••• brand research
Forget newfangled
Clean, comfortable and low-tech brands rank highest
Longstanding household names Quilted Northern, Jockey and Dawn beat out trendsetting technology brands in San Francsico consultancy Landor Associates’ 2013 Breakaway Brands study. The only brand born in the digital era to make the top 10 was Amazon – along with its Kindle subbrand – and Apple fell off the list entirely.
The report ranks U.S. brands based on successfully sustaining growth in brand strength over a three-year period (2009-2012) and analyzes data from Young & Rubicam Group’s proprietary BrandAsset Valuator. There were four elements responsible for helping brands sustain long-term growth.
Insightful market research. At the top of Landor’s Breakaway Brands list, Quilted Northern began its road to success in 2008 when the brand launched its three-ply Ultra Plush toilet paper in response to market research that showed that affluent women ages 45+ were willing to pay more for cleanliness. Its scores jumped more than 1,000 percent between 2009 and 2012.
Smart innovation and product extensions. No. 2-ranked Jockey introduced its Staycool technology and the antimicrobial Jockey Sport line. Dixie (No. 7) expanded beyond paper cups to a super-strong line of disposable products called Dixie Ultra. Febreze (No. 6) launched Febreze Sport and Febreze Sleep Serenity. While it was once just a burritos and taquitos line, Jose Ole (No. 8) now offers almost everything you’d find in a Mexican restaurant. The oldest brand on the list, Thomas’ (No. 9), known for its English muffin, now makes bagel thins and pitas. Lego (No. 10) targeted girls with its Lego Friends line.
Demonstrating social responsibility. In the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Dawn (No. 3) used its soap to clean affected animals. This year, it used TV advertising and launched a series of YouTube videos about how Dawn is used in oil cleanup efforts that featured Rob Lowe’s narration and compelling footage of animals.
Targeted engagement. Amazon’s (No. 4) Amazon Prime program delivers highly relevant and valuable perks to repeat customers. Jockey’s Twitter campaign encourages users to hashtag their workout updates with #everydayathlete.
In addition to the 10 breakaway brands, Landor chose five brands for its 2013 Watch List: Apple, Keurig, Reynolds Wrap, Microsoft Windows and Ford Sync. The Watch List brands have shown exceptional brand strength but face long-term uncertainty.
www.landor.com
••• employee research
Not so fast, Don Draper wannabes
MR analyst ranks fourth in underrated jobs; ad account exec most overrated
Working in marketing research might not be the most glamorous of professions but it still ranks among the top five on Carlsbad, Calif., job search site CareerCast.com’s list of the most underrated jobs of 2013. Completing the top five are computer systems analyst, veterinarian, biologist and accountant – all of which are considered rewarding, low-stress, high-growth and offer a positive hiring outlook and competitive pay. Other jobs that made the list include electrician, plumber, accountant and librarian.
The top 12 most underrated jobs:
- Computer systems analyst
- Veterinarian
- Biologist
- Market research analyst
- Accountant
- Emergency medical technician
- Legal assistant
- Civil engineer
- School principal
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Librarian
On the opposite end of the spectrum, topping CareerCast.com’s list of most overrated jobs are those that face high stress and long hours. While the perception that working at an advertising or public relations agency handling big-name accounts and working with celebrities is fun and exciting, the reality is often different. Employees in these highly competitive industries are often overworked and underpaid and likely to lose their jobs if a large account moves to another agency.
The top 12 most overrated jobs:
- Advertising account exec
- Surgeon
- Stockbroker
- Public relations manager
- Senior corporate executive
- Event coordinator
- Architect
- Commercial airline pilot
- Attorney
- Computer programmer
- Economist
- Psychologist
••• coupon research
Marriage saves?
Survey shows married adults more promo code-happy
Online promotional codes and coupons have become more prevalent among retailers in recent years while other events such as the economic downturn have caused consumers to be savvier savers. According to a survey conducted by Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive on behalf of PromotionalCodes.com, Santa Monica, Calif., married individuals shopping online are more likely than single online shoppers to use promotional codes (71 percent vs. 63 percent).
