UK mag announces Sweden’s ‘most trusted brands’

The Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands report is an annual consumer survey of 23,000 people in 16 European countries – Sweden has been included since 2008.

The survey aims to discover which brands Europeans trust the most in their respective countries in 20 product categories.

Swedish consumers plumped for Swedbank within the category Bank/Building Society, Kellogg’s when it came to breakfast cereal, and for taking photos they would rather use a Canon.

That Swedes most trust a Volvo would surprise few, while Kan Jang is what cold-sufferers reach for when seeking relief. The Cosmetics category was won by Yves Rocher and the most trusted credit used to pay for it, and anything else, would be Visa.

Wella is the top choice for haircare, while holiday firm Ving is the one to trust to escape the winter blues. Länsförsäkring is the insurance company of choice and Telia to surf the internet.

Swedish white goods maker Electrolux remains the staunch favourite among appliances, while Finnish Nokia gets the nod ahead of Sony Ericsson and the rest of the mobile phone field.

Alvedon is the faithful friend to rid oneself of a headache, while Dell retains its status from the previous year in the PC category.

The one change from 2008 to 2009 is the choice of petrol supplier – with Swedes now selecting OKQ8 over the previous year’s Statoil.

Nivea is a sure choice for soft skin, while Via is the detergent trusted to clean clothes. For that vitamin kick, Swedes trust ACO.

The fieldwork for the survey was conducted by mail between August and October 2008.

Respondents were allowed to nominate any brand they choose, with one per category. In each country/category the winning brand is the one that achieves most votes.