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Digital Insights: Tips to prepare for the Golden Quarter
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By twentysix

The peak retail period of October to December (aka The Golden Quarter) isn’t far away and this year it’s going to be an interesting one. Following the “lockdown” disruption, 2020’s peak is going to be a vital sales opportunity for many retailers.

But how can marketers plan ahead when a global pandemic has turned everything upside down? How are consumers going to behave? Will they be in buying mode? Or will the impact of lockdown dampen demand as we’ve seen earlier in the year? Will there be a second wave and what will this mean?

Much of this depends on the course of the virus and as a digital agency, twentysix, we’re not going to attempt to predict that! But amongst the uncertainty, there are things we can still rely on: Christmas is still Christmas; people will still want to buy; and there will be pent up demand and a hunger for deals – all of which will open opportunities for your brand.

With lockdown accelerating online behaviours there is one thing that is certain; digital is going to be an enormous part of the mix for all advertisers. You need to make sure you have the right mix of channels with a solid foundation in search, affiliates and user experience to capture demand, alongside upper funnel activity such as display and social to help create it. But it’s not just about having the channels in place: success will also be about building the agility to adapt to conditions as they unfold – a must in this uncertain environment.

So whether it’s scenario planning, solidifying your technology and tracking foundations, assessing your SEO trajectory, or reviewing your website to ensure your UX is up to scratch, now is the time to start getting ready.

Download twentysix’s guide to the Golden Quarter to unlock 6 key principles to help you create competitive advantage, along with tips from the agency’s digital channel specialists to help you prepare for the most significant quarter of trading we’ll experience for some time.

Download the full guide here. 

Brands ‘struggled to respond empathically’ to Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter
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While most brands want to be more empathic to social change and global issues affecting customers, many have struggled to respond effectively to recent events such as Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter.

That’s according to new research, which says 81% of brand representatives surveyed in July said they adapted their marketing due to Covid-19, while 60% found it difficult to display appropriate empathy when doing so.

The research among 250 senior marketing decision makers in the UK was conducted by Sapio on behalf of marketing AI company datasine. 

Over 90% of marketers are trying to be more empathic in their marketing campaigns which shows a genuine understanding of the need to respond to issues and societal events impacting consumers and audiences. However, 75% said they were unable to respond quickly enough to rapidly developing situations such as Covid-19.

Empathy has increased in importance for brands and marketers during 2020. 84% of those surveyed said that the need to respond to events with empathy has increased over the past 6 months. The top three empathy focuses identified in the research for brands right now are:

  1. Covid-19
  2. Black Lives Matter
  3. Mental Health

The two most common barriers stopping brands from responding faster and more effectively to change are; the inability to measure and analyse sentiment; and a lack of knowledge around how to use data to predict the success of future campaigns, both at 38%. To help solve these issues and others, 97% of brands want to adopt technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, to help them use data more effectively for predictive analysis and automated decision making.

Emma Bonar, head of digital, Les Girls Les Boys, said: “Now more than ever it’s vital that we are able to demonstrate that we do empathise with our customers – after all these are issues that really do affect all of us. There’s a need to respond quickly and appropriately to changes in sentiment, which is where AI can help us use data to make the right decisions, and make them fast.”

Chris Loy, CTO, datasine, added: “A brand’s ability to respond rapidly and appropriately to external events affecting its audiences and customers has probably never been tested more than it has in the past six months. Truthfully, it’s becoming critical to their success. Digital marketing demands instantaneous response to the things that are happening in the world. That requires marketing professionals to be able to use data to adapt their creatives, message, visual and textual content on a continual basis in line with changing audience attitudes.

Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay 

Nielsen seeks to demystify influencer ROI
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Nielsen has launched its Influencer Brand Effect, a measurement solution to help brands and advertisers evaluate the effectiveness of influencer marketing. 

The company says brands are set to spend up to $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2022, but says there remains a lack of transparent, independent and comparable metrics for brands and agencies to measure the true ROI of their influencer investment. 

It also says there’s a need for greater understanding of the true impact of influencer activity at a time when social media platforms are testing the removal of traditional engagement metrics such as likes, views and shares. 

