Contents Contents ..................................................................................................................1 Introduction..............................................................................................................2 Executive summary ...................................................................................................4 The coolest brands ....................................................................................................5 The “gaps” ............................................................................................................. 10 Final thoughts ......................................................................................................... 13 About the survey ..................................................................................................... 15
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
1/16
Introduction During the first two weeks of November 2010 the “Coolest & Gaps” survey was carried out for the third consecutive year. More than 4,200 responses were received from 28 different countries: • • • • •
Over 90% of the brands were proposed by professionals who work in functions directly related to that brand Over 80% of the responses were given by people aged between 25 and 50. 80% of the responses came from only 12 countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, USA, Holland, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Argentina, India, Canada, Italy and France Close to 80% of the respondents work in 10 sectors of the economy: communication, consumer market, education, professional services, construction, petrol and energy, healthcare, financial services, technology and tourism 50% of respondents either hold managerial positions and/or own businesses
This survey sought to determine two things: • •
Which is the coolest brand experience? What and how is the difference between cool experiences and those that promote the brand of the company/institution where the daily work is carried out by each of the participants?
To answer both questions and after taking into account observations made in previous years we defined what is meant by brand experience and what is meant by cool: •
What is a brand experience? o o
•
A brand experience is what we experience from the moment we want a product/service until we repeat It is the whole of what the brand says to me, its communication, the product and the services that accompany it, the value I give it, its availability... the possibility of establishing a dialogue
What is a cool experience? o
Products and/or services can be cool by virtue of seeing a necessity or prevalence in the life of a person; it is able to anticipate that and surprise, and continue to surprise, as do, for some people, Google or Amazon
It was also requested that, as far as possible, respondents answer using top brands that were recognised at a global level. This could be seen in the results which, unlike previous years, showed a higher concentration of suggested brands. There were a total of 114 valid brands proposed.
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
2/16
Unaided awareness and brand experience The most important aspect of this survey could possibly be that the question of the coolest brand was left open; there are no predefined brands to be voted on. The reason it is continued to be done this way is because the brand's unaided awareness speaks about the experience one has with a determined brand, while aided awareness makes the person remember aspects related to the brand communication, especially those associated with audiovisual advertising. Once the person proposes their cool brand, the following questions will add the rational aspects that make the decision, decryption and way to live the aforementioned experience. Subjects included are: • • • • • • • • • •
Brand, as a synthesis of what the company promises Communication, understood as advertising related events, PR, merchandising, etc. Availability of product/service when the experience is to be lived Taylor made, in that the experience is unique and personalised Interactivity, recognising the potential for dialogue with the brand that online use offers, especially web 2.0 The place which offers the product/service as a real space which breathes and transmits the values of the brand Related services such as customer services, complaint systems, guarantees, etc... Usefulness of the product/service as a way to assign value to the offer that goes beyond price That both the product and the company that offers it have a respect for the environment (eco-friendly) Social responsibility understood as visible and obvious actions that make the company in its relationship with society
These subjects are then ranked by the person for their company
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
3/16
Executive summary The 10 top hits of the “2010 Coolest & Gaps Branding Survey� 1. The first five spontaneously suggested brands are: Apple, Coca-Cola, Google, Nespresso and Facebook 2. Apple is the most recognised brand, in general, by country and economic sector where respondents carry out their activities 3. Amongst the top 20 brands, five of them can only be found online. Google, Facebook, Amazon, LinkedIn and Twitter 4. Two Spanish brands can be found in the Top 20: Vueling and Desigual 5. Luxury is no longer present in cool brands; their referential status is achieved by other means 6. Despite being cool brands, people admit that they should visibly work on issues of sustainability and social responsibility. 7. The most obvious difference between cool brands and places where people work are related to what the brand promises, the communication and the relationship between the internal and external audience while they are living the experience 8. Those working in the sector related to the brand are more critical when classifying the experience that their company proposes 9. Almost 50% of participants believe that their company does not adequately live the values the brand transmits 10. The study shows that it is still necessary to recognise that a brand experience is a business issue that requires further strategic thinking
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
4/16
The coolest brands For the third consecutive year, Apple has been voted the coolest brand at a global level However, this year there are additional elements that give even more weight to this choice: • •
Apple was the brand most often mentioned in each and every one of the countries from which the responses were obtained In absolute numbers it received more votes than previous years, although it didn't double the amount of the second choice, Coca Cola
At a national level, it is worth noting that the participation of Spain has grown significantly, compared to previous years, representing 15% of the responses. This means that, amongst the most popular, two Spanish brands appear in the Top 20; Vueling and Desigual.
