All those claims about people being hardwired to their smartphones are true. Brand and marketing consultant Prophet asked 10,000 U.S. consumers which among 400 household brands across 27 industries were most relevant to them and, as quick as you can start an argument about iOS over Android, they came back with Apple and Samsung as one and two.
But Prophet’s Brand Relevance Index (BRI), which investigated the most popular household brands, was hardly just a fest. Rounding out the top 10 were Nike, Chic-fil-A, Lego, and Sephora. “There are several brand lists and rankings, but the BRI speaks directly to consumers to assess which brands are the most indispensable to their lives,” said Scott Davis, Prophet’s chief growth officer. (Go here for the Top 50 list.)
Besides utility, the study explored which brands excelled at continually seeking new ways to engage with consumers and forge emotional connections with them. Apple, as it happens, was best at that, too. It finished number one in all four performance categories: customer obsession, pragmatism, innovation, and inspiration.
Noticeably absent from the BRI Top 50 were Google and Facebook. Lack of trust in handling sensitive customer data weighed down their scores, according to Prophet.
In a suprise upset, consumers deemed Folgers (#25) more integral to their lives than Starbucks (#42), a triumph attributed to superior reach. BRI researchers found Folgers had a large following among non-urban consumers with small disposable incomes and limited access to Starbucks stores.
The 15 Most Relevant Brands:
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