The Nielsen Influencer Brand Effect solution is a measurement tool uses metrics such as brand awareness, ad recall, favourability and purchase intent. The solution also provides content metrics to assess the perceived ‘fit’ between a brand and the influencer, the right influencers to drive specific brand goals and whether content is effective at shifting audience perceptions.

Barney Farmer, UK Media Commercial Director, Nielsen, said: “Influencer campaigns can be a very effective way to engage audiences around products and brand messaging. However, measurement of the effectiveness of these campaigns is currently inadequate. The Nielsen Influencer Brand Effect solution looks to solve this challenge by giving brands and agencies a greater understanding of the impact of their influencer campaigns. By analysing KPIs such as familiarity, likeability and branding, research can provide actionable insights for brands to ensure that they are always improving their communications and relationships with their consumers.”

Image by cloudlynx from Pixabay

3 brands that have gone the extra mile for inclusivity
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‘Don’t talk the talk if you’re not going to walk the walk’. This is the sentiment that consumers are expressing to their favourite brands. It’s all well and good talking about inclusivity, but if brand doesn’t make tangible steps towards an inclusive environment, then their customer base is likely to suffer.

It has been proven that millennials in particular tend to gravitate towards brands that can evidence their inclusivity efforts, rather than the companies that just make sweeping statements. So which brands are succeeding in this mission? Read on to find out… 

Morrisons  

In recent years, this supermarket chain has made some real changes, with a focus on its customers with autism. Morrisons introduced a new ‘Quieter Hour’ scheme across all of its stores in 2018, working alongside the National Autistic Society. The supermarket explained that it is aware that the experience of shopping can be a difficult one for those with autism, or parents with autistic children. At best, it can be an anxious endeavour; at worst, it can be overstimulating and terrifying. 

Morrisons have attempted to lessen this potential stress by introducing a ‘Quieter Hour’ between 9am and 10am on Saturday mornings. During this time, the lights are dimmed, the music is turned off and tannoy announcements are reduced to the bare minimum.

Staff also reduce the movement of stock trollies and the checkout sounds are turned down. This makes for a quieter and hopefully more enjoyable experience for customers who find an excess of noise and movements a struggle to get through. 

Jeffree Star Cosmetics 

Jeffree Star cleverly utilised social media to achieve brand success. With 13 million YouTube subscribers, 3 million Twitter followers and 11.8 million Instagram followers, celebrity entrepreneur, make-up artist, and singer Jeffree Star has worked his way up to become one of the ‘original’ internet celebrities. 

As a key figure in the LGBTQ+ community, Star has made countless efforts to give back to his LGBTQ+ fans. One of the best examples of this came in the form of his cosmetics company, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, partnering with the Los Angeles LGBT Centre. Star launched a new product bundle specifically for this — the rainbow-coloured ‘Equality’ bundle, which contained a rainbow of liquid lip products. Proceeds up to $125,000 were donated to the centre in June 2018. 

Utilising the money he earned through discount code links with Jouer, Star donated towards the centre as well. Given his popularity among the digital generations, it’s clear that Star knows exactly what his customers want — for the brands and icons they follow to make meaningful gestures towards solving social problems. 

Gola Shoes

Veganism has taken the world by storm in 2019, and brands such as Gola have not been left behind. According to statistics from the Vegan Society, the number of British vegans had quadrupled from 2014–2018. But while most news headlines concerning veganism tend to be around the growing choice of food options available meat and dairy free, brands are also increasingly aware of their own products containing animal products. 

Gola has asserted itself as a trailblazer in terms of vegan trainers. With their new online ‘vegan’ badge and dedicated vegan section, customers can easily locate a range of footwear options that are free from animal materials and components.  The shoes have undergone intensive Ve-MAP chemical testing that identifies any trace of animal DNA from chemicals within Gola’s footwear and the manufacturing process, meaning customers can be assured of their purchase.

In addition, all Gola vegan styles are registered with the Vegan Society, the oldest vegan organisation in the world. Founded in 1944 the Vegan Society is a world leader in its field and Gola has partnered with them to give customers additional reassurances.