The chosen coolest brands in 2010 are:
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
1 2 3 4 5
Apple Coca-Cola Google Nespresso Facebook
6
Diesel
7
Virgin
8
Amazon
9
H&M
10
Heineken
11
BlackBerry
12
GAP
13
14
Nike
15
Nintendo
16
17
Levi's
18
Vueling
19
Adidas
20
Desigual
5/16
Of the 114 brands mentioned, these top 20 represent 60% of the responses: • •
The Top 40 brands account for 75% of those mentioned The Top 60 brands make up 90% of those mentioned
The following 20 brands, which have between 41 and 67 mentions, are: • •
More than 50 mentions: Camper, Swatch, The North Face, Target, YouTube, Hugo Boss, Sony, Jaguar, La Martina, Ben & Jerry's, D&G, Stella McCartney More than 40 mentions: HP, Hyundai, Audi, Starbucks, BMW, Kia, Leica, Patagonia
Those that follow, up until the Top 60 recognised brands are: Samsung, TopShop, Toyota, Xbox, Pony, Ferrari, Harley-Davidson, McDonald's, Zara, Bourjois, Burberry, Burguer King, FC Barcelona, FedEx, Havanna, Madonna, Red Bull, Boheme - Luigi Bosca, Sephora and El Corte Inglés. The coolest brands by country There are differences by country, except in regards to Apple which, as previously mentioned, is present and is the brand that has the largest number of individual mentions. The presence of local brands can also be seen and they serve as a reference to those who have participated from those parts. Spain Amazon Apple BlackBerry Coca-Cola Desigual Facebook H&M LinkedIn Nespresso Nintendo Starbucks TopShop Twitter Vueling Zara
Argentina Apple Boheme, Luigi Bosca Coca-Cola Diesel Ferrari Google Havanna La Martina Levi's Nike Pony Revlon Starbucks The North Face Virgin
USA Apple Coca-Cola Google Nike Patagonia The North Face Virgin You Tube
Germany Apple Red Bull Stella McCartney
India Apple Peter England Zara
France Apple Carrefour Coca-Cola
Brazil Adidas Apple Azul Linhas Aéreas Burberry Google H&M Hyundai
UK Amazon Apple LinkedIn Madonna Vueling
The Netherlands Apple Heineken Leica Volkswagen
Norway Amazon Apple
Canada Apple Method
Chart 1 - Brands by country - Alphabetic For other countries, the individual results are limited and are useful at a general level, they do not ensure the relevance of the mentioned brand experiences.
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
6/16
The coolest brands by sector As has been done in the by country section, the industries with more participation have been considered and the brands with a high number of entries. Also by sector, it shows that Apple is the brand which has the highest number of individual mentions. Communication Adidas Amazon Apple Coca-Cola Google H&M Harley-Davidson Heineken Leica Method
FMCG Apple Burberry Coca-Cola Target The North Face
Energy Apple Coca-Cola Ferrari Nespresso
Health Amazon Apple Levi's Virgin
Education Apple Coca-Cola Google Nespresso Starbucks
Financial Institutions Apple Google
Professional Services Apple Ben & Jerry's Coca-Cola Desigual Diesel La Martina LinkedIn Pony Vueling You Tube
Construction Amazon Apple
Technology Apple LinkedIn McDonald's Nespresso Off Limits Samsung Sephora Sony
Turism Apple BMW Dell Virgin Vueling
Chart 2 - Brands by industry - Alphabetic About the coolest brands This year, several interesting facts can be seen: • • • •
Among the brands mentioned, offline and online experiences are mixed Some brands have fewer entries that in previous years due to indirect competitors Being cool provides a new understanding of luxury and status Cool brands are believed in, which does not imply being loyal to
If in the ‘90s the distinction was between the real world and the virtual world, this century we have begun to consider that these experiences are real, both offline and online. One might expect that in the coming years, this division will start to lose meaning. In any case, the message is that those experiences worth having, have both an offline and online presence, and the ability to interact with the brand is highly valued. Perhaps the most obvious case of loss of relevance this year is that of Starbucks. The lowest number of mentions it received is equivalent to those Nespresso received. The experience of having an ‘extension’ of our homes to enjoy coffee has changed to that of ‘enjoying’ a good coffee at home. This takes on more weight as it seems that in countries where Starbucks was more entrenched is where it has lost more dominance. Likewise, the emergence of Nespresso has also influenced the low presence of other brands such as Illy.
