New Poll Reveals America’s Favorite Category Brands

America has a love affair with food, and the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study (EQ) shows which brands Americans are likely to reach for when they are hungry. EQ is an annual study that measures the perceptions of 38,500-plus American consumers about more than 1,500 lifestyle, product and service brands.

Chobani debuts as highest ranked yogurt

In its first appearance in the EQ study, Chobani Greek Yogurt has earned the highest brand equity score and is rated as the top yogurt brand in the country. While it is less familiar to consumers than ubiquitous Yoplait, Dannon and Stonyfield, those who are familiar with Chobani rate it at the top for Product Quality and Purchase Consideration. Its award-winning debut suggests that as Greek-style yogurt becomes better known and trial usage increases, consumers become smitten. Other brands ranked above the category average include Yoplait, Dannon, Stonyfield and Stonyfield Oikos-O Greek Yogurts.

“The Harris Poll EquiTrend study confirms that while Americans tend to be brand-loyal, they are happy to experiment with new products, even if they are substantially different from the traditional competitors,” says Lorraine Julian, SVP at Harris Interactive. “Greek-style yogurt is a relatively recent phenomenon, and the Harris Poll EquiTrend study demonstrates that a good number of Americans have been open-minded enough to alter their ideas about what a yogurt should be. This would suggest that if food mega brands ensure that their products are of exceptional quality, they can benefit greatly from innovation.”

Popcorns burst into EquiTrend

In the newly minted popcorn category, Orville Redenbacher Popcorn is the Popcorn Brand of the Year. Not only is Orville Redenbacher the most familiar among the seven popcorn brands surveyed, it also received top-ranked scores for Quality and Purchase Consideration. The only other brand to rank above the category average was Pop Secret Popcorn, with Purchase Consideration second only to Orville Redenbacher.

Milk’s favorite cookie is America’s favorite, too

Oreo is the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend Cookie Brand of the Year. The brand has been in the study for eight years and has always been the top-ranked among all cookie brands surveyed. Top scores for Familiarity, Quality and Purchase Consideration drive this perennially top-ranking brand. After Oreo, Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stripes Cookies, Nilla Wafers, Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked, and the Chip Ahoy triplets—traditional, chunky, and chewy—all ranked above category average as well.

How Americans get their salt fix

As enticing as cookies are, Americans also enjoy their salty snacks. Like Oreo cookies, Lay’s Potato Chips have been perennially top-ranked among salty snack brands surveyed over the last eight years. The 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study finds that Lay’s Chips are followed by Doritos and Tostitos to comprise the top three salty snack brands. Also rounding out brands above the category average are Cheez-It, Fritos, Goldfish Crackers, Ruffles, and Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels.

Protein-rich CLIF Bar looms large

Within the new energy bar category, CLIF becomes the 2012 Brand of the Year. Odwalla and Luna compete in a close equity race and rank second and third, respectively. Kashi GOLEAN earns fourth place, while PowerBar rounds out the list of brands that ranked above the category average.