It’s a widely varied range too, with everything from celebrity-picked women’s classic tennis Mark Cox trainers, sported by actress Kristen Stewart’s stylist girlfriend, Sara Dinkin, to the timeless white and black contrast men’s classic trainers. 

Hopefully, the amount of brands making actionable changes towards inclusivity will only increase. While companies and brands can’t, and shouldn’t, present themselves to be resolving these societal problems entirely, their efforts to stand for something certainly don’t go unnoticed. 

Jeffree Star donates $125,000 to the LGBT Center of Los Angeles from BeautyGuruChatter

Sources: 

https://www.gola.co.uk/womens-gola-classics-c60/vegan-trainers-t189

https://my.morrisons.com/blog/community/quieter-hour/

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/314156

https://winsomeandcanny.com/home/2017/6/6/jeffree-star-gives-back-to-the-lgbtq-community

Guinness, Kit-Kat and Jaguar Land Rover – Quirky brand facts you never knew
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It’s easy to get carried away with our stereotypes and assume we know which countries love specific products.

We would rightfully expect sales of Yorkshire Tea to be high in the UK and Volkswagen to be the leading car manufacturer in Germany.

However, there are many global shopping trends that come as quite the surprise. Because many companies have grown to the status of global brands, their popularity has surged around every corner of the world.

What’s more, your favourite brands such as Kit-Kat sometimes completely alter their products to appeal to a whole new country of potential consumers. 

Read on to learn some little-known facts about the strange successes and unexpected alterations of some famous companies…  

Nearly 40% of Guinness is consumed somewhere in Africa

Despite the association we have between Guinness and Ireland, the drink’s homeland is surprisingly not its biggest consumer. In fact, Guinness is more popular in Nigeria which is the beverage’s second largest market. Most people associate this popular drink with cozy Irish pubs or rowdy St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. This all seems completely at odds with its hype in so many African countries.

A potential cause for this anomaly is that Africa is actually home to three of the world’s five Guinness breweries, with Guinness-loving-Nigeria taking pride in one of them. This explains the love of the drink over the African continent but, despite this, the UK still retains the top spot for Guinness consumption (with Ireland coming in a disappointing third place) 

Japan has over 80 different flavors of Kit-Kat

One brand that has gained a massive following overseas is Nestle’s Kit-Kat. Over in Japan, this tasty chocolate bar is adored and hugely popular. In fact, Japan is so obsessed with this snack that they currently sell it in over 80 different flavours! You’re familiar with the Kit-Kat chunky, dark chocolate and white chocolate, right? But have you ever tried flavours such as soybean, Earl Gray tea, Camembert cheese, baked potato and cucumber? I thought not! 

Some of these flavour options definitely sound more appealing than others, how many would you dare to try?

China is the new biggest market for Jaguar Land Rover

British brands like Land Rover are constantly growing their customer reach. Despite these cars perhaps being most associated with rural England, China has recently become one of their new biggest markets and their demand in Asia is every growing. 

One possible reason for this is that many Land Rover models such as the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque have been manufactured in China since the early 2000s. This increasing rate of manufacture has been reflected in the growing Chinese market.  

India is the country that drinks the most whiskey 

What do you associate most with whiskey? Perhaps you think of remote Scottish distilleries or the famous Edinburgh whiskey tours. Scotland is definitely the country that you’d assume loved this drink the most, but they have been pipped at the post by a surprising rival: India. 

Since 2015, studies have told us that India consumes nearly a half of the world’s supply of whiskey. To put it another way, that’s almost 1,600,000,000 liters of whiskey each year! 

Of course, India’s vast population gives it a certain edge in this competition. When it comes instead to whiskey consumption per capita, France takes home the trophy. On average, the French are known to drink more than two liters per person per year.

Mexico is the biggest consumer of Coke 

Although Coca-Cola is a brand that embodies everything American, the USA is astonishingly not actually its biggest market. To find the biggest consumers of Coca-Cola you have to look a bit further south, down to Mexico. 

The Mexican market for Coke products is immense, with the impressive consumption of 728 per capita! This massively outweighs even America who are the runners up at 402. No other country even comes close to these Coca-Cola fanatics. Of course, this is including all coke products rather than just their iconic eponymous beverage. When a company makes over 3,500 beverages, then it’s bound to up its number of consumers.

