Green Mountain Coffee Roasters named top coffee brand by Harris Poll; Coca-Cola highest-ranked soft drink, PepsiCo's Tropicana orange juice tops fruit juice brand rankings

Nevin Barich

NEW YORK , April 24, 2012 (press release) – There is a drink for every occasion—whether resting at home, working out at the gym, or enjoying a night on the town. The 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend (EQ) 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.

Green Mountain Peaks over Better Known Competitors

Green Mountain Coffee is the Coffee Brand of the Year in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. In a category with thirteen well-known coffee brands such as Folger's, Dunkin' Donuts, Eight O'clock, Seattle's Best, and Starbucks, Green Mountain leads in overall equity.

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."

Coke is Still the Highest Ranked Soft Drink

When it comes to carbonated beverages, the Coca-Cola megabrand sweeps the regular and diet soft drink categories. Coca-Cola and Diet Coke are the Soft Drink and Diet Soft Drink Brands of the Year, followed by Pepsi-Cola, Sprite, 7-Up, and Dr Pepper, which 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.

SoBe Keeps Americans on the Move

As the energy drink market grows, the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study shows that SoBe Adrenaline Rush is the Energy Drink Brand of the Year among Americans looking for an extra something to keep them going. AMP and RockStar also rank above the energy drink category average.

Wet Your Whistle with Water 2.0

Water has been reinvented and is more varied than ever. Goya Coco Water becomes the Coconut Water Brand of the Year, while the highest ranked enhanced water is Glaceau vitaminwater. Gatorade is the top brand among sports drinks. However, when yearning for good, old H2O to quench their thirst, consumers ask for Poland Spring, the 2012 Bottled Water Brand of the Year.

America's Main Squeeze is Tropicana

When consumers crave fruit juice, they turn to Tropicana—the Fruit Juice Brand of the Year, according to the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Other favorite fruit juice brands that rank above category average include Ocean Spray, Florida's Natural, Welch's, Minute Maid, and Dole. Meanwhile, Juicy Juice takes the top spot for Fruit Flavored Drink Brand of the Year, followed by Kool-Aid and Capri Sun.

It's Tea Time in America

Lipton Tea products, of both hot and cold varieties, have become the 2012 Hot Tea and Bottled Ice Tea Brands of the Year. Other hot tea brands include Bigelow, Twinnings, Celestial Seasonings, and Tazo, while top bottle iced teas include Luzianne and Turkey Hill.

Favorite Beer, Whiskey, and Vodka Brands

For consumers that can enjoy it, Yuengling Traditional Lager and Michelob Ultra are the Regular and Light Beer Brands of the Year. Americans savor occasional spirits as well and select Glenlivet Single Malt as the top ranked scotch whiskey brand. 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, the top ranked vodka, followed by Grey Goose, Ketel One, and Svedka.

About Harris Poll EquiTrend ®
Harris Poll EquiTrend® is a leading Brand Equity tracking study conducted by Harris Interactive that measures and compares brand health 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. Each brand is rated 1,000 times among respondents who are familiar with the brand. Harris Interactive has conducted its EquiTrend study regularly since 1989, and can offer yearly trended data from 2005. The Equity Score, a key take-away from EquiTrend, has been validated against financial performance by Georgetown University.

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

The Harris Poll 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 health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in more than 215 countries and territories through our North American and European 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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