Trust is critical when consumers judge the merits of a brand or company. When consumers have trust in a brand they have belief that the brand will meet their expectations. Without trust consumers have no interest in using or considering the services of a brand. As a result, the trust of a consumer is critical to the success of brands. Moreover, given the importance in consumer trust, brands have begun to seek out the level of trust they hold with those they seek to serve. The Lifestory Research America’s Most Trusted Study, in its fourth year, awards companies that provide services or products to customers in their home. Brands currently awarded the designation of America’s Most Trusted include: home builders, active adult resort home builders, cabinets, faucets, electric utilities, HVAC systems, kitchen appliance brands, laundry appliance brands, paint, and residential realtor organizations. Long & Foster ranks highest in trust among residential real estate brokerage brands according to Lifestory Research America’s Most Trusted™ 2016 Residential Real Estate Brokerage Brand Study. The study, based on 15,377 consumer opinions, tracks how trust impacts consumer’s evaluations of residential real estate brokerage brands. Consumer opinions are collected over the course of the prior 12 months. To qualify to participate in the study, participants must have indicated that they were aware of specific brands. Participants completed several questions including motivational drivers, demographic characteristics, and brand equity measures. The brand measures include measures of brand awareness, quality, current brand in home, and trust. In the Lifestory Research America’s Most Trusted Study, consumers are asked about their trust in home based brands. Trust is measured through the Lifestory Research Net Trust Quotient Score in which every brand can be divided into three categories: “advocates,” a customer who feels a significant trust toward the brand; “neutrals,” those who trust a specific brand, but do not see a specific brand as standing on the shoulders of other brands in regards to trust; and “antagonists,” who are skeptics with little, if any, trust in a specific brand.
Using this approach noted above, Lifestory Research calculated T scores for the brands in the study. A new feature of this years study is that all brands, across all categories, the T scores were based on all brands in the study. An index score of 100 is average for all home brands included in the study. In the following table is the rank order of the brands. The rankings are based on the Net Trust Index Quotient Score.
The brands included in the ranking list are based upon those brands most recognized by consumers. Some brands included in the study are not represented in the list since they did not generate a brand awareness score high enough to be included. Charts and graphs must be accompanied by a statement identifying Lifestory Research as the publisher and the Lifestory Research 2016 America’s Most Trusted™ Study as the source.
About Lifestory Research
Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., Lifestory Research is a trusted national independent market research firm focused on consumers and their homes. We take a consumer-centered approach to helping developers, home builders, financial institutions, product manufacturers, utilities, and organizations serving customers in their homes. We provide timely analysis that allows our clients to make informed decisions. Our research is backed by in-depth consumer and market intelligence that drives confident business decisions. www.lifestoryresearch.com
About America’s Most Trusted™ Award
America’s Most Trusted™ is a designation awarded to companies that provide services or products to customers in their home. The award was first established in 2012 by Lifestory Research, a national consumer research firm. Companies and categories currently awarded the designation of America’s Most Trusted™ include: home builders, active adult resort home builders, cabinets, faucets, electric utilities, HVAC systems, kitchen appliance brands, laundry appliance brands, paint, and residential realtor organizations. Awards are based upon the collection and evaluation of consumer surveys administered over the course of a 12 month time period.