From drinks, to chocolate, to car brands, global businesses are making colossal waves in unexpected places. It is also clear that some brands are going the extra mile to mix-up their products to suit these new audiences, in weird and wonderful ways!

Image by engin akyurt from Pixabay

Brands urged to embrace the ‘purple pound’
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Businesses are being encouraged to register for Purple Tuesday to learn more about the purple pound – the spending power of disabled people and their families.

Over 13 million people in the UK, one fifth of the population, live with a disability and households with a disabled person spend a combined £249 billion a year.

But many businesses could do more to provide for disabled customers, according to the organisers of Purple Tuesday.

Purple Tuesday is an international call to action which will take which place on 12th November 2019. Created and coordinated by disability organisation Purple, it celebrates the power of the purple pound and asks businesses to make a commitment to improve their offer to disabled people. Businesses that register for Purple Tuesday will benefit from free resources from Purple on topics such as website accessibility and customer service training.

Last year over 750 organisations participated, including retail giants Asda, M&S and Sainsbury’s. This year, Purple Tuesday will engage with organisations across multiple sectors on an international level.

Geraldine El Masrour, Centre Manager of Motherwell Shopping Centre, worked with Purple to prepare the centre for Purple Tuesday and saw first-hand the impact of the day on her staff and customers: “Following Purple Tuesday, one of our Security Officers put his dementia training into action to support a shopper, who had previously been seen as disruptive, to make a purchase. The customer was so happy he cried.” Geraldine has since been nominated as Centre Manager of the Year for the SCEPTRE Awards, she says: “I’m sure that working with Purple and taking part in Purple Tuesday has helped me to be shortlisted and I’m looking forward to making continued improvements to our services for disabled people as we build up to Purple Tuesday 2019.”

Mike Adams OBE, Chief Executive of Purple Tuesday said: “Meeting the needs of disabled customers makes commercial sense for businesses of all sizes, from all sectors.

“Purple Tuesday is a milestone moment, but the issue is relevant 365 days a year. From retail to restaurants, tourism to insurance, we’re calling on businesses across all sectors to back Purple Tuesday and commit to changing the customer experience for disabled people for good.”

Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson said: “A day out for disabled customers should be an enjoyable experience to share with family and friends, but for so many it can be such a hassle that they end up staying at home instead.

“That is a terrible shame, not only for the UK’s 13 million disabled people but for Britain’s businesses who are missing out on the huge spending power of these valuable customers. It’s also not acceptable in this day and age.

“I want businesses across the country to get involved with this year’s Purple Tuesday and open their doors to disabled customers – not just on this day but all year round.”

Disabled people tend to be more brand loyal than the average consumer, yet less than 10 per cent of businesses worldwide currently include disabled customers in their marketing plans. By failing to meet the needs of disabled people, businesses could be missing out on a share of £2 billion a month.

As well as providing free resources for Purple Tuesday participants, Purple provides tailored accessibility consulting and support to businesses through paid Purple Memberships and Partnerships.

Purple Members receive benefits including website accessibility diagnosis with recommendations which are free of low cost to implement, as well as consultancy with Purple and support through the Government accredited Disability Confident programme.

A Purple Partnership is designed for organisations with experience of disability issues who want to benefit from longer-term consultancy to address employee, consumer and supply chain related issues. Both Members and Partners receive discounts on Purple’s additional training and auditing services.

To register for Purple Tuesday and join organisations across the globe in changing the customer experience for disabled people, visit https://purpletuesday.org.uk/.

GUEST BLOG: Why high-end brands need digital
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If you’re a luxury brand, it’s important to know that 80% of your sales are influenced by online activity. This figure shouldn’t come as a surprise in 2019, as this is the year where many businesses across industries have implemented a digital marketing strategy that ensures conversions.

Marketers of luxury brands have notably changed their ways. At one time, such companies would capitalise on exclusivity, mystery and the curiosity of the consumer. While this may still be true for some high-end names, understanding that your customers of tomorrow are hungry for digital is crucial in your next steps to future-proofing your business.

