Some of the biggest personalities and brands gathered in one spectacular night as Reader’s Digest unveiled the most trusted names by consumers at the prestigious Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards on April 26 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.
Over the years, Reader’s Digest, through its Trusted Brand Survey, has been the able to identify which brands and services, as well as the personalities, consumers trust the most. Now in its 20th year, the Trusted Brand Awards surveyed 543 categories of products and services from various industries, as well as the most trusted personalities in the Philippines.
“Reader’s Digest puts premium on trust,” notes Sheron White, Retail and Advertising Sales Director of Reader’s Digest Asia Pacific. “This standard is very vital to our global readership.”
“For 20 years, the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Survey has been a significant benchmark in various industries when it comes to which brands and services, and personalities, consumers trust the most. We always look to this day when we honor these outstanding brands and personalities,” adds White.
About 4,000 respondents were asked to participate in this year’s ‘Trusted Brand Survey’. Fifty percent were Reader’s Digest subscribers while the other half were chosen to reflect the demographics of the general population.
Making history this year is multi-awarded broadcast journalist Jessica Soho of GMA Network, who received her eight Reader’s Digest award that night. Soho won as the Most Trusted TV News Presenter Award, becoming the only Filipino journalist who has that most number of Reader’s Digest trophies under her name. Soho hosts GMA 7 news magazine Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (One at Heart) and anchors the GMA News TV evening newscast, State of the Nation by Jessica Soho.
“In my line of work, trust is not only a big thing—it is the only thing that distinguishes fact from fake, the truth from the false. Thank you Reader’s Digest for giving me this award for the eighth time,” Soho says.
“Reader’s Digest will always have a special place in my heart because it not only taught me the love of reading when I was a child, but it also inspired and reminded me as a journalist to keep searching for the truth no matter what,” she adds.
Another GMA news pillar, Mike Enriquez, took home the Most Trusted Radio Presenter Award. The ‘Imbestigador ng Bayan’ is now a three-time winner of the Most Trusted Radio Presenter Award. Enriquez is heard weekdays over DZBB’s Saksi sa Dobol B and Super Balita sa Umaga Nationwide, both of which are seen on TV through Dobol B sa News TV. He also co-anchors the primetime newscast 24 Oras and hosts the longest-running investigative program on Philippine TV, Imbestigador.
“Sa pagtanggap ng award na ito sa ikatlong taon, mas lalo pa tayong na-inspire na patunayang hindi nagkamali ‘yung mga nagbabasa ng Reader’s Digest sa pagbibigay ng tiwala hindi lang sa akin, kundi sa ating lahat sa GMA,” states Enriquez.
Meanwhile Eat Bulaga host Ryan Agoncillo won the Most Trusted Entertainment Presenter.
Platinum and Gold awardees
Brands that earned the consumers’ trust were accorded the Platinum and Gold awards.
“Platinum Trusted Brand Award” winners include ABS-CBN and GMA Network (TV Network); Baby Company (Baby Store); Boysen (Paint); Century Tuna (Canned Tuna); Executive Optical (Optical Shop); Magnolia Chicken (Fresh/Frozen Poultry); Mercury Drug(Pharmacy/ Drug Store); Monterey (Fresh/Frozen Meat); Pilot (Pen); PLDT Home Fibr (Broadband/Fiber Internet Services); PLDT Landline (Landline Phone Service); SM Supermalls (Shopping Mall/ Center); and Uratex (Mattress).
Platinum Trusted Brand Awards were given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly outpolled their nearest competitor.
On the other hand, the following brands took home the “Gold Trusted Brand Awards”: Acer (Personal Computers); Asian Eye Institute (Eye Center); Baguio Oil (Cooking Oil); Carrier (Air Conditioner); Citibank Credit Card (Credit Card Issuing Bank); Citibank Personal Loans (Personal Loans); Condura Aircon (Air Conditioner); Condura Ref (Refrigerator); Goldilocks (Pastry/ Bake Shop); Healthway (Ambulatory/ Multi-specialty Clinic); Hi-Precision (Ambulatory/ Multi-specialty Clinic); Ideal Vision (Optical Shop); Insular Life (Life Insurance Company); Manulife (Life Insurance Company); Orocan (Plastic Ware); Panda (Pen); Whirlpool (Washing Machine); BDO (Bank); BDO (Credit Card Issuing Bank); BDO (Investment Fund Company); and BDO (Personal Loans). These are brands that have scored significantly higher than their competition.
Reader’s Digest also honored an Overall Competition Winner for Excellence in Marketing, surpassing all its Gold and Platinum co-awardees for its outstanding use and innovative applications of the Trusted Brands logo. Winning the “Excellence In Marketing Award” is Executive Optical (Optical Shop).
Recipients of the Trusted Brand Awards were each given a trophy and will be allowed to use the globally recognized “Trusted Brand” logo in their marketing collaterals and merchandising materials.
This year, Reader’s Digest commissioned global market research company Catalyst Research to survey a representative sample of the Asian population.
Each respondent was required to complete an online questionnaire. Participants were asked to provide their most trusted brands and rate each of the brands listed, based on the following six attributes: Trustworthiness, Credibility, Quality, Value, Understanding of Customer Needs, Innovation and Social Responsibility.