Google gets top brand trust from Australians

Australia - Australians rank Google as one of the most trusted brands, according to this year's Eye on Australia report released by Grey.

In 2008, Google ranks alongside the police force as one of Australia's most trusted brands, both scoring 6.39 out of 10 on Eye on Australia's trust scale, second only to major charities such as The Salvation Army (6.69 out of 10) on the overall scale.

Simon Rich, director of planning at Grey, said, "We trust Google because while it may be a complex product, it's a simple brand that does what it claims to do. In some ways, using Google is synonymous with using the internet; it's the brand that helps us work out who to trust online, and where to go".

On brand trust, 47% of respondents claim established brands are more trustworthy, and only 23% agree that they trust big companies.

The annual report tracks consumer attitudes and seeks insight into their lifestyles and feelings towards marketing, advertising and corporate Australia. The 2008 survey was based on a random sample of 689 adult Australians and the research was conducted by Sweeney Research on behalf of Grey.