The survey also found that 74 percent of online shoppers with children in the household at least sometimes use promotional codes when shopping online, compared to 67 percent of those without children present. Comparing women to men, 76 percent of females at least sometimes use promotional codes when shopping online versus 63 percent of males.
Thirty-two percent of college graduates and those with higher education always/often use promotional codes when shopping online, compared to 27 percent of those with a high school education or less. One-third of those with a total yearly household income of $75,000 or more always/often use promotional codes when shopping online, compared to 24 percent of those with a total yearly household income of less than $35,000.
www.harrisinteractive.com
••• advertising research
In TV we trust
Traditional media remain most trusted as new methods gain ground
Whether it’s advertising via old standbys like TV, newspapers and radio or via newer media like mobile and online, earning consumer trust is the holy grail of a successful campaign, according to the Trust In Advertising report from New York researcher The Nielsen Company. The good news for advertisers is that consumers around the globe are more trusting now than they were several years ago and trust in online advertising is increasing, as is trust in ads on TV, radio and movie screens.
Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, often referred to as earned advertising, are still the most influential, as 84 percent of global respondents across 58 countries said this source was the most trustworthy. Trust in advertising on branded Web sites increased 9 percentage points to 69 percent in 2013 as the second most-trusted format, a jump from fourth-place in 2007. Sixty-eight percent indicated that they trust consumer opinions posted online, which ranked third in 2013. In addition to an increase in trust in messages on branded Web sites, 56 percent of respondents said they trust consumer-consented e-mail messages, an increase of 7 percentage points since 2007.
For other online advertising, almost half said they trust ads in search engine results, online video ads and ads on social networks. Forty-two percent trust online banner ads, up from 26 percent in 2007. Forty-five percent believe display ads on mobile phones are credible and 37 percent trust text ads on mobile phones, up from 18 percent in 2007.
Ads on television, in newspapers and in magazines continue to be among the most trusted forms of paid advertising. Trust in television ads increased from 56 percent in 2007 to 62 percent in 2013. Sixty percent trust ads in magazines, a 4 percent rise over 2007. Newspaper ads were the only format to decline in the six-year period, as 61 percent of respondents found newspaper ads credible in 2013, two percent from 2007.
Ads on radio (57 percent) and before movies (56 percent) both gained consumer trust, reporting increases of 3 and 18 percent, respectively, since 2007. Trust in brand sponsorships (61 percent) increased 12 percent from 2007. Trust in billboards and outdoor advertising (57 percent), TV program product placements (55 percent) and editorial content such as newspaper articles (67 percent) were not included in Nielsen’s 2007 survey.
www.nielsen.com
••• health care research
Paging Dr. Google
Consumers rely on the Web to research health care
Online health information, including medical resources and patient community connections, continues to play an important role in patient education and self-care. According to a survey conducted by Makovsky Health, New York, and Culver City, Calif., research company Kelton, the average U.S. consumer spends nearly 52 hours looking for health information on the Internet annually but only visits the doctor three times. Further, physicians remain a key influencer sparking online health research, as Americans are most likely to visit a pharma-sponsored Web site after receiving a physician’s diagnosis (51 percent).
WebMD remains the most accessed online resource for health information (53 percent), followed by Wikipedia (22 percent), health magazine Web sites (19 percent) and advocacy group Web sites (16 percent). Social media channels continued to rank relatively low, with YouTube being used by 12 percent of people searching for health care information online and Facebook and blogs both visited by 10 percent of Americans. However, social media channels are visited by 24 percent of consumers who use at least one or a combination of these platforms to seek health care information.
With respect to health care reform research, 65 percent of respondents have spent less than an hour or no time at all searching over the past year. On the other end of the spectrum, 15 percent of Americans have spent more than six hours researching health care reform and 10 percent have logged between one and two hours of research.
www.keltonglobal.com