The Salvation Army has toppled Google to become the most trusted brand in Australia, the latest 'Eye on Australia' report by Grey and Sweeney Research has found.
The 129-year old charity topped a list of 92 local and overseas brands and companies.
"What's happened over the past 12 months and with the global financial crisis is that people have shifted in what's most important to them," demographer Bernard Salt told SmartCompany.
"We now see the place for credibility for a brand that epitomises compassion."
"Google might epitomise communication, which is still very important to people, but the Salvation Army equally epitomises care, concern, giving and putting others first.
"A year ago, optimism, communication, youth and technology were the most important things, and Google incorporated all of these."
Google, which took first place last year, ranked as the second most trusted brand in 2009, with Australia Post in third place.
"This is very interesting because it show the old communication methods are still relevant to people. The old and the new communications are right up there together," Salt says.
The prominence of Bunnings at number four also hinted at the effect of the global economic crisis, Salt says.
"Bunnings is a brand that touches the base of the home, security and comfort."
Other brands in the top 10, including food manufacturers Cadbury, Sanitarium, Uncle Toby's and Kellogs, were not surprises, says Salt.
"It's very important that you trust a product that you're going to eat... and these are products that you're not going to eat just once a year. A lot of them are products that you'll eat everyday.
‘All of the [top 10] are brands that Australians touch base with on a daily basis."
"Even Nokia, at number 10, is a phone people use everyday."
The survey, conducted in August, asked 1,500 Australians to rank 153 brands, politicians, government organisations and business sectors.
Airlines were the most trusted sector, followed by food manufacturers, sporting bodies, supermarket chains, other retailers, pharmaceutical companies and gas, water and electricity suppliers.
But several high-profile brands ranked low on the scale, including Twitter, Telstra, GE Money, Aviva, Axa, News Limited and American Express.
And banks and telecommunications companies topped the list of brands and companies Australians had lost trust in over the past year.
Australians base brand trust on foundations including consistency, delivery on promises and open communication, Grey Executive Chairman Paul Gardner says.
"Trust is based on hard, ‘provable' actions rather than softer options such as supporting the local community or potentially trying to disguise a bad offer with a good loyalty program," Gardner told The Financial Review.
Australia's most trusted brands:
1. Salvation Army
2. Google
3. Australia Post
4. Medicare
5. Bunnings
6. Cadbury
7. Sanitarium
8. Uncle Toby's
9. Kellogg's
10. Nokia
