Old Guard and New Guard Media Brands Top 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study

Old Guard and New Guard Media Brands Top 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study

123-year old National Geographic is Magazine Brand of the Year; USA Network and Discovery Channel rank highest among respective categories

NEW YORK, March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Who says newer is better? As consumers continue to sort and refine media consumption based on content, ease of availability and options, traditional brands have a seat at the media table with other up and coming media content brands. According to the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study which announced their Media Brands of the Year in seven categories, while USA Networks ranked highest in the Variety TV Programming category, for the second year in a row, both National Geographic and the Associated Press ranked highest in the Magazine and News Service categories respectively, showing how both old and new can be a media Brand of the Year.

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Additional categories surveyed included Topical Interest TV Programming (Discovery Channel); TV News (The Weather Channel) and Kids TV (Sprout). Additionally, for the second year in a row, DreamWorks Studios tops the Movie Studio category. 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Brand of the Year awards are given in each of 46 different categories.

This year showcased a surprising split in the Media Category with cable broadcast outlets leading the Variety TV Programming, Topical Interest TV Programming, TV News and Kids TV categories, while veteran outlets took top magazine and news service nods. USA Network is the 2011 Variety Programming Brand of the Year, with AMC and A&E rounding out the top three. While Discovery Channel ranks highest in the Topical Interest TV programming category, The History Channel and History International both made significant brand equity improvements to rank second and third respectively.

"Original programming seems to be a key driver of consumer brand equity," said Jeni Lee Chapman, Executive Vice President of Brand and Communication Consulting at Harris Interactive. "Brands like USA, AMC and the Discovery Channel have all invested in unique and different programming rather than opting for syndication, and that strategy seems to be paying off. Brands with higher brand equity might find it easier to make the transition into other media like National Geographic has."

The National Geographic channel was one of the Topical Interest brands that improved most, along with Planet Green and the Crime & Investigation Network.

In the Kids TV Programming category, Sprout made a significant improvement into the top spot and was followed by Disney Channel and NickToons.

Methodology

The EquiTrend® study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings. Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over on the basis of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The EquiTrend® study results disclosed in this release may not be used for advertising, marketing or promotional purposes without the prior written consent of Harris Interactive.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

For a complete listing of all the brands covered in the study, contact Dagney Cassella at 212-539-9600 or dcassella@harrisinteractive.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

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