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
7/16
A cool experience helps people's referential status and moves away from the traditional idea of luxury. Something luxurious is not necessarily cool. A good example of this is the appearance in the automotive sectors of brands such as Hyundai or Kia, which are at the same levels of BMW and Audi. This is possibly because of the effect of a change of paradigm where: • • •
It's not about owning a car, but about living the experience What is important is the flexibility over the object that it allows If the buying process has an emotional trigger the decision process is more rational 10 9
8,3
8,2
8
7,3
7,1
7
6,7
6,5
6,2
6,2 5,7
6
5,2 5 4 3 2 1
po ns
ib ili ty
en t nm ir o en v th e
fo r R es pe
Pr o
ct
So ci al re s
ity ra ct iv In te
ad e rm Ta ilo
Se rv ic es R el at ed
Av ai la bi lit y
Pl ac e
ca tio un i m Co m
du ct
/S er v
ic e
U
Br an
sa bi lit
n
y
d
0
Chart 3 - Assessment of the cool experience Finally, people recognise that they "believe in" brands even though that is far from making them "loyal" to these brands. Whether it is because of image distortions and/or more information, at the moment of ranking the experiences there is more honesty, in any case it highlights areas where companies should work on in-depth and professionally. The results show: • • • • •
•
Cool experiences are not a "10" anymore, nor do they deserve it. The fact that the brand transmits a promise is recognised, it is useful and it communicates adequately Strategies based on "limited resources" are beginning to be disliked and/or make people choose other brands There still remain those who are in contact with customers and consumers who live the values that the brand promises in an observable and measureable way There is an implicit requirement for an increased desire for interactivity with brands. Along with the desire of experiences that are ‘more personal’, this could be understood as a need to look into corporate social networking further than just a presence in general networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The issues of sustainability and social responsibility remain on the "to do" list. Again, it is not what they say they do, but what they are actually doing.
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
8/16
Some comments from the participants • • • • • • •
Apple Rocks! Its “Time to market” is perfect It’s something unlike anything else, which leaves a mark and will continue to do so on the customer-company experience, and the relationships between people It is, by far, the manufacturer of large-scale computers most concerned about the environment on a global scale. They are socially responsible, at the cutting edge and innovative They understand that it is all about the experience to be lived Trends, alternative, subcultural, unique This brand was able to attract more youths than the iPhone, taking into account that as a design, it’s boring
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
9/16
The “gaps” Interestingly, the things the respondents mostly recognized in "cool" brands were the greatest shortcomings that mark their own businesses. On this point, it appears that there is a strong need to work and / or continue working on: •
Positioning and brand architecture: o o o
•
Either the brands are promising less than what they are or they overpromise and this makes them not credible Communication has little effect, possibly because their levels of interaction (which is then pointed out) is minimal and/or inadequate In any case, it would be a subject for further planning and premeditation
Location, availability and service: o o
These aspects have a strong negative bias related to people inside and out of the system This will be easier to understand when the response to how the values of the brand are lived in-house in companies is seen
Chart 4 - "Gaps" in regards to relevant brands
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
10/16
y si bi lit So ci
ad e rm Ta ilo
al re sp on
en th e fo r Re sp ec t
iv ity ra ct
te d Re la
Av
e Pl ac
ai la
bi li
ty
Se rv i ct / od u Pr
In te
ce
n ca tio un i m om C
Br an d
Se rv ic es
U sa
bi lit
y
vi ro nm en t
On the other hand, people are beginning to recognise that their companies are more aware of offering tailor-made solutions to their customers In this case it should be noted that amongst the mix of participants, the service industry is a heavy weight and that will affect the results of this specific question.
Finally it is noted that issues related to sustainability and social responsibility continue to grow in importance, however, they are still below cool brands, which is to say that they are issues on which further work is required. "Gaps" for people who are involved in branding and those who aren't It is interesting to see where the biggest differences are, regarding what a brand experience is, between people who work in areas related to brands and those who don't. In general, those working in related areas are more critical when assessing their brand experiences
Availability
Social responsibility
Place
Tailormade
Brand
Interactivity
Communication
Respect for the environment
Related Services
Product/Service Usability Related
Unrelated
Chart 5 - Differences between those related and not related to branding That said, the vision that the brand promises, the communication, related services and the availability of the product are assessed consistently and with a low spread of results. By contrast, in the areas of sustainability, reputation, relationships with audiences (interactivity) and the ability to provide personalised solutions; internal public not related to the brand are more lenient with their marking. In all cases, it is maintained that relationships with external audiences are far from what is desired.
