UK: The Times and Sunday Times brand is the most recognised newspaper brand in Britain

Posted by Christie Silk on July 17, 2009 at 10:39 AM

According to a recent national survey investigating the stength of consumer brands, the Times and the Sunday Times have been deemed the country's best-known newspaper brand. Overall, the papers came in at position 131 of the top 500 strongest consumer brands in the country.

The Superbrands annual findings come from a poll of more than 2000 citizens, conducted to ascertain which brands are the best known. The list offers an interesting insight into how newspaper and magazine brands are holding their weight in the consumer world alongside commercial giants such as Microsoft, Coca Cola and Rolex.

The most recognised publishing brand is apparently, National Geographic, which occupies the 123rd position. Other newspaper brands in the top 500 are: The Financial Times at 156, The Daily Telegraph at 395 and the Independent and the Independent on Sunday, which came in at 391.

The highest ranking magazine brands were Vogue (222), Which? magazine (256), the BBC's Radio Times (343) and the Economist (360).

Even though the BBC has been constantly in the public light this year due to a number of controversies and funding disputes, the brand slipped one position down to number 5. Microsoft retrieved the top spot from Google, which slid to third place.

The poll raises interesting questions about the importance of the branded package of a publication and what the "strength" of a brand actually means. The daily newspaper brands that made the top 500 were of those deemed "quality" papers, even though the tabloids, such as the Sun and the Mirror, and the mid-range publications such as the Express and the Daily Mail tend to have considerably higher circulation figures.

Sources: Press Gazette
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