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Top beverage brands

May 2, 2012

There is a drink for every occasion-whether resting at home, working out at the gym, or enjoying a night on the town, and the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study takes stock of America's thirst quenchers to find out which beverage brands bubble to the top. EQ is a study of brand health that is conducted yearly by Harris Interactive for more than 1,500 brands. The study was conducted online from January 31 through February 20, 2012 and analyzes the responses of over 38,500 consumers on key measures of brand health - including how well the public knows a brand, how positively they think of the brand and their consideration to do business with or donate to a brand.

Coffee brand of the year is Green Mountain Coffee (65.05 percent), followed by Folgers Ground Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts Ground Coffee, Millstone Ground Coffee, Maxwell House Ground Coffee, Caribou Ground Coffee. Although Green Mountain is less well known among consumers than brands like Folger's, Maxwell House, and Starbucks, it earns the highest quality and purchase consideration ratings within the category.

"One of the great strengths of the Harris Poll EquiTrend study is that it is a measure of brand value rather than just brand recognition," says Robert Fronk, Executive Vice President at Harris Interactive. "Green Mountain Coffee is by no means the best known coffee brand, but it is clear that those who do know it, love it. Green Mountain's high standing may also be a reflection of the efficacy in 'doing well by doing good'. It has attained a reputation as an exceptional corporate citizen. One implication from this study is that good corporate citizens that also produce high-quality products are very likely to generate exceptional levels of brand equity."

At 72.30 percent Coca-Cola is still the highest ranked soft drink, and Diet Coke comes in at 57.55 percent, highest in the diet category. Pepsi-Cola, Sprite, 7-Up, and Dr Pepper all rank above category average in the regular soft drink group. Sprite Zero, Diet Dr Pepper, and Coke Zero are the next highest ranked diet soft drinks.

As the energy drink market grows, SoBe Adrenaline Rush (47.59) is the winner among Americans looking for an extra something to keep them going. AMP and RockStar also rank above the energy drink category average.

Water has been reinvented and is more varied than ever. Goya Coco Water (60.17 percent) is the Coconut Water brand of the year, and highest ranked enhanced water is Glacéau vitaminwater (61.13 percent). Gatorade is the top brand among sport drinks (64.05). However, when yearning for good, old H2O to quench their thirst, consumers ask for Poland Spring, the 2012 Bottled Water Brand of the Year at 64.03 percent).

When consumers crave fruit juice, they turn to Tropicana (69.14 percent), followed by Ocean Spray, Florida's Natural, Welch's, Minute Maid, and Dole. Meanwhile, Juicy Juice (61.89) takes the top spot as Fruit Flavored Drink, followed by Kool-Aid and Capri Sun.

Lipton Teas (70.59 percent) top the list, followed by Bigelow, Twinnings, Celestial Seasonings, and Tazo, while top bottle iced teas include Luzianne and Turkey Hill.

Yuengling Traditional Lager (65.60 percent) wins the Regular Beer Brands, and Michelob Ultra (51.13 percent) is the Light Beer winner. Americans savor occasional spirits as well and select Glenlivet Single Malt (64.07 percent) as the No. 1 scotch whiskey. Also in the same category and earning above average equity scores are Glenfiddich Scotch, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, Chivas Regal, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Jack Daniel's Whiskey. Americans also raise their glasses to Skyy Vodka (62.64 percent), the top ranked vodka, followed by Grey Goose, Ketel One, and Svedka. www.harrisinteractive.com