Chevy or Ford?
Coke or Pepsi?
Miller or Bud?
Americans have their loyalties, and big-name brands have always been battling to win us over in the competitive realm of advertising and marketing.
But with rising inflation, supply-chain issues and nearly everything growing more expensive, does loyalty stick?
In a survey of nearly 20,000 shoppers, one market research firm has concluded that consumers are more likely to choose brands they trust even in the face of rising costs.
The national survey, conducted by BrandSpark International, asked 19,752 American shoppers for their top-of-mind, independent answers as to which brands they trust most and why in 215 product and service categories they had recently shopped.
Brands were considered in five broad retail sectors; automotive; baby and kids; home goods and clothing; food and beverage; health, beauty and personal care; household and pet and services.
Many major brand names have actually maintained their trust share even in the face of increased competition from private label brands and other pricing challenges, says BrandSpark, which compiles its list of ‘Most Trusted’ awards each year based on the survey.
What makes trusted brands the most-shopped in a significant number of categories is the promise that they will deliver on quality and price -- the two most significant drivers of trust, according to BrandSpark.
Many of the favorites are reputable brands, but also call to mind well-known marketing and advertising campaigns over the decades: Americans, apparently, prefer Duracell batteries, Samsonite luggage, Kellogg’s cereal, Pampers and Huggies diapers and Bounty paper towels.
And while the favorite jam and jelly is Smucker’s (SJM), there’s no mention of peanut butter in the survey, so, sadly, we can't answer the question: Skippy or Jif?
Or perhaps more important, creamy or crunchy?
Here are 30 of the most trusted brands, in no particular order, and how much these types of products have gone up in price.
Bathroom Tissue:
Charmin
The price of household paper products increased 14.1% in 2022. (November 2021 to November 2022.)
Laundry detergent:
Tide
The price of household cleaning products increased 11.7% in 2022.
Headache, back pain relief:
Tylenol
Prices of nonprescription drugs increased 5.4% in 2022.
Tortilla Chips: Tostitos
Salsa: Pace
The price of snacks increased 11.1% in 2022.
Pasta: Barilla
Pasta sauce: Ragu
The price of pasta increased 16.8% in 2022.
Dog food, cat food:
Purina
The price of pet food increased 15.7% in 2022.
Eco-friendly cleaning products:
Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer's (tie)
The price of household cleaning products increased 11.7% in 2022.
Home sound system:
Bose
Power tools:
DeWalt
The price of tools increased 12.8% in 2022.
Sparkling water:
LaCroix and Sparkling Ice (tie)
The price of non-alcoholic beverages increased 13.2% in 2022, carbonated drinks went up 12.8%.
Butter:
Land O' Lakes
The price of butter increased 34.2% in 2022.
Espresso coffee:
Starbucks
The price of roasted coffee increased 15.2% in 2022.
Hot sauce:
Frank's Red Hot
The price of spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces increased 11.1% in 2022.
Hummus:
Sabra
Ice cream bars:
Klondike
The price of ice cream increased 17.5% in 2022.
Popcorn:
Orville Redenbacher's
Premium crackers:
Ritz
The price of crackers increased 19.9% in 2022.
Weight loss program:
WW (Weight Watchers)
Men's Shaving: Gillette
Women's Shaving: Gillette Venus
The price of these types of personal care products increased 9.3% in 2022.
Toothpaste:
Colgate
Cough drop:
Halls
The cost of candy and chewing gum increased 12.9% in 2022.
Dolls:
Barbie
The price of toys and games increased 5.1% in 2022.
Men’s underwear:
Hanes
The cost of men's underwear increased by 0.8% in 2022. But the cost of women's underwear increased more than 10 times that: 8.6%.
Jeans:
Levi’s
The price of apparel overall increased 3.6% in 2022, but prices of women's apparel specifically went up 5.7%.
Tennis racquet:
Wilson
The price of sporting goods increased 2.7% in 2022.
Yoga wear:
Lululemon
Compact car:
Honda and Toyota (tie)
The cost of a new car increased 7.8% in 2022, but overall, new cars have increased in price around 30% since before the pandemic.
Toyota
Crossover SUV:
Chevrolet, Ford and Honda (tie)
The cost of unleaded regular gas increased 9.8% in 2022.
Fully electric automobile:
Tesla
The cost of electricity increased 13.7% in 2022.
Getty
Hybrid gas/electric car:
Toyota
The cost of motor vehicle maintenance and repair increased 11.7% in 2022.
Price data is from the Consumer Price Index and Visual Capitalist.
See the full list of most trusted brands at BrandSpark.
Toyota