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
11/16
The internal brand experience While half of the participants have a positive view on how brand values in their businesses are lived, the other half thought otherwise. 40%
38%
35%
29%
30%
25% 22% 20%
15% 11% 10%
5%
0% Excelent
Good
Neither good, nor bad
No
Chart 6 - Live the brand in-house Looking at the results in detail it can be seen that: • • •
One in 10 people work in a business where brand values are not lived Seven in 10 people recognise that something must be done so that brand values are lived, are observed and measured Three of every 10 people live brand values explicitly o o
5% of these people voted their own company as a cool brand The vast majority occupy management positions in those companies
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
12/16
Final thoughts Paying attention to the proposed brands, several thoughts about the way people recognise brand experiences come up, and in many cases they are far from what was assumed. One idea that can be drawn from this study is that cool brands are understood and are well on the path to building a reputation. Reputation
Relevance
Understanding
Depth
Extent
Range • Points of contact of the brand experience Coverage • Level of intake for the brand experience
Filtering • Inability of messages to get through Recognition • Ability to arrive, without implying a preference
Belief • Functional and emotional preference for the proposed value Consumer motivator • Association level to the proposed value
Relevance • The ability to reduce uncertainty Enforceability • Ability of the brand experience to lead their audience to action
Time
Another observation is that luxury goods, with some exceptions, are no longer considered cool. This gives greater weight to trends over more rational shopping processes and that the flow of the experience is more important than possessing the product in order to live it Private thoughts The presence of online experience continues to grow, especially those generated by general social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. It is more important to be connected than the person who provides the service that makes being connected possible. While brands such as Apple, BlackBerry, Nintendo or Sony are mentioned, there is no mention of telecommunication companies. The automotive sector has opened the door to massive car manufacturers such as Hyundai, Kia and Toyota, compared with Jaguar, Audi, BMW and Ferrari (one of the few exceptions in luxury goods).
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
13/16
The clothing industry can be divided into three main areas: • • •
Masstige with brands such as Stella McCartney, Hugo Boss, D&G, La Martina or Desigual Mass with brands such as Target, GAP, H&M, TopShop or Zara Sports associated with recreational activities o o
Performance bias: Nike, Patagonia, The North Face Urban bias: Adidas, Pony
Airlines are beginning to be understood by experience rather than the ticket cost. Hence, these brands offer "something more than just flying": Virgin, Vueling, Azul Linhas Aereas Beverages, hot or cold, ready to drink or not, are few: Coca-Cola, Heineken and Nespresso. The only sports club mentioned as a cool brand is FC Barcelona, even, as in the case of Vueling, beyond its borders. Financial institutions, considered one of the industries that most works on their brand image, have only received a few scattered references. Specific thought on "gaps" While there is an evolution on how brands are considered, the most important idea that comes from the study is that further work is needed: • • • •
Consider that the brand experience is a matter of business (institutional) as it is limited only to questions of aesthetics and / or fashion, or that it is an issue related to communication Build a brand strategy that, together with vision and a mission, make the promise made to audiences key for the company, regardless of whether these are external or internal Convert into brand evangelists those people (employees and subcontractors who are viewed by customers as part of the company) who are present "in the moment of truth"; i.e. when there is contact between external and internal company audiences. Recognise that people want to interact with brands and that this is not just a fad that happens with no intentional strategy in social networks
