Sony remains Asia's 'most valued brand' despite hacks

By Tom Ivan for computerandvideogames.com

Sony remains Asia's most valued brand, despite suffering losses of more than $3.2 billion during the last business year and the PlayStation Network hacks that dominated gaming headlines in late April and May.

Electronics companies Samsung, Panasonic, LG and Canon followed in the rankings, all retaining their top five spots from last year, according to The Campaign 2011 Top 1000 Asia-Pacific Brands survey conducted by market research firm TNS.

Over 3,300 people between the ages of 15 and 64 across ten regional markets in Asia were surveyed, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"I think we often find it's the everyday brands that come out on top in this survey," said Atifa Hargrave-Silk, editorial director of brand media Asia for Haymarket media, who sponsored the survey. "It's not a reflection of Asia's love affair with luxury brands.

"Luxury brands, by definition are not mass market products," said Thomas Isaac, commercial director at TNS. "In most Asian countries, the man on the street has not heard of Louis Vuitton, but he has heard of Sony."