Mediaworks takes a look at the key areas that your brand should be focusing on this year…

Making your brand engaging through visual content

You need to ask yourself what makes your brand engaging online. If you don’t have a solid answer, that becomes a huge problem. Whether it’s through search or social media, your brand has the ability to reach customers more frequently. This means you must understand the user journey and intentions from their initial interaction.

Once you have identified customer touchpoints, you’ll be able to tailor visual content that they want to see from your company. This should range from strategic content marketing campaigns that drive your brand message while ensuring the promotion of specific product or services, to assets that can be produced with a quick turnaround and pushed out publicly to capitalise on emerging trends.

Using your insights to drive ideas

Taking advantage of the digital landscape allows luxury brands to gain a better idea of who their customers are. Using analytical tools, you can build an effective data strategy that will allow you to create a detailed picture of your customers’ personas — using their online behaviour, for example — which can feed into your business strategy.

The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight. The output of this data can be used to create a trend analysis, which can then determine your marketing strategy and how you can tailor specific content and products to them.

Having sales or survey data can be a great way of creating an angle for a content piece, to be pushed out to local/national media outlets. Analysing the data into a news hook can be a effective way of gaining online exposure for your brand, especially if the news hook/article is tailed to a specific publication where your target market are hanging out and interacting with.

Influencer marketing

If you’re a luxury fashion brand, consider reaching out to influencers in your space to see if they’d be willing to work with you on on-going campaigns. The best thing about influencer marketing is that the audience is already there, all you need to do is build a strong relationship where both parties are getting something out of it, whether it be a product or coverage. In fact, influencer marketing should be an active tactic in your social media marketing to increase brand awareness, get your content in front of fresh eyeballs, and generate new leads for your sales funnel.

Vodafone, HSBC and Shell top UK valuable brand rankings
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Consumers place more value on innovation as food and drink is named the most innovative sector in the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands ranking.

The rankings, compiled by  WPP and Kantar Millward Brown show newer brands Just Eat, Innocent, Deliveroo and Brewdog entering 2018 UK list, which has been extended to include 75 brands.

Vodafone remains at no.1 with an increase in value of 6% to reach $28.9 billion, followed by HSBC (+7%, $23.6 billion) and Shell (+10%, $20.3 billion).

The BrandZ UK Top 75 is worth $271 billion (around £205 billion) – equivalent to just over 10% of the UK’s GDP. The 50 most valuable brands on the list have gained 5% in total value in the last year, compared with the 2017 BrandZ UK Top 50. The top innovators increased brand value by 25% more than their rivals.

This growth has been driven by the Top 10 risers, which have grown at nearly four times the rate of the rest of the brands. The fastest riser is Prudential, which increased its brand value 40% in the last year, followed by Dyson (31%), Asos (31%), and Dulux (18%). The BrandZ research shows that consumers perceive these fast-rising brands as particularly innovative and good at communicating, and they also have much stronger brand equity than the average across the ranking.

The brands that have entered the UK ranking for the first time, which are worth on average $1.1 billion, include Just Eat (no.30), bet365 (no.44), Compare the Market (no.46) and Ocado (no.49). Consumers view them as highly differentiated, recognising them for ‘shaking things up’ and providing a great experience.

However, the older established names that remain at the top, such as Dove (no.10) and Shell (no.3), are worth $4.9 billion on average. These brands are considered less different, but more meaningful and top of mind.

Higher perceptions of innovation are proven to stimulate value growth: the brands in the BrandZ UK ranking that consumers perceive as the most innovative rose +18% in value in the last year, while the least innovative declined -7%.

David Roth, at WPP, said: “The nation’s most valuable 75 brands have all risen to the top in a highly competitive, crowded and uncertain environment. Consumers value innovation, and it is key to helping UK companies’ future-proof their brands, deliver sustainable growth and increase in value; ever more vital in a post-Brexit world.”

