Consumers tend to choose brands based on their emotional appeal, meaning that marketers are constantly striving to draw such a reaction from their target market. If consumers can be made to care about a brand, half the battle is won.
With this in mind, research by Joshua in conjunction with Marketing into the brands we most like and dislike offers some interesting insights into what motivates consumers to buy and provides valuable pointers for brands seeking to boost their popularity.
Nearly 3000 UK consumers responded to the online survey, which was conducted during February and March and builds on inaugural research conducted last year by Joshua and Marketing.
Joshua director Matthew Howells says one of the most significant changes since the previous survey is the growth in popularity of technology companies, reflected in eBay's debut at number four in the top-50 favourite brands list and Amazon's ranking at number 17.
This is partly due to increased internet penetration and the benefits of convenience that these brands provide. But Jonathan Hall, global client managing director of Added Value, adds that much of their appeal lies in the freedom and control they give to consumers, combined with their ability to create communities of users.
'EBay, for example, encourages consumers to initiate product development by asking them what they want in online forums,' he explains. 'The feeling of community that brands such as it and Amazon generate is very powerful, while consumers' ability to configure their own Dell PC and track it along the production line makes them feel in control.'
One of the key differentiators of popular brands to emerge from the research is good service, which in many cases, is reinforced by an online offering. Favourite brands such as Tesco, Next, Argos, Lloyds TSB, Thomas Cook and O2 all have sophisticated internet operations. As Ajaz Ahmed, co-founder and chairman of AKQA, points out: 'It is ironic that websites are providing better service than human beings in some cases.'
This should be a wake-up call to physical retailers and service brands because, according to Verdict Consulting managing director Richard Hyman, the internet will only ever be a secondary retail channel. 'It is very good for mission-driven shopping, but most shopping is done by women, who treat it as a social activity,' he says. 'They are open to buy if there is a persuasive offer. The internet is less able to provide those opportunities.'
The survey also indicates that customer loyalty is alive and well. A number of 'traditional' British brands feature in the favourites list, including British Airways, Marks & Spencer, Persil and Birds Eye. It is especially significant that BA and M&S rank so highly, given their recent problems and the fierce competition the two have faced from no-frills carriers such as Ryanair and retailers such as Next and Primark.
While these sentiments should be encouraging for brands, preference and consideration do not necessarily translate into sales. Consumers' feelings of warmth toward, nostalgia for, and even patriotism about, some brands will not stop them buying rivals' offerings if they think they offer better value or greater convenience, warns Interbrand UK chief executive John Allert. 'Traditional brands need to capitalise on their popularity by increasing their desirability and relevance, or risk being usurped by the new kids on the block,' he says.
Moreover, adds Allert, if a brand is disliked, it matters, even if it is high-profile. 'Absence of desirability means the brand is living on borrowed time, because people only buy on price and availability for so long,' he says. 'The British people are keen for BA to be the success story they grew up with, and will return to the brand in droves as soon as it can combine its prized brand values with greater accessibility.'
The bad news for creative agencies is that there seems to be little correlation between adspend and the desirability factor - or otherwise - of brands.
Those on the least-favourite list seem to be characterised by a lack of differentiation, bad service or poor quality, rather than their advertising.
