Harris Poll Still Shows Sony As #1 Brand

[BenN1ce]

Arstechnia (http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/7/13/4629) has the details.

While Sony may make one or two boneheaded moves on the road to launching the PS3, it looks like it isn't hurting their image much. While many of us may worry about the price point and Kuturagi's mouth hurting their image with consumers, the newest Harris poll shows that Sony still owns the top spot in terms of best brands. You really can't beat their mindshare, and this leverage is going to come in handy when pushing their new hardware and of course getting Blu-Ray respected as a standard.

Actual Poll results (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060712/nyw079.html?.v=59)

Rather surprised since they don't give you options. You just pick the brand.

[Wonka]

I think that this just means that its the more recognized name in "electronics".

This is NOT necessarily the same thing as the most trusted name in gaming.

[NoName]

This is a poll of adults about name brands. Your average US adult doesn't watch gaming news, knows much about the PS3 & blu-ray, and doesn't know who Kuturagi is.

Not much gaming news here.

[kickmybum]

On the 4th of July I was out and about with around 20 non-technical friends and all they could talk about was "PS3 will be so cool". They have no idea about the price, what its features are and have no idea about the bad press. Its pretty obvious that not everyone comes to gaming news websites and these people have no idea.

[Shifteh]

I was talking to my stepfather, who to summarize 'knows about business,' about the PS3, and he thinks it will do very well. He thinks that Sony have some morons running the show, but frankly, people want brand names. If they see 'Sony Playstation 3' for 600, and 'Microsoft XBox 360' for 450, they're going to go "Microsoft? No thanks, I have a Sony [TV, Microwave, whatever] and it works great. I have WIndows ME, and it suuuure doesnt.'

Also, we both believe techies are going to go nuts over the PS3. People will buy it because it's so expensive, to prove how 'core' they are.

[BenN1ce]

Its pretty obvious that not everyone comes to gaming news websites and these people have no idea.

So only people who go to gaming websites and have a "clue" buy gaming consoles? I don't think so.

[Heretic Machine]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, a good brand is a good advantage. It is not a ultimate doomsday weapon that can solve all your problems.

[Khash]

Considering the past 12 years or so with the success of the PSone and PS2, this is in no way a surprise.

[Crenor]

Looking at the choices the poll is VERY jaded.
With Ford being #5, it is a very useless poll.

[Vermy81]

This really doesn't show much of anything about gaming. Yes Sony's number 1 but we really don't know why they're number 1. They've created a seperate brand for Playstation to an extent--they could just as easily have been voted in on good experience with there tvs or Walkmans and that kind of thing.

[Royal Fool]

Very scary that people consider Sony a trustworthy brand, especially when you consider all the shit they've done like...

- Rootkits and DRM nightmares
- Huge layoffs during a Hawaiian golfing holiday
- UMDs, memory sticks and other proprietary formats
- Advertising controversies
- SonicStage (ATRAC3, OpenMD and all that crap)
- Rumble feature lawsuit

Etc. etc. People must be very stupid.

[51|RandoM]

This is a poll of adults about name brands. Your average US adult doesn't watch gaming news, knows much about the PS3 & blu-ray, and doesn't know who Kuturagi is.

Not much gaming news here.


Actually, it is news. I consider it more important news than that many of the gamers of this site aren't happy with Sony. The poll is more representative of the consumer than the narrow, jaded views we express here. :-)

[51|RandoM]

Very scary that people consider Sony a trustworthy brand, especially when you consider all the shit they've done like...

- Rootkits and DRM nightmares
- Huge layoffs during a Hawaiian golfing holiday
- UMDs, memory sticks and other proprietary formats
- Advertising controversies
- SonicStage (ATRAC3, OpenMD and all that crap)
- Rumble feature lawsuit

Etc. etc. People must be very stupid.

No, they just don't care about any of that stuff you mentioned.

-rootkit and DRM The average consumer doesn't even know what these are.
-The layoffs. Its just business. it wasn't a golfing holiday either, Hawaii is the most logical meeting place when pulling execs from California and Japan.
-Formats. Normal people don't get upset about stuff like that. If they don't like it, they don't buy it and get on with their life.
-Advertising controversy. Tempest in a teacup. The general public in the US never even saw that ad.
-MD. Minidisc is actually very well liked by those who use it. Those who don't use it don't care.
-Rumble feature lawsuit. Nobody knows about this, or would even care. The typical customer would take Sony's side anyways.

It isn't that people are stupid, it is that people don't get their panties in a wad like flaky gamers on the net.

[Neosho]

No, they just don't care about any of that stuff you mentioned.

-rootkit and DRM The average consumer doesn't even know what these are.
-The layoffs. Its just business. it wasn't a golfing holiday either, Hawaii is the most logical meeting place when pulling execs from California and Japan.
-Formats. Normal people don't get upset about stuff like that. If they don't like it, they don't buy it and get on with their life.
-Advertising controversy. Tempest in a teacup. The general public in the US never even saw that ad.
-MD. Minidisc is actually very well liked by those who use it. Those who don't use it don't care.
-Rumble feature lawsuit. Nobody knows about this, or would even care. The typical customer would take Sony's side anyways.

It isn't that people are stupid, it is that people don't get their panties in a wad like flaky gamers on the net.

Very true.

Sony doesn't make OS's that people swear at every day, so they have a "good" reputation. Remember, it's not a portable tape player, it's a walkman. They have a lot of history with most consumers out there, and that goes a long ways.

[SexualChoc]

I think this was a poll of who gave them the most money. Analysts are always wrong, so why is this any different?

[Sensei-X]

Useless poll, I don't really think the poll proves much, although Dell and Ford are no doubt thrilled. According to the info those polled were not given a list of brands justs asked to think of brands off the top of their head after being asked "We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?" I don't know but with Ford and Dell being in the top 5 one has to wonder if more than a few people just didn't know very many brands or flat-out misunderstood the question, on top of that the sampling size was a pathetic 2,351.

[shnastybiznastic]

Useless poll, I don't really think the poll proves much, although Dell and Ford are no doubt thrilled. According to the info those polled were not given a list of brands justs asked to think of brands off the top of their head after being asked "We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?" I don't know but with Ford and Dell being in the top 5 one has to wonder if more than a few people just didn't know very many brands or flat-out misunderstood the question, on top of that the sampling size was a pathetic 2,351.
Agreed, Harris tends to distort info and arent really trusted by many people nowadays.