PHILADELPHIA — Despite Tylenol product recalls and plant closure by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the brand is maintaining loyalty among consumers, according to a study by research and advisory firm The Relational Capital Group.

The results of the survey, released Monday, indicated that consumers remain strongly interested in purchasing the Tylenol brand, with positive purchase intent in the next 30 days (76%) slightly exceeding that for rival pain reliever Advil (75%).

Relational Capital Group said that brand loyalty for Tylenol also continues to be strong, slightly exceeding that for Advil (67% versus 65% positive brand preference and loyalty).

"Our study revealed that consumers still maintain strong purchase intent and brand loyalty for Tylenol, despite its recent production and availability issues," commented Chris Malone, chief advisory officer of The Relational Capital Group.

The study, which polled over 1,000 U.S. adults and was conducted in July by The Relational Capital Group and Drs. Susan Fiske and Nicolas Kervyn, evaluated the impact of "warmth and competence perceptions" on purchase intent and loyalty toward eight national brands: McDonalds, Burger King, BP, Shell, Tropicana, Minute Maid, Tylenol and Advil. Relational Capital Group said the study showed that consumers assess brands and build loyalty to them in the same way they perceive and judge other people, in terms of warmth and competence, and that these judgments are highly predictive of brand purchase intent and loyalty.

For the two pain relievers, consumers rated Tylenol and Advil to perform equally well on warmth and competence dimensions that were shown to impact brand purchase and loyalty, such as "delivers a consistent experience," "is honest and trustworthy," "acts with your best interests in mind" and "is popular and recommended."

"We believe that Tylenol’s long track record of reliability has generated a deep reservoir of goodwill toward the brand and that its recent production issues have been interpreted by consumers as a temporary lapse in competence, rather than a shortfall of warm intentions towards them," added Malone.