Disney Tops Poll of Best Brand Names : Marketing: Mercedes is ranked No. 2 and Kodak No. 3 in a consumer survey. McDonald’s finishes 160th.

Tinkerbell has Ronald McDonald beaten by a mile.

In a national survey that measures how consumers perceive the quality behind 190 brand names, Disneyland/Disney World emerged as the nation’s top brand. It beat out such rigorous competition as Mercedes-Benz, which rated No. 2, and Kodak, which ranked third.

McDonald’s, which has recently tried to improve its public image by introducing healthier food products such as the McLean DeLuxe hamburger, placed a rather embarrassing 160th on the list--even below Kmart and Alpo dog food. A McDonald’s spokesman declined to comment.

The survey of 2,000 Americans, conducted by the Princeton, N.J.-based research firm Total Research, asked people to rate 190 familiar brand names based on their perceptions of the quality of the products behind the names.

To many consumers, nothing is more crucial than the brand name of a product. And the importance of brand names has never been more clear to corporate America. Extending the use of a powerful brand name is often regarded as the best way to enter a market. During the many mergers of the 1980s, the companies with the most powerful brands were generally able to fetch the best prices when they were purchased.

“Brands have value in the marketplace,” said David Smaller, vice president and director of brand research at Total Research. “They are company assets that need to be managed like any other asset.”

Results of brand equity surveys can help executives decide if their brand images are generally on target--or if they need rejiggering. Although few companies rely exclusively on the results of such outside surveys, a number of the bigger firms compare the outcomes of the surveys to their own research to see if they match.

The Disney theme parks, for example, constantly poll exiting customers to see what they like--or dislike--about their visits.

“We do this research all year round,” said Thomas Deegan, vice president of communications at Walt Disney Co. “But we’re flattered when we see our name near the top of someone else’s list.”

Indeed, the Disney name ranked No. 3 in a similar survey done last year by the San Francisco research firm Landor Associates. But the Landor survey--of 2,000 brands--is pegged only toward consumer familiarity with a product and not perceived quality.

It is especially unusual for service-oriented companies--such as Disney--to rank so high in these surveys, said Paul Valerio, assistant research director at Landor. “With service companies, you’re dealing with people, not something concrete like a box of Kleenex.”

Brands that gave the impression of wholesomeness--such as Disney, Kodak and Hallmark--generally rated very high in the survey, said Smaller. And CNN, which became an information beacon during the Persian Gulf War, also saw its status rise among those surveyed. Last year, it ranked 17th in the firm’s survey. This year it ranked fourth.

“Are we as dependable as the Maytag repairman? I don’t know,” said Melinda McIntire, public relations manager at CNN. “But we realize part of the brand recognition is due to the Gulf War. We hope this is a permanent recognition--and not a onetime fluke.”

Top 20 Brand Names in America Total Research Corp. of Princeton, N.J., conducted a national telephone survey of 2,000 men and women who were asked to rank 190 brand names according to their perceived quality. 1 Disneyland/Disney World 2 Kodak 3 Mercedes-Benz 4 Cable News Network 5 Hallmark 6 Fisher-Price 7 United Parcel Service 8 Rolex 9 Levi’s 10 IBM 11 Arm & Hammer 12 AT&T; 13 Corning 14 Lego 15 Maytag 16 Rubbermaid 17 Hershey’s 18 Tylenol 19 Sea World 20 Lenox