Survey indicates Taiwanese loyal to local companies

Taiwanese are loyal to local food and liquor brands, according to the results of a survey released yesterday.

Uni-President (統一) is the favored instant-noodle maker, Acer (宏電) the trusted brand in computers and Taiwan Beer (台灣啤酒) the favorite tipple, according to Taiwanese respondents of a Reader's Digest survey of brand preferences that also surveyed consumers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Other local brands winning recognition included Hey Song (黑松) for its soft drinks, Ten Ren (天仁) in tea, and Wei Chuan (味全) for its range of seasoning products.

About 3,000 people, or 2.8 percent of the magazine's subscribers, offer their responses to the survey conducted at the end of last year and early this year.

According to Grace Hsu (許慧玲), business development director at Reader's Digest Asia (Taiwan), questionnaires were given to their readers without mention of company names.

"It was a consumer survey made directly through their perception of brands," she said.

Reader's Digest said respondents were asked to vote for their favorite brand in 37 categories of products and services, ranging from luxury goods to everyday necessities.

"The voted brands were rated quantitatively and qualitatively on quality, value, trustworthiness, strong image and understanding of customer needs," said Ros-emarie Yau (邱敬賢), regional corporate communications director at Reader's Digest Asia.

International brand names such as Coca-Cola, Sony, Canon, Nokia, Hitachi and Nestle remained the favorite among consumers in Asia as a whole.

BMW, Mercedes Benz and Toyota were the most desired cars, while Rolex and Seiko watches were the timepieces of choice.

Johnson & Johnson's skin care products were popular, while Nescafe was the favorite instant coffee.