America's Best-Loved Brands

What are America’s best-loved brands? Market research firm Brand Keys recently released its list  and some of them may surprise you. But despite their popularity, they’re certainly not without their slip-ups.

Case in point: JetBlue Airlines, whose storm-related cancellations back in February resulted in thousands of stranded passengers and cost the airline $30 million. 

So how come they’re on top, at least as far as consumers are concerned? Simple. They provide a better overall customer experience than their competitors (except for that ill-fated day in February, of course). So do Target, Wachovia and Macy’s, which are just a few of the other Best-Loved brands.

And as we all know, a better customer experience translates to higher loyalty and increased sales. Kinda makes me feel a little sorry for all the companies out there busting their butts every day, who never have a major goof up like JetBlue did, or worse, the disaster that Tylenol experienced 25 years ago (another Best-Loved brand according to the study), and yet they struggle to gain market share and win new customers.

I suppose it’s not about being error free, day in and day out. It’s about doing something different or just plain better than others in your space.