Discover^® Card is the 1999 winner of the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Award in the credit card category and is, notably, one of four repeat winners. In 1998, Discover Card also won the Customer Loyalty award in the credit card category. The award is intended to honor those brands that have generated the greatest consumer loyalty. Brand Keys Inc. is a market research and consulting firm that rates brands against the customer ideal in their respective category through a consumer poll. Brand Keys interviewed approximately 12,000 brand users in 19 categories to calculate the emotional bond between users and their brands. According to Brand Keys President, Robert K. Passikoff, Ph.D., this award means, "Discover has the most powerful brand equity and the highest degree of customer loyalty in this category, which indicates that they have met or exceeded customer expectations of the ideal credit card." Customer loyalty is the leading force behind brand sales, revenue and growth, and serves as the best sign of future brand success.