LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Added Value reveals
the cultural vibrancy of over 70 brands from across fourteen
sectors in its fourth annual USA
Cultural Traction™ 2014 report released today.
The Top Ten brands are:
- Tesla Motors
- Google
- Amazon
- Apple
- Samsung
- Microsoft
- Etsy
- Nike
- Ford
- Coca-Cola
The Cultural Traction™ 2014 report involved 7,500 respondents
surveyed across the USA, with
research conducted by Added Value, the WPP-owned global strategic
marketing and insights consultancy.
Culturally vibrant brands are those seen as having the most
Visionary, Inspiring, Bold and Exciting (VIBE) attributes. VIBE is
a proven indicator of future brand success.
Several shifts have transpired on the cultural brandscape since
2013, with Tesla gliding into the pole position, ever so
narrowly passing reigning champ Google, and lapping all
other luxury car makes. Amazon's VIBE climbed 10% as the
company continued to reach into previously unchartered territories
(cell phones, drones!). Apple, once the poster child
for a brand that radiated VIBE, remains a strong force to contend
with, but has continued to slide from atop the perch it held four
years ago, when first measured. (Note: our survey was taken
just prior to the release of the iPhone 6.) In contrast,
Samsung continues to put pressure on Apple, as its VIBE
continues to grow. Unassuming Etsy has crafted a space
among the Top Ten as King of the maker economy, with Millenials, in
particular, tossing out eBay from the Top Ten with a brand
experience that is more real, personal, and fun.
Ford's category leadership in social, and growing
emergence as the 'fourth screen' drives the brand forward, gaining
11% in Cultural Traction. Nike continues to find its
greatness, sprinting ahead of Adidas once again proving how it can
infiltrate our cultural psyche without necessarily sponsoring The
Great Events. And omnipresent, perennial favorites
Microsoft and Coke prove their staying power.
Says Maggie Taylor, CEO of Added
Value North America, "Culture is constantly evolving. We use
Cultural Insight to uncover what is emerging for our clients, and
track their cultural health, to better enable them to anticipate
and make the most appropriate next steps. We're in an age
where people seek a multiplicity of brand experiences,
super-personalized connectivity, and deeper, more meaningful
interactions with the world around them – including the brands they
affiliate with. Tesla, Google, and Amazon stand apart from the pack
as those best leveraging, even driving, these shifts in
culture."
Other highlights of Cultural Traction™ 2014
Top 10 vs. Bottom 10
Brands with the greatest cultural
vibrancy are more likely to hit the trifecta of 1) delivering
purposeful and compelling visions for positive change, 2)
establishing truer, deeper, more lasting connections with people,
and 3) enriching brand experiences to be more open-ended and
on-going.
Jaguar – the Big Cat has awoken
Jag is enjoying the
largest leap, posting the biggest gains in Cultural Traction from
the dozens of brands measured. Summoning its deep British
heritage to showcase its expanding lineup of sleek saloons, tying
them to Cool Brit Villainy and wrapping it all in a cheeky
#GoodToBeBad quasi dare is a classic case of culture-led
marketing.
Target. Nailed.
Target's rough year has been one of the most challenging in recent
memory, with a highly publicized data breach and the ousting of
their CEO, leading to the greatest fall in Cultural Traction, a
whopping 27% year-on-year.
Fresh brands face stale positioning
Chipotle,
TOM'S and Dove all losing some Excitement and Inspiration as others
take up The Cause.
Red Bull hits the
wall
To be sure, the brand takes direct aim at Millennials
who value spontaneity, non-stop action, and bold challenge. But
even among this bulls-eye target, its VIBE is only tepid
A Most Interesting Vibe: Dos Equis and Absolute
Vodka
While their competitors remain flat, Dos Equis and
Absolute Vodka's VIBE fizzes.
Facebook
The social media giant, once at the forefront
of the social media revolution, now fails to Inspire and its brand
VIBE is down 25% since 2011.
Not so pretty in pink
T-Mobile, in the bottom of the
pack, is weakest amongst men.
Virgin soars, American and United fail to take off
But
it's Delta who emerges as the most Inspiring
Added Value's Cultural Traction™ 2014 report examines how top
brands have managed to stay culturally relevant year after year,
and illuminates the cultural shifts and trends propelling
them. The online study was executed by Lightspeed
Research.
The Cultural Traction™ 2014 report and case studies can be
accessed via www.added-value.com/culturaltraction
Contacts
Maggie
Taylor, CEO Added Value North America
maggie.taylor@added-value.com +1 323 436 6610
Zoe Dowling, VP Research
& Development and Offer Innovation, Added Value North America
Zoe.Dowling@added-value.com +1 323 436 6647
Media Enquiries
Lisa
Gruber, Added Value lisa.gruber@addedvalue.com (212)
548-4710
About the Cultural Traction™ 2014 study
This
year's USA Cultural Traction™
report involved 7,500 respondents across the US, including more
than 70 brands in fourteen sectors. The online sample was
sourced, and project executed, by Lightspeed Research.
Cultural Traction™ is assessed by measuring the change in a
brand's VIBE score - that's how Visionary, Inspiring, Bold and
Exciting it is perceived to be - over time.
For complete case studies of brands covered by Added Value's
2014 Cultural Traction™ survey, please visit:
www.added-value.com/culturaltraction
About Added Value
Added Value is WPP's strategic
marketing consultancy providing brand strategy, innovation, insight
(including award winning cultural insight) and communications
services to global, regional and local clients. The consultancy's
major clients include Land Rover, AT&T, PepsiCo, Heineken, GSK
and is focused on delivering impactful strategy that works. Added
Value has 17 offices in 11 countries across Europe, North
America and Asia-Pacific,
extending its reach to best serve clients' needs. The people who
work at Added Value create a unique culture, which has achieved a 2
star accreditation with "Best Companies to Work For 2014".
Added Value is part of Kantar, the data investment management
division of WPP, the world leader in marketing communications
services. Visit us at added-value.com, follow us
@AddedValueGroup.
About WPP
WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY) is the world's largest
communications services group, with billings of $71.7 billion and revenues of $16.1 billion, providing national, multinational
and global clients with advertising; media investment management;
consumer insights; public relations & public affairs; branding
& identity, healthcare communications, direct, digital,
promotion & relationship marketing and specialist
communications. The company employs over 162,000 people (including
associates)in 3,000 offices in 110 countries. For more information,
visit www.wpp.com
WPP was named Holding Company of the Year at the 2012 Cannes
Lions International Festival of Creativity for the second year
running.
About Lightspeed GMI
Lightspeed GMI is an
award-winning global digital data collection enterprise. Founded in
1996, its innovative technology and proven sampling methodologies
deliver operational excellence throughout the online research
process. With more than four million online research respondents in
40+ countries, Lightspeed GMI‟s proprietary panels deliver
unparalleled quality, capacity and targeting.
Headquartered in Warren, New
Jersey, Lightspeed GMI is part of Kantar, the data
investment management division of WPP, the world leader in
marketing communication services. For more information,
visit www.lightspeedgmi.com
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SOURCE Added Value