Google is the top brand for Democrats, according to an index incorporating consumer impressions of its quality, its value, their satisfaction with it, its reputation, their willingness to recommend it and their general impression of it. Google doesn't appear in Republicans' top 10.
Republicans, on the other hand, rank Fox News tops; Fox News, perhaps not surprisingly, doesn't appear on the list of Democrats' favorite 10 brands.
JetBlue is the third-ranked airline brand among Democrats, but doesn't crack the top five among Republicans, the BrandIndex analysis shows. Republicans rate Aflac among their top five insurers, while Democrats make room for Progressive .
Although consumers aren't usually buying a big brand because they think its owners are actually on their political "side" -- potential exceptions such as Ben & Jerry 's aside -- marketers may well benefit from knowing how political partisans view them.
Target says it didn't suffer any bottom-line damage after gay-rights supporters and some customers protested its $150,000 contribution to a group supporting a candidate opposed to gay marriage. But it might have avoided the whole mess if it considered its perceived political image first. Target is the fourth-ranked retailer among Democrats, according to BrandIndex, but is nowhere in the top five for Republicans.
Many brands perform well among members of both parties: Cheerios, UPS, FedEx, Craftsman, J&J, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel have appeal across political divides.
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