The 2018 BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable UK Brands

2018 Rank Brand Category Brand Value (US$bn) Percentage BV Change 2017 Rank
1 Vodafone Telecom providers $28.9 +6% 1
2 HSBC Banks $23.6 +7% 2
3 Shell Oil & gas $20.3 +10% 3
4 BT Telecom providers $13.6 -4% 4
5 Sky Telecom providers $12.0 +11% 6
6 BP Oil & gas $11.8 +4% 5
7 Tesco Retail $9.1 +2% 7
8 Lipton Soft drinks $8.7 +6% 8
9 Barclays Banks $6.3 -7% 9
10 Dove Personal care $6.0 +1% 11

The BrandZ research indicates that the UK is still catching up when it comes to innovation. In 2017, consumers perceived the UK’s most valuable brands as only slightly more innovative than the average brand, putting them at risk from global competitors and new disruptors.

The innovation score across the 50 most valuable brands in the UK was 102; in 2018 this has risen to 105 (the average brand is 100). This is lower than the 50 most valuable brands in the Global Top 100 (113), the US (111), Indonesia and China (both 108), Germany (107) and India (106).

Jane Bloomfield, Head of Business Development at Kantar UK, said: “Established and new brands can learn a lot from each other. Those older brands that form the bedrock of the UK economy have great staying power, having built salience and meaning. To grow, they need to work on increasing consumer perceptions that they are different, innovative and relevant.  The disruptors entering the ranking, meanwhile, need to make their difference meaningful and salient to consumers – if they fail to do so they could have a short lifespan.”

These are Britain’s favourite brand logos
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Britain’s favourite logo is Coca-Cola, with McDonald’s in second place and Disney’s Mickey mouse silhouette ranked third.

Coke’s iconic red and white symbol was first revealed in the late 1800s and has remained largely unchanged ever since.

It’s so popular the logo can commonly found on fashionable clothing items, homeware and other desirables – while vintage items featuring the logo can sell for thousands.

Commissioned by label makers Avery, the research of 2,000 UK adults found 62 per cent consider logos such as those belonging to Hard Rock Café and Ferrari to be ‘works of art’.

Fiona Mills, marketing director for Avery UK, said: “Last year we conducted research which highlighted the impact design and branding can have in terms of persuasiveness, consumer trust and consumer perception.

“The findings showed the results can be extremely powerful if you get the ingredients of label design spot on.

“These ingredients can include handwritten fonts, bold colours and shapes, emotion and use of heuristics – the brain’s mental decision-making shortcuts.”

Other logos in the top 10 include the emblems for Nike, Guinness and LEGO – along with those for Michelin and PG Tips.

Nostalgia appears to play a part with long established logos such as Fisher-Price, Oxo, Wall’s and Colman’s all featuring.

However relative newcomers such as Amazon, Google, Virgin and Starbucks made the top 40 too.

The research also found a product’s logo is so important it’s the first thing we notice about a product – ahead of the product’s name and even its colour.

Logos are also a key part of what makes a brand memorable – 46 per cent said they are the most enduring aspect of a brand.

A fifth are so loyal to particular brands they will specifically purchase branded products over non-branded counterparts – despite them often costing more.

But 33 per cent will only buy from brands they are familiar with – and for 53 per cent, familiarity makes them trust a brand more.

The poll also looked at the logos and brands we find most memorable from different decades – from the sixties through to the noughties.

And it emerged the eighties is the most popular era when it comes to logos, packaging and branding.

However 47 per cent think products and their packaging look better now than they ever have done before.

Branding belonging to Maxwell House, Nestle Milkybar and Kodak were found to be the most enduring of those from the sixties.

Old Spice, Fairy washing-up liquid and Wimpy were identified as the most recognisable from the seventies.

The most memorable ones from the eighties are Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nesquik according to those polled.

And similarly the most unforgettable logos from the nineties belong to Adidas, Lynx and The Body Shop.

While Costa Coffee, Dove and Red Bull’s are the ones most associated with the noughties.

TOP 40 – MOST POPULAR LOGOS

1. Coca-Cola
2. McDonald’s
3. Mickey Mouse (Disney)
4. Cadbury
5. Apple
6. Nike
7. Guinness
8. LEGO
9. Michelin
10. PG Tips
11. Oxo
12. Mercedes-Benz
13. Google
14. Levi’s
15. Adidas
16. Pepsi
17. British Airways
18. Volkswagen
19. Shell
20. Amazon
21. Wall’s
22. Goodyear
23. Toblerone
24. Colman’s
25. Virgin
26. AA
27. BMW
28. Pringles
29. Walkers Crisps
30. Fisher-Price
31. Kodak
32. Land Rover
33. M&S
34. Ford
35. Starbucks
36. Burger King
37. Tesco
38. Hoover
39. IKEA
40. Argos

Google top again in YouGov’s global brand health rankings
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Google tops YouGov BrandIndex’s annual global brand health rankings. In a list dominated by digital brands, the search giant stays ahead of sister company YouTube.

