APCO recently published a list of the 100 Most Loved Brands, and the winners might surprise you. As they should, considering branding, business and culture have changed a lot since we hit the millennium. The list is truly a mixture of the old big-hitters, the new world-changers, and some randos thrown in for good measure. (Click through to see all brands, or read about it on Adweek for their context.)
The first thing you will probably say is, “Why is Yahoo! at #2?” Me too. I don’t have an answer for you there. But I bet Marissa Mayer took a break from retooling some major part of the company over the weekend to take a shot or two at this news.
But there are a lot of telling insights to be drawn from the rest of this list. Overall, I would say it confirms what many of us sense as a major sea change in branding. In the last century, the rock star brands were basically unnecessary, unhealthy food brands who did massive amounts of marketing (Coke, McDonald’s etc.) And, maybe because of childhood impression turned into adult ritual, we still consume those brands regularly and maintain that childhood imprint of wonder and affection.
Yet as those brands sink, edging their way up, slowly but sturdily, are different kinds of brands. Useful brands, which significantly change our lives, and ethical brands that change how consumerism works. Examples of the first would be Google, Apple and Amazon, and a powerful example of the latter would be Whole Foods showing up at number 8. Whole foods beating Coke. Now that’s a huge deal.
The next notable group would be brands that provide access to consumers of all price ranges – access to pop culture, access to fashion and access to the home goods necessary to carve out your adult life in a rough economy. Yes I’m talking Netflix, Target and Ikea.
The final big class I’m noticing is large heavyweight brands who have managed to stay relevant to consumers through innovation and connection with culture – Nestlé, Kellogg’s and General Mills. Plus maybe people just love food.
Nike sitting all the way at 18 comes as a surprise. I would have put it in the top 10. But Nike has been very innovative and still connects with fans a lot better than other heavy hitters. It’s faring a lot better than McDonald’s (all the way down at 69) and Starbucks (96).
And Disney being #1 might seem due to the clout they built up in the last century, but they’re still doing amazing stuff today.
Who’s absent from the list? Best Buy for one. MTV (do people still want their MTV? Not anyone I know). Burger King. American Express (a surprise since they’re doing some really cool stuff). Chipotle (can that be?).
A few general lessons we can learn:
-Healthy (or the perception that a food is healthy) is edging out empty calories.
-Cultural clout doesn’t always reflect consumer realities, or Chipotle would probably snatch a high spot from a brand like Yahoo!.
-Brands whose products aren’t necessary or useful will need to create products that are to stay afloat. They should consider developing healthier or more useful products rather than putting all that money into advertising.
-While department stores and mass chains may be less popular with Gen Y, big companies are still putting the most effort into innovation and aren’t having a hard time staying in customers’ hearts.
What are your observations?
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