Old Guard vs New Guard Media Brands.

Who says newer is better? As consumers continue to sort and refine media consumption based on content, ease of availability and options, traditional brands have a seat at the media table with other up and coming media content brands. According to the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study which announced their Media Brands of the Year in seven categories, while USA Networks ranked highest in the Variety TV Programming category, for the second year in a row, both National Geographic and the Associated Press ranked highest in the Magazine and News Service categories respectively, showing how both old and new can be a media Brand of the Year.

Additional categories surveyed included Topical Interest TV Programming (Discovery Channel); TV News (The Weather Channel) and Kids TV (Sprout). Additionally, for the second year in a row, DreamWorks Studios tops the Movie Studio category. 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Brand of the Year awards are given in each of 46 different categories.

This year showcased a surprising split in the Media Category with cable broadcast outlets leading the Variety TV Programming, Topical Interest TV Programming, TV News and Kids TV categories, while veteran outlets took top magazine and news service nods. USA Network is the 2011 Variety Programming Brand of the Year, with AMC and A&E rounding out the top three. While Discovery Channel ranks highest in the Topical Interest TV programming category, The History Channel and History International both made significant brand equity improvements to rank second and third respectively.

“Original programming seems to be a key driver of consumer brand equity,” said Jeni Lee Chapman, Executive Vice President of Brand and Communication Consulting at Harris Interactive. “Brands like USA, AMC and the Discovery Channel have all invested in unique and different programming rather than opting for syndication, and that strategy seems to be paying off. Brands with higher brand equity might find it easier to make the transition into other media like National Geographic has.”

The National Geographic channel was one of the Topical Interest brands that improved most, along with Planet Green and the Crime & Investigation Network.

In the Kids TV Programming category, Sprout made a significant improvement into the top spot and was followed by Disney Channel and NickToons.

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For more information at http://www.harrisinteractive.com