Brand-builders beware. A consumer poll released last week shows a brand's country of origin affects how they are perceived overseas, so it's increasingly important for U.S.
brands to look and act more "local" to avoid any consumer blowback. According to the Brand Barometer, launched by international marketing company Allyson Stewart-Allen and GMI, a
global market-research firm, as many as one in four global consumers ranked large U.S. financial-services companies as "unreliable," including Citigroup (22%) and American Express
(18%). The Brand Barometer surveyed 15,500 consumers in 17 countries. Here are some key findings:
- Three-quarters of consumers don't recognize seven out of the top 20 global financial-service brands.
- While 95% of U.S. consumers recognized the Visa logo, 15% then identified it as MasterCard when asked to name the brand.
- The least-recognized brand overall was HBO, with only 7% of respondents able to identify it.
Source: Allyson Stewart-Allen/GMI Brand Barometer, September 2005