Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., Lifestory Research is a trusted national independent market research firm focused on consumers and their homes. We take a consumer-centered approach to helping developers, home builders, financial institutions, product manufacturers, utilities, and organizations serving customers in their homes. We provide timely analysis that allows our clients to make informed decisions. Our research is backed by in-depth consumer and market intelligence that drives confident business decisions. www.lifestoryresearch.com
About America’s Most Trusted™ Award
America’s Most Trusted™ is a designation awarded to companies that provide services or products to customers in their home. The award was first established in 2012 by Lifestory Research, a national consumer research firm. Companies and categories currently awarded the designation of America’s Most Trusted™ include: home builders, active adult resort home builders, cabinets, faucets, electric utilities, HVAC systems, kitchen appliance brands, laundry appliance brands, paint, and residential realtor organizations. Awards are based upon the collection and evaluation of consumer surveys administered over the course of a 12 month time period.
From: http://lifestoryresearch.com/most-trusted/lifestory-research-2016-americas-most-trusted-hvac-system-brands/