The ranking is based on over six million interviews over the 12 months to the end of June. It shows Samsung jumps one place from last year, climbing to third position as does messenger service WhatsApp, which rises to fourth. WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, falls two places to fifth.

There are three new entries in the top ten. While Amazon remains sixth on the list, IKEA enters the rankings at number seven. Colgate falls one position to eighth, while clothes brand Uniqlo makes the top ten for the first time in ninth place, while toy manufacturer Lego is another new entry at ten.

The rankings are based on YouGov BrandIndex data from across the world. BrandIndex operates in 37 countries across the globe, covering markets in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia.

For the list YouGov used data from 26 countries – data from markets that cover three sectors or fewer were not counted in the global top ten. The rankings use the Index score which assesses overall brand health. It takes into account perceptions of a brand’s quality, value, impression, satisfaction, reputation and whether consumers would recommend the brand to others.

Digital brands dominate this global ranking and with good reason. By their very nature the likes of Google, YouTube and WhatsApp are available in most places on earth to anyone with internet access. However, while many of the top five have only been around for the last decade or two, classic brands that have been around a good while longer also make the list. IKEA, Colgate, Uniqlo, and Lego, all still connect with the public and as a result have very positive brand health.

UK brand health rankings

YouGov has also released its UK brand health rankings. The list is characterised by the presence of brands that have been in the public consciousness for a long time. Traditional high-street favourites John Lewis and Marks & Spencer are first and third respectively while BBC-related brands – iPlayer and BBC One – are in second and ninth positions. Meanwhile Heinz makes an appearance in fourth place.

The rankings are drawn from over 1.46 million interviews in Britain conducted between July 2017 and June 2018. Each day consumers are asked their view on 1,384 brands in the UK, which allows YouGov to build a picture of how different brands are perceived by the general public, their own consumers, people considering using them, and their competitors’ customers.

YouGov’s analysis shows there are two new entrants in this year’s top ten – IKEA in fifth and Cathedral City in eighth. Ikea had a particular strong campaign in 2017, which featured its ‘Lion Man’ character. Sony is the most notable absentee from the rankings, having been in third place this time last year

Two brands from the global rankings are also in the UK list, with Samsung in sixth and Amazon in seventh. Pharmacy chain Boots rounds off the top ten.

Over the past year the retail sector has struggled to combat problems arising from ferocious online competition and increased business costs. However, in the face of this, the public clearly retains an affection for traditional high street brands with long and rich histories, such as John Lewis and Marks and Spencer. Similarly, while the BBC has faced challenging headlines over the past 12 month. But the public clearly still rates what the corporation offers and iPlayer and BBC One continue to be in strong brand health.

Most improved brand health

YouGov’s annual analysis also where the biggest increases in brand health have come in the past year. For several brands, escaping negative press coverage has seen an improvement in their scores, although many of them still remain in negative territory.

For example, Sports Direct, the most improved brand this year, has seen its score improve by +6.2 points, moving from -12.4 to -6.2. While in past years it has often garnered negative press, it has enjoyed a period out of the headlines and its Index score has now returned to mid-2016 levels.

Similarly, Southern Trains – for a long time blighted by strikes, cancellations, and ensuing adverse media coverage – has seen its score change from -16.1 last year to -11.3 now, an improvement of +4.8 points.

Value fashion chain Primark has made a notable leap in the past year – going from having negative brand health to positive. Its Index score improved from -0.9 to +2.7 in the last 12 months, an improvement of +3.6.

Elsewhere, Netflix continues to advance, with its score improving by +5.9 points (going from 19.5 to 25.4). Tech firm WhatsApp has seen its score increase by +3.5 – up from 18.9 to 22.4.

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