iPhone continues its reign this year as the most-loved brand in America--but
As a marketer, you’re probably fixated on things like “connection” and “engagement”—words as fitting in discussions about dating and relationships as in those about brands. And no wonder: We want people to love our brands, just like we want them to love us. That way we know they’ll keep coming back for more.
New Media Metrics has developed a way to measure just that: How much consumers love brands. Called the LEAP Index, for Leveraging Emotional Attachment for Profit, the proprietary methodology gauges consumers’ emotional attachment, or EA, to brands in 38 categories to predict purchase behavior.
The LEAP Index debuted in 2010, with the iPod topping the list. A year later, the iPod did it again. The iPod has slipped since then (No. 13), losing relevance at a time when smartphones have taken over as music players. But while gadgets still rank high overall, this year, the iPhone has slipped, too--it still holds the top spot, but its EA strength has waned by 2.2%.
Gaining ground on the index are travel, vacation and entertainment brands, like Disney Cruise Line (No. 3) and Disney Parks (No. 4), Universal Studios (No. 10) and Sea World (No. 16). Luxury car brands also rank highly, with Lexus at No. 2, Jaguar at No. 7,
"We think this year’s ranking has lot to do with the economy bouncing back," said Denise Larson, principal and co-founder of New Media Metrics, in an email.
"The fact that Disney Cruise Lines, Universal Studios, Sea World and Six Flags all increased in EA seems to indicate increased confidence (in the fact that people are willing to enjoy family travel again)," she said.
There also appears to be fierce competition across many categories as brands work to protect market share. "They're fighting for fewer [consumer] dollars," Larson said.
"It does come to a very competitive marketplace where brand becomes more important," said Gary Reisman, New Media Metrics principal and co-founder.
Meanwhile, insurance brands State Farm and Liberty Mutual, solid brands that emphasize relationship, held steady, while Mutual of Omaha, Nationwide, Prudential, Geico and Esurance dropped – "perhaps caused by people thinking a little less about insurance overall due to confidence," Larson said.
Walmart had a 15.5% decline and Target fell off the list, perhaps also reflecting economic confidence and less of an interest in value shopping only. Similarly, value-based family restaurant Red Lobster declined in EA strength by just over 12%, while Olive Garden dropped off the list of the top 100. And other than In-N-Out Burger, no other quick-serve restaurants make the list as a top brand – not McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC or Wendy’s.
Click here for the full report and list of top 100 brands; below are the top 25.