TOP 50 LOVED (%)
Brand Total vote Gender Place of residence
2006 2005 Male Female North Mid- South
lands
1 Google 31.6 27.5 46.4 53.6 32.3 25.0 42.7
2 Tesco 28.6 23.7 41.5 58.5 31.4 23.9 44.6
3 Nokia 21.9 27.3 44.9 55.1 33.4 25.8 40.8
4 eBay 19.2 - 33.9 66.1 35.3 28.2 36.5
5 Persil 18.0 19.5 32.5 67.5 32.1 23.9 43.9
6 Dell 17.4 16.1 52.4 47.6 34.6 23.3 42.1
7 Coca-Cola 16.9 18.6 34.4 65.6 26.6 27.4 45.9
8 Debenhams 15.5 15.9 28.2 71.8 35.4 28.9 35.8
9 British Airways 15.3 17.0 44.2 55.8 31.9 24.2 44.0
10 BBC One 15.2 14.3 45.1 54.9 28.5 24.6 46.9
11 Birds Eye 15.2 16.5 35.0 65.0 33.0 27.1 39.9
12 Asda 15.0 17.1 37.0 63.0 39.2 25.6 35.2
13 IKEA 14.8 14.3 30.5 69.5 37.1 25.3 37.6
14 M&S (supermarket) 14.8 13.2 34.4 65.6 29.8 21.9 48.3
15 O2 13.9 11.3 42.6 57.4 39.7 21.3 39.0
16 ITV 13.2 10.3 26.9 73.1 35.0 30.2 34.8
17 Amazon 13.1 - 42.9 57.1 30.3 26.0 43.7
18 M&S (high-street shop) 12.6 10.1 38.1 61.9 35.9 25.7 38.3
19 Walkers 12.6 10.3 34.6 65.4 33.5 30.8 35.7
20 Next 12.3 10.5 12.0 88.0 38.3 23.8 38.0
21 Sainsbury's 12.1 12.8 42.9 57.1 21.7 25.3 52.9
22 Cadbury Dairy Milk 11.9 9.8 34.5 65.5 32.2 28.2 39.5
23 Crunchy Nut
Corn Flakes 11.9 12.0 32.3 67.7 30.3 23.8 45.9
24 John Lewis
(dept.store) 11.9 10.6 43.8 56.3 29.8 19.3 50.9
25 B&Q 11.8 11.3 46.2 53.8 39.3 26.8 33.9
26 Nike 11.6 11.6 40.5 59.5 35.9 21.0 43.1
27 Argos 11.4 9.1 39.8 60.2 36.3 28.9 34.8
28 Daily Mail 11.2 11.9 43.1 56.9 29.8 28.0 42.2
29 Hewlett-Packard 11.2 10.0 48.5 51.5 32.5 28.3 39.2
30 Bold 11.0 8.1 25.4 74.6 33.3 26.6 40.1
31 Orange 10.9 11.2 44.0 56.0 29.7 30.3 39.9
32 Galaxy 10.8 10.3 24.8 75.2 32.3 21.7 46.0
33 The Sun 10.8 9.9 38.8 61.3 29.7 22.8 47.5
34 Stella Artois 10.5 11.2 51.3 48.7 35.6 27.9 36.5
35 Pantene 10.4 9.1 20.4 79.6 35.0 23.0 42.1
36 Ariel 10.2 11.3 28.8 71.2 29.5 24.2 46.4
37 Heinz 10.1 9.5 36.5 63.5 34.6 24.6 40.9
38 Beefeater 9.7 8.5 43.6 56.4 35.6 27.7 36.7
39 Vodafone 9.6 11.3 26.3 73.7 33.7 21.8 44.6
40 Pringles 9.6 9.8 44.9 55.1 36.1 20.7 43.2
41 Cancer Research UK 9.4 9.7 39.9 60.1 33.1 29.5 37.4
42 Harvester 9.3 9.2 31.6 68.4 33.8 18.9 47.3
43 Channel 4 9.3 8.2 37.9 62.1 14.1 36.5 49.5
44 Weetabix 9.2 8.5 36.4 63.6 42.6 29.4 27.9
45 Morrisons 9.2 - 42.7 57.3 32.1 24.1 43.8
46 Adidas 9.1 8.9 45.4 54.6 39.4 26.0 34.6
47 Dyson 9.0 9.5 31.6 68.4 35.7 27.1 37.2
48 Ford 8.2 - 53.7 46.3 32.4 26.6 41.0
49 John Lewis
(home retailer) 8.1 8.0 38.3 61.7 29.2 18.8 52.1
50 Hotpoint 8.1 - 31.1 68.9 36.9 27.0 36.1
Source: Joshua ConsumerCheck
