Recently, a survey of 70,000 consumers revealed the top 100 brands in the world. Some of the results were surprising but some were very predictable. Before taking a look at some of the results, it should be noted that the factors involved in the survey were as follows: understanding, relevance, admiration, approachability, curiosity, identification, empowerment, and pride.
That’s right…all emotional cues and factors.
So what can we learn from the results? Well, take a look at the Top 5.
- The Walt Disney Company
- Yahoo!
- Sony
- Nestle
Google is no surprise, but not many people expected Yahoo to top them. Some believe it is the ever-evolving model of Google’s mail systems that caused the slump. As for Disney being at the top, the fact that they own damn near everything probably helped in this regard as this makes them relatable in more ways that any competitors can manage.
There were a few other interesting things of note scattered throughout the list. A few examples:
- Coke was 3 spots ahead of Pepsi
- Facebook was ranked at Number 81—probably because of the approachability factor
- Whole Foods came in at number while McDonald’s came in at Number 68.
Proctor and Gamble was listed at Number 28 while Johnson and Johnson was Number 47. - Despite their vast popularity, Starbucks only managed to land at Number 96.
- Lowes came in at Number 10 while their closest competitor, Home depot, me in at Number 54.
So what can we learn from this? Maybe a lot. In the case of Starbucks, maybe it’s a case of over-saturation. They are everywhere, after all. And McDonald’s coming in so far behind Whole Foods is a key example of how the public is becoming health conscious.
More than anything, the list shows us that popular opinions concerning brands can fluctuate at the drop of the hat. Find your favorite brand on the list and compare it to some competitors to see how you might be able to better build your own brand to reflect the successes of these brands and prevent the failures of some others that didn’t make the list.
