It takes a long time to build a trusted brand, and that trust can be lost in one fell swoop of a hack attack.
Just ask Target, which suffered a massive data breach last year affecting millions of customers.
Yet Target has picked itself up again and won back trust, an amazing feat born out in a new EquiTrend report from Harris Poll.
EquiTrend examined three factors in asking 38,000 consumers about 1,400 brands: familiarity, quality and consideration.
Here are the top five brands of the year, which have been tops in their categories for at least five straight years, according to the EquiTrend report.
Visa
The credit card giant beat out rivals, and that is good news forCostco customers, as the retailer is dumping American Express andhas started accepting Visa in stores.
Hallmark Greeting Cards
Looking for the right card for the right occasion racked up $3.8billion in sales for Hallmark in 2014. The company says it holds licensing agreements for seven of the top 10 most-popular licensed lines, and cards include those branded by SarahJessica Parker and Life is Good. Given the brand trust Hallmark hasearned, life is good,indeed.
Craftsman Tools
Parent company Sears Holding may be struggling, but Americans lovetheir Craftsman tools. In the past the company has been named aReader's Choice winner by Popular Mechanics, and it has one of theoldest customer loyalty programs, going back to1991.
Subway
Subway beat out Arby's, Blimpie, Jimmy John's and Quiznos inthe race for the top quick-service sandwich shop, according toHarris Poll's rankings.
Target Stores
EquiTrend says Target is still on target brandwise despite a massive data breach last year. "Consumers are willing to give it a chance to rebound," according to the Harris Poll report.
Honorable Mentions:
Online
EquiTrend looked at emerging trends, including how quickly online brands have built up the sort of trust it took traditional businesses years to achieve, illustrating "the importance of technology and connectivity in simplifying and enhancing American lives."
Amazon, Netflix, Paypal and Youtube score big with consumers.
Another interesting note: the best brand in news service is Google News.
On the news
In media, The Weather Channel is the most trusted brand in TV news. (Perhaps Jim Cantore's muscles are matched by his forecasting skills!)
On the road
Toyota is the most trusted auto brand, recovering from a billion-dollar-plus settlement in problems with unintended accelerations.
In your wallet
EquiTrend also looked at the emerging players in mobile wallets, and found that this soon in, people trust what they know—PayPal—which pollsters say is way out in front of Visa, MasterCard and Apple. That could change.
"When one of these brands gets the execution right and merchant acceptance hits critical mass, consumers appear ready to jump on board," noted Joan Sinopoli, vice president of brand solutions at Harris Poll, in the firm's report.
