NEW YORK: Coca-Cola, Green Mountain and Tropicana are among the US beverages with the highest brand equity, new Harris Interactive figures show.

The 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study from the market research firm found that Coke is the nation's best-regarded soft drink, followed by Pepsi and Sprite.

The advertiser's Diet Coke variant also topped the low-calorie soft drink rankings, with Sprite Zero, also owned by Coca-Cola, next on the list and Diet Dr Pepper in third.

EquiTrend results from 2011 also ranked Coca-Cola as its carbonated beverage brand of the year, with Sprite in second.

For fruit juices, Tropicana products came in first place in the 2012 study, ahead of rival Ocean Spray, while Lipton was the top-ranked tea product.

On the coffee list, Green Mountain, a company well-known for its CSR programmes, beat out larger rivals including Folger's and Dunkin' Donuts. This result came despite the first-placed brand's comparatively low levels of awareness among consumers.

Robert Fronk, executive vice president at Harris, said: "Green Mountain Coffee is by no means the best known coffee brand, but it is clear that those who do know it, love it. Green Mountain's high standing may also be a reflection of the efficacy in 'doing well by doing good'."

He added: "One implication from this study is that good corporate citizens that also produce high-quality products are very likely to generate exceptional levels of brand equity."

Harris determined its rankings by polling just over 38,500 consumers from around the world on a variety of metrics, including beverage brand recognition and how favourably these brands are viewed.

Data sourced from Harris Interactive; additional content by Warc staff