What Brands Resonate Most With Kids?

Brand Love, an annual study of the brands American kids ages 6-12 and their parents love most, found that when it comes to snack-time favorites, center store reigns supreme. Released by youth and family market research consultancy Smarty Pants, the study ranks brands by awareness, popularity, love and usage frequency.

The top 10 most beloved brands are dominated by chocolate, cheese, salt and entertainment, according to this year’s study, which examined 350 brands across 19 categories and surveyed more than 16,000 parents and children. Oreo, M&M’s, Hershey’s and Doritos make up the top 5, along with YouTube at No. 1.

Kids Top 10 Best-Loved Brands

1. YouTube

2. Oreo

3. M&M’s

4. Hershey’s

5. Doritos

6. Chips Ahoy

7. Netflix

8. Cheetos

9. Lay’s

10. Goldfish

Despite campaigns like "eat brighter," a partnership between the Produce Marketing Association, Sesame Street Workshop and the Partnership for a Healthier America, which encourages kids and their families to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, the Brand Love study suggests center store is beating out the perimeter for share of stomach and heart.

However, several fresh produce companies made the cut, including The Wonderful Co. Ranked 49th, its Wonderful Halos are the most loved healthful snack brand on the list.

This marks the second year in a row that Halos has led the category as the No. 1 healthy snack brand of parents, with 69% stating they consume Halos at least once per week when in season (November to May). This is the fourth year Halos has been recognized as the leading healthy food brand among kids, said The Wonderful Co. in a release.

Halos main competitor, Cuties, also made the list, coming in at 57. Other fresh suppliers such as Dole (No. 135) and Chiquita (No. 157) were ranked as favorites.

To understand kid and family trends within and across categories, the Brand Love study also ranks brands by its "Kidfinity" (kid-friendliness) and "Parentfinity" (parent-friendliness) scores.

This year’s Parentfinity scores reveal Wonderful Halos as parents’ No. 17 brand overall, among other brands such as Amazon, Crayola, Netflix and Google, said The Wonderful Co. It is the only healthy food brand to rank among parents’ top 20 favorite brands.