New Axios Harris Poll Shows PR works for Trader Joe’s and HEB Grocery
According to a 2022 national poll surveying company reputations, several of America’s grocery stores earned especially high marks from the public. While these retail establishments do offer products essential to Americans, their PR-driven branding also plays a key role in their outsized popularity.
The Axios Harris Poll 100 surveyed 33,096 Americans to judge the reputations of some of the nation’s most visible companies. The companies surveyed were originally selected by respondents in a separate poll, who were asked to name two companies they thought had the best reputation, and two with the worst.
To compile the rankings, respondents were asked how the pre-established companies stacked up on metrics including trust, vision, ethics, and other categories.
Unlike their views on social media companies, the data suggests that Americans have a particular affinity for their grocery store of choice. The top ten list includes three grocery stores, while the top 25 includes five. And overall, a well-known grocery store with a strong, purpose-driven brand took the top prize.
Trader Joe’s placed first overall among companies from a variety of industries. The chain popular for their niche and exclusive products was widely held as trustworthy and popular across virtually all demographics, including millennials and boomers, Republicans and Democrats, and rural and urban dwellers.
While slightly more popular with millennials and urban residents, Americans of all stripes still gave the California-born franchise a thumbs up. This could be attributed to a variety of factors, including a widely-renown investment in customer experience and unique products at affordable prices.
In a sign of Trader Joe’s focus on public relations, the company distributes its ‘Fearless Flyer’ newsletter in stores promoting their latest products and hosts a podcast taking listeners inside the store’s operations. Both marketing tools enable Trader Joe’s to develop a close connection with their client base.
The popularity of grocery stores doesn’t stop with Trader Joe’s. Other chain grocery stores such as H-E-B Grocery, Wegmans, and Publix likewise ranked high on the reputation meter.
H-E-B finished second overall despite only having locations in one U.S. state, in addition to locations in Mexico. While only located domestically in Texas, its brand identity is so closely associated with the populous Lone Star State that all Texans can identify.
The store creates a Texas tie-in with many of its products, a marketing tactic that draws in local customers. For example, Texas Heat Trail Mix and a Texas-shaped cast iron pan are two of many examples of a brand identity intentionally centered around location and in many ways, culture.
This poll was not the first to find positive feelings toward H-E-B. A consumer data science company, Dunnhumby, similarly found the store to be the most popular retailer in the country.
H-E-B and Trader Joe’s also cultivate customer loyalty by providing a quality shopping experience to customers, including offering free product samples to customers already eager to fill their cabinets.
In a sense, it comes as little surprise that the place most Americans visit on a regular basis to feed themselves and their family rank highly on the reputation meter.
But the rankings also tell a more specific story; the companies who connect with the public by utilizing unique PR and marketing practices, and positive experiences, stand out among their corporate peers. To that end, Trader Joe’s and H-E-B Grocery are two of the most reputable corporate brands in the marketplace.
For more information on how Xenophon can assist your company’s efforts to build a strong brand through media outreach, contact us for expert assistance.