New Zealand's favourite brands: Whittaker's, Trade Me and Mitre 10 take top spots

Thursday, 23 July 2020

Whittakerâs chief executive James Ardern said sales were holding steady despite the economic impact of Covid-19.

Whittaker’s, Trade Me, Mitre 10 and Earthwise come up trumps in a new brand reputation index.

The research from consumer insight agency Opinion Compare was derived from a survey of over 1000 people in early July.

It evaluated 48 brands from a range of sectors and industries on a series of measures thought to influence a brand’s reputation, chief executive Gavin Male said.

More than 4000 individual brand evaluations were conducted as part of the methodology to create the index.

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The overall measurement was based on brand love, brand purpose and corporate social responsibility, among other things.

Whittaker’s came in first place for overall brand reputation, while Trade Me took out the top spot for brand purpose. Mitre 10 was recognised for its overall reputation and performance in last six months and Earthwise for corporate social responsibility – a key driver in overall reputation.

When Greg Foran started at Air New Zealand as chief executive, Covid-19 was quickly becoming the most significant crisis the aviation industry has ever faced.

“This first wave of research sets the benchmark of not only how brands perform in the eyes of the typical Kiwi, but what are the specific elements that drive brand reputation,” Male said.

The reputation of a brand had been clearly linked to return on investment and brands could use this understanding to be more competitive. The research could help brands understand how they were viewed today and what they needed to do tomorrow, he said.

Whittaker’s co-chief operating officer Holly Whittaker said the 124 year-old-company was honoured to be voted most reputable Kiwi brand and valued its customers’ loyalty.

“We feel it is an endorsement of our relentless focus on quality and innovation, our relationships with our suppliers of high quality ingredients and our commitment to making our world-class chocolate from our one factory in Porirua.”

Trade Me chief executive Anders Skoe said the 21-year-old brand had worked hard to gain the love and trust of customers.

“We’re much more than a place to buy and sell or find a job, we’ve always set out to connect New Zealanders and to be a vital part of their lives. We’re stoked to be recognised for our purpose.”

Managing director of Earthwise Jamie Peters said sustainability was at the heart of the business.

“Reusing and diverting 500 tonnes of plastic from landfills over the last 18 months is a testament to that. We’re pleased Earthwise, is one of New Zealand’s most trusted and loved Kiwi brands.”

Male said the research also showed how sentiment towards brands had changed over the last six months.

Air New Zealand, while still in the top 10 overall brands at number six, had seen public opinion shift negatively over the last six months. NZ Post also polarised people with shifts in both the negative and positive directions, he said.

“I’m looking forward to tracking how these brands perform in the coming months and years.”