15 Brands That Have Built Relationships With Consumers
By Brett Dworski on Sep. 21, 2017NEW YORK -- Which brands have built the most intimate relationships with consumers? A new study by New York agency MBLM answers that question in 15 different industries, including three that are significant to convenience-store retailers. The 2017 Brand Intimacy Report measures how well brands in beverages, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and candy and snacks have built bonds with consumers. It segments the "strength of bonds" into three categories:
- Sharing: When the person and the brand engage and interact. Knowledge is being shared and the person is informed about what the brand is all about and vice versa. At this stage, attraction occurs through reciprocity and assurance.
- Bonding: When an attachment is created and the relationship between a person and a brand becomes more significant and committed. This is a stage of acceptance and trust is established.
- Fusing: When a person and a brand are inexorably linked and co-identified. In this stage, the identities of the person and the brand begin to merge and become a form of mutual realization and expression.
Using various components of those bonds, MBLM assigns each brand a Brand Intimacy Quotient (BIQ).
Here's a look at which brands fared the best and how their categories compare with others in the study ...
Beverages
Overall, beverages have a BIQ of 24.9, which ranks below the 15-industry average of 28.7. Moreover, the beverage industry is subpar for fusing, but performs at average levels for bonding and sharing.
With a BIQ score of 46.2, Coca-Cola is the top U.S. beverage brand in the study. It has the highest levels of fusing (4%), bonding (11%) and sharing (26%), and ranks tops in indulgence, nostalgia and ritual archetypes. The 131-year-old beverage company is the No. 1 brand for both men and women across all ages and income levels.
Although Coca-Cola leads by a fair margin, Miller Brewing holds the second spot on MBLM’s beverage list. According to the report, 12.2% of Miller’s consumers use its products daily, and 31.1% use them weekly. The brewing company has high levels in fusing (4%), bonding (6%) and sharing (17%), and is strong across six archetypes in the study, especially indulgence. Additionally, 12% of Miller’s customers are willing to pay 20% more for its products. Other brands in the top five include Pepsi (29.7 BIQ), Tropicana (25.2), and 7Up (23.3).
QSRs
The beverage industry isn’t the only struggling sector: The fast-food industry’s BIQ of 26.1 also rates below the 15-industry average, as noted in the report.
Starbucks sits atop the throne for QSRs with a BIQ of 36.0. The global coffee powerhouse also has the highest percentages of fusing (4%) and bonding (10%), and along with Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts, is strongest in terms of indulgence. The Seattle-based chain is most preferred among women, millennials, individuals aged 45 to 64, and those making $100,000 or more per year.
Runner-up Chipotle has a BIQ of 30.8 and the largest amount of sharing customers (21%), and is the most popular brand among men.
In third place, McDonald’s has a BIQ of 29.8 and a sturdy foundation of fusing (3%), bonding (6%) and sharing (17%). Additionally, the chain ranks first in the category for brands that customers can’t live without. The fast-food giant has strong associations across the enhancement, ritual (suggesting it’s a part of daily life), identity, indulgence and nostalgia archetypes. Moreover, 10% of McDonald’s customers are willing to pay 20% more for the brand’s products and services.
Consumer goods
Sweet tooths are prominent among consumers, as snacks and candy have an average BIQ of 34.5, ranking above the 15-industry average and fifth overall.
Hershey’s is the top brand in consumer goods with a BIQ of 49.7. The chocolate manufacturer has the highest fusing percentage (7%) and is most popular among both men and women, individuals aged 45-64 and those earning $35,000-$75,000. Additionally, it ranks No. 4 on the nostalgia scale, the most dominant consumer-goods archetype.
Chicago-based conglomerate Quaker—part of PepsiCo—has the top level of bonding (10%) and ranks second overall with a BIQ of 43.7. Sitting at the fourth spot with a BIQ of 37.8, Kellogg’s has the top percentage in sharing (23%) and is favored most by individuals earning over $100,000.
Other top five brands in this category include Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, with BIQs of 28.7 and 30.8, respectively. Pillsbury has slightly stronger numbers of bonding (8%), while Betty Crocker has more sharing (14%) customers. Both brands score high in terms of nostalgia.