BP and Goldman Sachs were among the brands that improved the most in the eyes of consumers in 2011, according to a study by YouGov, which studies brand perception.
BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 drove its YouGov BrandIndex Buzz score down 75 points for two months. BP had previously been the Oil and Gas Buzz leader. Since the spill, BP has recovered. The brand continued to climb in 2011, reclaiming 50 points by the end of the year. It's still trailing others in the Oil & Gas category, YouGov says.
To compile its BrandIndex Buzz scores, YouGov asks respondents, "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news, or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
Goldman Sachs' Buzz score dropped 20 points during the financial crisis of 2008. It started to recover in 2009 but took a 30-point hit in April 2010 after the firm was accused of $1 billion of fraud over subprime mortgages. Last year, Goldman was able to lift its score back to its level before the fraud suit.
Here are some other improvers from 2011, according to YouGov.
Toyota enjoyed industry-leading Buzz levels in previous years but took a bad hit when more than 8 million of its cars were recalled in 2009-2011. Its score dropped by more than 70 points during the height of the recall crisis in the first quarter of 2010. But Toyota gained positive momentum in the last 10 months of 2011.
iPhone was a great brand that just got better last year, when Apple launched the iPhone 4S with Siri voice technology. "iPhone scores were also lifted in a sweeping halo effect for Apple... after the passing of Steve Jobs," YouGov said in a press release.
BrandIndex also tallied the top overall brands for 2011:
- Subway topped the list for the second consecutive year. It's the only dining brand in the top 10.
- Amazon benefited from an increase in online retailing, the launch of the Kindle Fire, and increased marketing spending.
- History Channel, now known just as History, made the top five for the third year in a row, though it dropped a spot from 2010. Its mix of reality shows and documentaries produced many cult favorites, including Pawn Stars and Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy, YouGov says.
- Google held the top spot in 2009, dropped in 2010, and edged up one spot last year. In 2011, Google launched Google+ and benefited from the continued proliferation of Android phones, the acquisition of Motorola Mobility and Zagat, and the launch of Google Wallet.
- Cheerios
- Lowe's
- Ford
- Discovery Channel
- Target
- Apple cracked the top 10 for the first time since YouGov started releasing its annual Buzz rankings three years ago.
YouGov also released lists of top brands by industry category, segment, and country.
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