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
14/16
About the survey The survey was conducted online from the 01.11.10 to the 15.11.10 inclusive. Participants OK Deleted
4.212 13
Branding related areas
93%
By economic sector 1 Professional Services 2 Communications 3 Technology 4 Education 5 FMCG 6 Health 7 Turism 8 Financial Services
% 23% 18% 8% 5% 4% 3% 2% 2%
65%
By Country 1 Spain
15%
624
2 United Kingdom
9%
390
3 United States of America
9%
371
4 Netherlands
8%
325
5 Brazil
6%
261
6 Germany
6%
234
7 Norway
6%
234
8 Argentina
5%
215
9 India
5%
203
10 Canada
5%
195
11 Italy
4%
12 France
4%
13 Mexico
3%
161 80%
156 117
14 Venezuela
2%
93
15 Finland
2%
80
16 New Zealand
2%
79
17 Belgium
2%
78
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
42 41 40 39 39 39 35 34 32 29 26
By responsibility Managerial + Owners Academics
50% 5%
2.106 217
By age Up to 25 26 to 35 35 to 50 51 onwards
6% 30% 51% 12%
263 1.270 2.168 511
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
Australia Chile Colombia Denmark Ecuador Peru Puerto Rico Romania Switzerland Ukraine Uruguay
15/16
The brands mentioned and their rankings: Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Brand Apple Coca-Cola Google Nespresso Facebook Diesel Virgin Amazon H&M Heineken BlackBerry GAP LinkedIn Nike
Mentions 287 171 160 151 150 130 128 123 119 104 103 99 98 97
287 458 618 769 919 1.049 1.177 1.300 1.419 1.523 1.626 1.725 1.823 1.920
% 7% 11% 15% 18% 22% 25% 28% 31% 34% 36% 39% 41% 43% 46%
Ranking 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Brand Boheme - Luigi Bosca Sephora Corte Ingles Dell Au pain quotidien Axe Off Limits DMC El Toro de Osborne Ford Fred Perry Lotus Tiffany Volkswagen
Mentions 12 12 11 11 10 9 9 7 6 6 5 5 5 5
4.052 4.064 4.075 4.086 4.096 4.105 4.114 4.121 4.127 4.133 4.138 4.143 4.148 4.153
% 96% 96% 97% 97% 97% 97% 98% 98% 98% 98% 98% 98% 98% 99%
15
Nintendo
96
2.016
48%
72
Method
4
4.157
99%
16
93
2.109
50%
73
Azul Linhas AĂŠreas
3
4.160
99%
17
Levi's
91
2.200
52%
74
BBVA
3
4.163
99%
18
Vueling
89
2.289
54%
75
Carolina Herrera
3
4.166
99%
19
Adidas
88
2.377
56%
76
Carrefour
3
4.169
99%
20
Desigual
81
2.458
58%
77
Kelme
2
4.171
99%
21
Camper
67
2.525
60%
78
Lacoste
2
4.173
99%
22
Swatch
67
2.592
62%
79
Ponoko
2
4.175
99%
23
The North Face
66
2.658
63%
80
Rolex
2
4.177
99%
24
Target
63
2.721
65%
81
Siemens
2
4.179
99%
25
You Tube
61
2.782
66%
82
Betfair
1
4.180
99%
26
Hugo Boss
60
2.842
67%
83
Bottega veneta
1
4.181
99%
27
Sony
60
2.902
69%
84
Bullfrog Power Canada
1
4.182
99%
28
Jaguar
59
2.961
70%
85
Burton
1
4.183
99%
29
La Martina
58
3.019
72%
86
Chipoltle
1
4.184
99%
30
Ben & Jerry's
54
3.073
73%
87
etsy
1
4.185
99%
31
D&G
53
3.126
74%
88
Faith & Fortune
1
4.186
99%
32
Stella McCartney
52
3.178
75%
89
Hakei
1
4.187
99%
33
HP
49
3.227
77%
90
Korres
1
4.188
99%
34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
Hyundai Audi Starbucks BMW Kia Leica Patagonia Samsung TopShop Toyota Xbox Pony Ferrari Harley-Davidson McDonald's Zara Bourjois Burberry Burguer King FC Barcelona FedEx Havanna Madonna Red Bull
48 45 45 44 44 43 41 40 40 39 38 37 36 36 34 33 32 27 25 24 17 17 15 13
3.275 3.320 3.365 3.409 3.453 3.496 3.537 3.577 3.617 3.656 3.694 3.731 3.767 3.803 3.837 3.870 3.902 3.929 3.954 3.978 3.995 4.012 4.027 4.040
78% 79% 80% 81% 82% 83% 84% 85% 86% 87% 88% 89% 89% 90% 91% 92% 93% 93% 94% 94% 95% 95% 96% 96%
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114
Me miraval Miu Miu netflix NIXON NOS Energy Drink part of th OVA1 Peter England Progressive Auto Insurance Ray-Ban Revlon Rickshaw Bags Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket TERNUA The Motley Fool Trader Joe's Under Armour Unicef Union Square Hospitality Gr Universal assistance Vermillion sky Whole Foods Market www.thebigbulbplant.com Zipcar
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
4.189 4.190 4.191 4.192 4.193 4.194 4.195 4.196 4.197 4.198 4.199 4.200 4.201 4.202 4.203 4.204 4.205 4.206 4.207 4.208 4.209 4.210 4.211 4.212
99% 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
101130_CGBS_Results_EN.doc
16/16