Research released by Millward Brown has revealed Colgate as Australia’s most trusted and recommended brand in its TrustR report.

The report, ‘Beyond Trust: Engaging Consumers in the Post recession World’, indicates trust and recommendation (TrustR) are key ingredients to brand success, and with this metric Colgate topped the list, followed by mobile technology brand Nokia and confectionary giant Cadbury.

Across the 22 countries studied, the number one TrustR brand in each was nearly seven times more likely to be purchased and had a brand-consumer bond 10 times greater than average.

Scoring brands on recommendation alone, the Australian Top 10 is led by Lindt, Clinique and Apple iPhone,  followed by Credit Unions, Moccona, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Colgate, Pantene Pro V, and Mazda.

“While trust is built over time, when it comes to recommending a brand, consumers tend to rely on their most recent experiences of the brand and its value proposition. The powerful combination of trust and recommendation is embodied in Colgate which, while a global brand, has adapted to the Australian market and become a clear leader,” commented Daren Poole, Millward Brown’s chief client officer.

“Interestingly, eight of the Australian TrustR Top 10 brands are global brands while Mt Franklin and Woolworths/Safeway are local brands that have successfully built a strong connection with local consumers.”

The full top 10 TrustR brands are:

1. Colgate
2. Nokia
3. Cadbury Dairy Milk
4. Visa
5. Nescafé
6. Toyota
7. Mt Franklin
8. Olay
9. Vaseline Intensive Care
10. Woolworths/Safeway