Despite having more than a million of its Galaxy Note 7 handsets recalled due to fears over exploding batteries, Samsung is still the most beloved brand in its home of South Korea. In a survey conducted by market research firm, Brand Stock, it found that of all international Korean brands, Samsung still held the top spot on its index.
It seemed like Samsung as a brand would suffer quite heavily following its recent battery debacle. Combined with a number of smartphones exploding or setting on fire, it’s being sued over injuries from the devices and will have to spend upwards of $1 billion on replacement handsets. And they might not even be any safer.
This was made even worse last week when we learned some Samsung washing machines were exploding too.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall
So you might think that Samsung as a brand wouldn’t hold as much sway as it did before the recent problems. While that may be the case on the international stage, in South Korea it seems to have had little effect. Samsung beat out top rival firms like E-Mart, KakaoTalk and Naver, to take the top spot as the strongest brand in the country.
In total, Samsung had 912.2 points on the brand scale, with the firms that came in second through fourth having just over 900 apiece and the other top ten brands occupying the 890s (thanks KoreaHerald).
Lest you think that this scale is immovable though, that’s far from true. Previous top-10 company and longtime Korean retail outlet, Lotte Department Store, has fallen from 8th to 16th on the list in the aftermath of a criminal investigation into the owner’s family. The related revelations were so devastating to the company’s brand image that it has caused several affiliate companies — including a car rental service — to also fall down the brand index scale.
So while Samsung’s position at the top may be secure for now, perhaps thanks to its quick action on recalling handsets, it is by no means fated to be permanent.