TOP 50 HATED (%)
Brand Total vote Gender Place of residence
2006 2005 Male Female North Mid- South
lands
1 Pot Noodle 20.6 18.3 33.1 66.9 32.2 25.2 42.6
2 QVC 19.2 16.5 52.8 47.2 32.8 23.2 44.0
3 Novon 15.2 13.6 27.7 72.3 32.1 25.4 42.5
4 McDonald's 14.8 14.6 49.4 50.6 32.6 26.0 41.5
5 Tiny 14.7 13.3 52.8 47.2 31.2 26.8 42.0
6 Fiat 13.6 12.6 54.3 45.7 36.0 23.5 40.5
7 3 13.4 - 44.6 55.4 34.6 23.6 41.9
8 The Star 13.4 13.1 43.7 56.3 29.6 22.4 48.0
9 Sunny Delight 12.9 14.8 47.4 52.6 34.8 24.6 40.6
10 The Sun 12.9 13.1 38.5 61.5 32.8 24.2 43.0
11 Lidl 12.7 13.4 35.5 64.5 27.6 20.4 52.0
12 Manchester United 12.6 14.5 54.1 45.9 36.3 27.2 36.5
13 Sky Sports 12.3 11.0 28.7 71.3 31.7 26.0 42.3
14 Snack-a-Jacks 11.9 13.2 35.0 65.0 35.6 26.6 37.9
15 TK Maxx 11.8 11.4 27.7 72.3 27.7 24.6 47.7
16 Pifco 11.7 10.0 32.9 67.1 34.3 23.3 42.4
17 Allders 11.7 9.0 44.8 55.2 31.9 25.3 42.8
18 Kwik Save 11.6 11.2 37.6 62.4 32.7 29.2 38.2
19 Ferrero Rocher 10.4 8.0 42.1 57.9 35.6 25.6 38.8
20 MFI 10.2 8.8 35.0 65.0 32.7 27.4 39.9
21 Daz 9.7 8.9 28.8 71.2 35.8 23.3 41.0
22 Head & Shoulders 9.6 9.1 15.5 84.5 33.1 27.5 39.4
23 Wimpy 9.6 10.3 31.7 68.3 36.3 24.6 39.1
24 Ryanair 9.5 - 52.7 47.3 29.2 19.9 50.9
25 Loyd Grossman 9.4 8.6 42.1 57.9 33.2 26.4 40.4
26 Alpen 9.3 8.8 40.2 59.8 31.9 30.1 38.0
27 Red Bull 9.2 8.7 34.1 65.9 33.3 26.4 40.3
28 Coco Pops 9.1 8.0 35.9 64.1 34.4 24.1 41.5
29 Pizza Express 8.9 8.8 39.2 60.8 33.8 27.4 38.8
30 Cadbury's Creme Egg 8.7 8.0 33.2 66.8 25.5 24.7 49.8
31 easyJet 8.7 8.1 40.9 59.1 31.1 23.0 45.9
32 Time 8.6 10.0 61.3 38.7 30.9 28.5 40.6
33 Harrods 8.5 8.5 44.8 55.2 31.0 25.4 43.7
34 Nobby's Nuts 8.5 - 26.6 73.4 29.8 27.4 42.9
35 IKEA 8.2 - 33.9 66.1 32.6 26.9 40.5
36 Dreft 8.2 7.8 47.7 52.3 34.6 25.1 40.3
37 Dyson 8.0 7.5 39.1 60.9 29.8 29.4 40.8
38 Spar 8.0 - 35.9 64.1 36.3 24.1 39.7
39 French Connection 7.9 - 33.9 66.1 33.0 28.8 38.2
40 Doritos 7.9 8.3 31.8 68.2 29.6 23.2 47.2
41 Harry Ramsden 7.9 8.4 36.9 63.1 36.5 24.5 39.1
42 Shredded Wheat 7.8 7.8 43.7 56.3 30.7 28.6 40.7
43 Mothercare 7.8 9.0 30.6 69.4 34.9 25.0 40.1
44 Financial Times 7.7 - 30.6 69.4 23.1 26.2 50.7
45 DH Evans 7.7 7.2 36.7 63.3 31.9 31.9 36.2
46 Beefeater 7.6 - 43.1 56.9 28.9 24.4 46.7
47 Citroen 7.6 - 27.9 72.1 35.8 22.1 42.0
48 Eurosport 7.6 - 59.7 40.3 29.2 26.1 44.7
49 Ask.com 7.6 - 13.3 86.7 30.1 28.8 41.2
50 Carphone Warehouse 7.5 - 30.4 69.6 29.0 25.4 45.5
Source: Joshua ConsumerCheck
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