Timberland among ‘most powerful’ New England brands

In a ranking of the top 25 brands in New England, one New Hampshire company made the cut, based on a national survey of marketing experts.The sole Granite State company to make the list was Stratham-based The Timberland Company, which placed 24th-, a three-spot drop from its 21st-place ranking in 2010.Timberland, which had revenues of $1.4 billion in 2010, manufactures outdoor clothing and footwear, which it retails in more than 200 company-owned stores and department and athletic stores throughout the world.”All of New England’s Most Powerful Brands are recognized authorities in their markets,” reads the report, which was released by Boston branding firm Protobrand. “Each is a yardstick against which we measure other brands.”To make the list, companies needed to be headquartered in New England, have a national footprint and draw significant revenue from consumer markets. The rankings were determined by a survey of 400 marketing professionals who live outside of New England, each of whom chose the six brands from eligible companies that they considered most powerful.For each of the six brands they selected, they then rated its brand power, from whether they thought the brand was gaining momentum to its level of consumer loyalty. Timberland received high scores for consumer loyalty, brand quality and perceived “New Englandness.”Taking home the top five spots were ESPN of Bristol, Conn., Subway of Milford, Conn., General Electric of Fairfield, Conn., Dunkin’ Donuts of Canton, Mass. and Ben & Jerry’s of South Burlington, Vt.Including Timberland, eight of the top 25 companies directly target food or fitness. “Slowly emerging from the economic funk, people seem to be thinking more about taking better care of themselves, physically, emotionally and financially,” reads the report. — KATHLEEN CALLAHAN/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW