Coming off a year where our trust has never been more tested, with deadly dangers and testing lockdowns, the 22nd annual survey of Australia’s Most Trusted Brands has been revealed exclusively in Australian Reader’s Digest. The findings make for fascinating reading.
This is not a survey of the magazine’s readers. Australian Reader’s Digest commissioned an independent market research agency to conduct a stand-alone survey of a representative sample of more than 3,000 Australians. The full results, across 72 categories, appear exclusively in the magazine’s latest issue and can be found online here.
“Perhaps more than any other year previously, trust has been the guiding human emotion we’ve all had to rely on to navigate through our day safely,” notes Australian Reader’s Digest Editor-in-Chief, Louise Waterson.
“As such, this year’s Top 20 list is itself a narrative of what matters to Australians in 2021, with the top brands offering protection and comfort.”
Read on to find out who made up the Top 20 list.
1. Band-Aid
Last year, Band-Aid celebrated its 100th anniversary, and more importantly, a century of healing. With constant innovations and steadfast dependability, there’s a very good reason it’s our number one Most Trusted Brand overall… as well as the winner in the Plasters/Adhesive bandages category.
2. Dettol
Australians have grown up with Dettol’s antiseptic range coming to the rescue for their cuts and scrapes, while its germ-destroying cleaning products have never been more highly valued. Little wonder then, that it was our second Most Trusted Brand overall and the winner in our First Aid category.
3. Cancer Council Sunscreen
With the Cancer Council’s motto of protecting ourselves from the harsh Australian sun by following its well-known ‘slip, slop, slap, seek and slide’ measures deeply ingrained in the Aussie psyche, we know we can trust this brand to help keep us safe.
4. Western Star
With baking at an all-time high during pandemic stay-at-home periods, Aussies put their trust in Western Star to ensure their goodies always came up trumps.
5. Bridgestone
Retaining the title of Australia’s Most Trusted Tyre Brand for the eighth consecutive year (and the sole recipient since the category was introduced in 2014), Bridgestone has recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, drawing on its rich heritage and passion for innovation to deliver social and customer value.
6. Cadbury
Enjoyed by generations of Australians since John Cadbury opened the first Australian factory in 1922, Cadbury is Australia’s number one confectionery brand for good reason – Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate has never let us down.
7. Bunnings Warehouse
With ‘iso renos’ at an all-time high, Bunnings Warehouse became the institution we put our faith in to assist us in our DIY efforts. So much so, that this year it was also voted our Most Iconic Brand.
8. Dyson
Australians know that when they’re buying a Dyson product, they’re getting that famous Dyson technology they’ve come to know and trust.
9. Panadol
When pain gets in the way of life, it’s Panadol that Australians reach to first, safe in the knowledge that it can always be trusted to do the job right. That’s why it was also voted the winner in the Pain Relief category.
10. Woolworths
Also taking out the winner’s award for Most Trusted supermarket, Aussies pick Woolies as one of their top 10 most trusted brands overall.
11. Royal Flying Doctor Service
For more than nine decades, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has provided emergency medical and primary healthcare services to the bush. Thousands of Australians who live, work and travel in rural and remote Australia rely on the RFDS for these essential services. The RFDS’s contribution to Australia is both outstanding and unique, and has seen it also take out the prize for the Most Trusted Charity in 2021.
12. Selleys
When we finally had the time last year to get around to doing all those odd jobs that needed doing, Australians discovered that they could trust Selleys to do the job right.
13. Dulux
Were you really in lockdown if you didn’t do some painting? Now more than ever, Aussies put their faith in Dulux to assure that their painted finishes were of the utmost quality.
14. Morning Fresh
When it comes to dishes and glasses that sparkle and gleam, Aussies have been turning to Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid for the past 30 years.
15. Glen 20
It’s not surprising to discover that a product that’s been proven to kill 99.9% of germs and viruses, including Covid-19, should rank highly in the minds of Australians in the past year.
16. Victa
We’ve never spent more time working on our gardens and lawns, but even before the pandemic, Victa has consistently ranked highly among Australians as a lawnmower brand that they can put their absolute faith and trust in.
17. Bosch
Having been declared the winner in no less than three separate categories – DIY Power Tools, Garden Power Tools and Laundry Appliances, it comes as no surprise whatsoever to see Bosch represented in the Top 20 Most Trusted Brands overall.
18. Twinings
We may have missed out on a lot in the last year, but one thing we always had was tea – and when it came time to turn to that cuppa, it was Twinings that Aussies staked their trust in.
19. Comfort
Simple pleasures such as the comforting softness and smell of fresh laundry became paramount through this challenging period, and Comfort fabric softener pipped the pool as the Most Trusted Fabric Softener/Conditioner as well as making the Top 20 Most Trusted Brands.
20. Finish
We had enough to worry us this year without having to contend with dishes emerging from the dishwasher with caked-on food still attached. Australians knew they could put their trust in Finish to know that a sparkling clean dishwasher load was something they could rely on.