Craftsman Tools, Crayola, Kodak Film Voted Best Brands; Rated Top Quality Brands In EquiTrend Survey by Total Research.

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 1999--

Total Research Corporation (NASDAQ:TOTL) announced the winners of its semi-annual EquiTrend(R) brand equity survey today, naming Craftsman Tools, Crayola Crayons and Markers, and Kodak Photographic Film the top three brands in America for overall quality.

Craftsman Tools, the first-place finisher last July over Kodak and the Discovery Channel, edged out Crayola, a brand not included in the 1998 study, and nearly 300 other brands that were rated for quality in a national survey of more than 2,000 consumers. EquiTrend(R) is a syndicated study conducted since 1990 by Total Research that measures the quality perceptions of major consumer brands among a statistically reliable probability sample of consumers. These brand equity measures, in combination with EquiTrend(R) information on brand salience (sufficient familiarity with a brand to rate it), user satisfaction and brand associations, enable subscriber companies to better manage the quality of their brands and improve their sales and profitability.

Hallmark Greeting Cards was fourth in the survey, with Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil, Waterford Crystal, Chiquita Bananas, The Discovery Channel, Ziploc Bags, and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars rounding out the Top Ten.

Dr. Douglas Berdie, President of Total Research's Strategic Marketing Services Division, said that "these brands achieved greatness by being consistent in their message and its delivery and by meeting the quality expectations of consumers." He reported that "brand quality perceptions of consumers are excellent indicators of a brand's probable sales and profitability, with such perceptions influenced by personal experience and word-of-mouth as well as by the product's distribution and promotion. The brands that rank high received not only an important vote of confidence from the American public," said Dr. Berdie, "but they represent good news for investors. Our research shows a strong association between the brand quality perceptions of consumers and the stock performance of the company that manufactures the product."

EquiTrend(R) captures brand preferences of different demographic segments so that marketers can evaluate their brands' performance among various audiences. International and technology products dominate the list of products rated highest for quality among affluent consumers (total household income of $75,000 or more). Waterford Crystal tops the list, with Intel PC Microprocessors second. Brands among the Top 25 in this group who are not ranked among the Top 25 of the total population, included Biography, The Program Series; Hewlett-Packard Printers, Discovery Channel Online, Lexus Automobiles, Dewalt Tools, Barnes & Noble Stores, Sony Electronics, and Michelin Automobile Tires.

Teenagers, ages 15 to 19, favored entertainment and travel destination brands. Their Top Ten ranked quality brands are Sony Televisions, Sony Electronics, Mercedes-Benz Automobiles, Kodak Photographic Film, Universal Studios, Florida; Disney World, BMW Automobiles, Disney-MGM Studios, Hallmark Greeting Cards, and Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World. Teens ranked automobiles and related brands such as batteries higher than the total population, perhaps because of their heavy involvement in the category.

Total Research Corporation specializes in the development and application of predictive marketing research including advanced brand equity research technologies used to assist clients worldwide. The Company has its headquarters in Princeton, NJ, and other offices in London, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Poughkeepsie, NY. The majority of its clients are among the 500 largest commercial and financial companies in the U.S.

This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the completion of the Company's turnaround, future revenues, growth and profitability. The actual results might differ materially from those projected in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those in forward-looking statements is contained in Total Research Corporation's SEC filings, including periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, copies of which are available upon request from the Total Research investor relations department.