Most trusted brands

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In the current climate, reputation is everything and consumer trust has never been more important to our most popular brands.

Every year, Readers Digest Australia asks consumers to list their most trusted brands.

Readers Digest Australia Editor, Thomas Moore: "These are brands that are tried and true, been around for a while, people are familiar with them, they're reliable and they have what I call 'Feel Good Factor'".

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So which brands do we trust the most?

Cadbury, Panadol and Band-Aid take out the first three spots. They are joined in the top ten by Sony, Colgate, Dairy Farmers, Nokia, Johnson & Johnson, Streets, Peters and Bunnings.

"There are some brands we seem to have lost faith in, Listerine is down fifty three positions from last year, and Qantas slipped forty seven positions," Thomas said.

"Negative press, negative press, they both got negative press. Qantas had to do with out-servicing, outsourcing and Listerine there is some issue around the content of Listerine," he added.

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But in the current economic climate and given our fickle tastes, do we forgo trust if the price is right?

KPMG Demographer, Bernard Salt believes that in tough times, consumers seek out tried and trusted brands more than ever.

This might explain why Cadbury came out on top.

"Cadbury has had a record over many years and they don't overspend the product. People can trust the quality – it is consistent, reliable and they deliver every time," Bernard Salt said.

Beat the recession

The Toyota brand landed in pole position for our most trusted car.

"Yes, it is the brand, but it's also the way Toyota looks after their customers," said Bernard Salt.

Arnott's biscuits are still our most iconic product.

"People grew up with it, their mothers grew up with it, their fathers grew up with it," Bernard Salt said.

Bunnings 'every day Aussie' campaign has earned them a place as our most trusted retailer.

Bendigo Bank, a community bank, won the category in terms of banks.

Panadol took out the most trusted health product, while Sony won in the electricals category.

Nokia dialled in most votes for mobile phones and Blackmores is our most trusted vitamin manufacturer.

Our confidence in cosmetic brand Dove, was more than skin deep.

Further information

Readers Digest Most Trusted Brands