Craftsman, Dyson, Lysol, KILZ, Weber and John Deere are all Repeat Brands of the Year in 2013

The FINANCIAL — Whether it is a vacuum, household cleaner or even power tools, the brand often plays a large role in which product consumers choose for their household. Findings from the 2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend (EQ) study help confirm this, with many brands showing continued leadership positions within their categories this year.

In fact, while there are some new category leaders, the top-ranked brands in half of these household categories are holding their spots for at least the second year. The study, which measures the perceptions of 38,500+ American consumers on more than 1,500 brands across more than 150 categories, is comprised of three key factors: Familiarity, Quality and Purchase Consideration.

Six of the twelve household categories in the study have been led by the same brands since 2012 or earlier, according to Harris Interactive Inc. In fact, some of these leaders have been at the top of their respective categories for many years running. "Craftsman Tools, Dyson, KILZ, and Weber have been top-ranked since their categories were introduced to the study. It's a testament to the strength and resilience of these brands that consumers consistently have them at the top of their minds when thinking about their respective categories," said Aaron Kane, Senior Research Director, Multi-Client Research at Harris Interactive.

But amidst the consistency, there are some categories which have new leaders. One of these is Kenmore; the Sears-owned brand earns the Major Appliance Brand of the Year award in this, its "100th Year of Innovation." After closely trailing KitchenAid the past three years, the Kenmore brand returns to the highest-ranked position, which it last held in 2009. "Kenmore's long history has no doubt played a role in it being a strong brand in the category for several years, with its ratings among the top three for this category since 2005. This year, the brand achieved one of its highest Equity scores to date, largely due to increased Familiarity and Purchase Consideration," continued Kane.