Sony occupied two top spots in the recently concluded Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Award 2007 - yet another feather in the cap of the world’s leading provider of home and personal electronic products.

Sony bagged the Platinum Award in the LCD/Plasma TV category, and the Gold Award in the Camera/Digital Camera Category. Sony has consistently won these awards ever since Reader’s Digest added these two categories to its roster in 2005.

Reader’s Digest awards the Gold Trusted Brand status to companies whose performance rated significantly above others in their category. The Platinum Trusted Brand Status distinguishes a brand from the rest of its competitors. Only a few of even the topnotch brands can achieve this extra-ordinary recognition, as brands must acquire a rating score of at least double that of the nearest competitor to be awarded with the Platinum status.

“Sony is genuinely honored to be among the brands recognized as the crème de la crème in their respective categories.  This only goes to show that Sony remains the most trusted brand in Filipino households, and it is indeed an honor well-deserved because, as you know, we are always on our toes when it comes to providing innovative and highest-quality products to our consumers,” Mr. Arnold Balao, Sony Philippines’ Deputy Director for HAV Marketing, said.

“We are especially proud that our Sony Bravia line of LCD and Plasma televisions has maintained its Platinum status for three consecutive years - proof that no other brand comes close to the Bravia,” Balao added.

Now on its ninth year, Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Survey is recognized for being one of the most representative and transparent branding surveys in Asia. There are 43 categories of services and products in this year’s survey. A total of 7,000 respondents from Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines were asked to name the brand they trust the most in each category. Consumers based their rating on 6 factors: trustworthiness, credible image, quality, value, understanding of customer needs and innovation.

Sony is confident that the brand will continue to reign in the Camera/Digital Camera and LCD/Plasma TV categories as it brings in more HD-integrated home and personal entertainment products in the country. “I think consumers recognize Sony’s efforts in enhancing the way they experience our products, and that is one of the reasons why they choose Sony over other brands available in the market. For example, Sony is the first to bring the HD (high definition) experience on a more personal level in the country, with the introduction of HD Cyber-shot cameras and HD Handycams. This way, Filipinos can already enjoy HD even in the absence of local HD broadcast. Through HDMI connectivity, high definition images and videos captured in an HD Cyber-shot or Handycam can be viewed in full-HD on the Sony Bravia,” Balao said.

“And only Sony can provide total HD solutions with its complete lineup of HD-integrated products that also include photo printers (DPP-FPHD1) and hard-disk photo storage device (HDPS-L1),” he added.

Balao represented Sony in the Awarding Ceremony held recently at The Peninsula Manila.