Sony tops Nintendo, Microsoft in brand study

Forrester Research today released results of its Consumer Technographics Survey. In it, the parent companies of the three major game consoles--Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony--were among 22 brands rated.

Not unexpectedly, Sony's stature was tops among the three, ranking third overall among the 22 brands, Nintendo ranking 17th, and Microsoft ranking 20th, according to reports.

The companies ranked were limited to those with operations in the PC and consumer electronics fields, with respondents asked to rank companies in the areas of "trust" and "potential." In both categories, the Sony-Nintendo-Microsoft order held firm, with Sony and Nintendo in close proximity to each other and Microsoft trailing badly.

Microsoft distinguished itself by turning in the singular negative ranking in the area of brand potential. A widely quoted line from the study says "Microsoft faces big consumer defection risk," and goes on to say that many respondents would just as soon jettison their Microsoft products "if they could."

The top-ranking companies in the area of brand potential were (in order) Bose, Dell, IBM, Pioneer, and Philips. In the area of trust, the top rankers were Bose, Apple, Sony, Dell, and HP.

Gamers should note that the study sought opinions based on the overall brand name and its full line of products and did not highlight or otherwise isolate the game initiatives of either Sony or Microsoft.