Magazine survey reveals Canada's 10 most trusted brands

A Jean Coutu Group PLC logo is shown at the company's annual general meeting in Longueuil, Que., Tuesday, July 5, 2011. CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes.

In its third annual survey, Canadian Business magazine has unveiled the top brands as rated by Canadian consumers. The survey also revealed a surprising trend: Though Canadians are proud and sentimental about their homegrown brands, they trust them less than today’s global titans.

More than 3,800 consumers across the country were surveyed for the collaborative effort between Canadian Business and the Reputation Institute, a global management consultancy firm. Respondents were asked to rank companies based on seven factors including leadership, performance and products and services.

“We wanted to get a deeper idea of how Canadians value brands,” Canadian Business’ managing editor, Graham Scott, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

According to this year’s results, only six of the top 60 global brands as chosen by Canadians were homegrown names.

The top five Canadian companies, as ranked by Canadians, were as follows:

“It was a photo finish between Jean Coutu and Tim Hortons,” Scott said. Jean Coutu is a brand of prominence in Quebec. But Tim Hortons has great brand presence across the country.”

The top five world companies, as ranked by this year’s respondents, were as follows:

According to Scott, this year’s rankings reflect how Canadians perceive their country and the brands that it produces.

“They see it as a small country,” he said.

Canadian consumers continue to view Apple, Disney and others international giants as the dominant name brands in today’s marketplace. However, Scott is hopeful that this survey and those that follow will inspire positive changes for Canadian consumers and brands.

“We’d like to see Canadian companies crack the top 30 of global brands,” said Scott. “We’d like to see Canadian brands try a little hard to move up in ranks.”