Tim Hortons is the most trusted corporate brand in Canada and remains trusted even after its sale to Brazilian group 3G Capital, according to the Gustavson Brand Index.
The Gustavson Brand Trust Index was released by the University of Victoria’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business on Tuesday, based on a survey done between late-January and March, 2015 of 3,125 consumers who were asked to score 249 companies across 22 industries.
Tim Hortons, President’s Choice and Shoppers Drug Mart topped the list in the new ranking.
Researchers identified two trends in the survey results. Consumer trust included functional elements such as whether the brand is reliable, has quality products and good prices.
But Canadians also chose brands based on emotional trust, where factors included whether the company was sincere, caring and had a good workplace environment.
Tim Hortons is significantly ahead of both other restaurants and other brands on qualities such as consistency, reliability, honesty and care, which consumers value in corporate brands.
It also scores highly on social measures such as care for workers and environmental responsibility, as well as responsibility to society.
Here are the top ten most trusted brands by Canadian consumers:
1. Tim Hortons
2. President’s Choice
3. Shoppers Drug Mart
4. Google
5. Canadian Tire
6. Kraft Foods
7. Campbell Soup Company
8. Heinz
9. Canada Post
10. Johnson & Johnson
