Nielsen-owned (as of February) Harris Interactive conducts an annual nationwide poll of U.S. consumers to determine what it calls “brand equity.” Harris has released the 2014 edition, and called out streaming services for their rapid gain in positive brand recognition over the last two years. Pandora has been the 4th-highest gainer in brand equity among top-100 brands during that period. (Netflix has been the fastest mover.)
The survey includes almost 42,000 Americans at least 15 years old, and was conducted in January. Over 1,500 brands were rated, each receiving about 1,000 scores. At issue is brand strength, not infamous brand recognition. three touchstone criteria are familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration.
Not all included brands are placed in the final list (which can be viewed here). There is not (yet?) a sub-category for streaming music, or Internet radio, that would naturally accommodate Pandora. So it is especially notable that Harris is calling out its performance in the survey.