Brands so hot - they're cool

Aston Martin, the iconic British sports car manufacturer, has been named coolest UK brand in the annual CoolBrands survey.

Pioneer of punk Vivienne Westwood is ‘en vogue’ topping the list of fashion brands with BBC iPlayer named coolest website.

Factors taken into consideration when judging the brands included, style, innovation, desirability and originality.  The process was independently managed by The Centre for Brand Analysis on behalf of Superbrands (UK) Ltd.

Researchers identifyed thousands of brands, which were then judged by a voluntary Expert Council and over 2,300 consumers.

This year Aston Martin reclaims its position at the top of the table narrowly pipping Apple’s iPhone to the post, a direct role reversal of last year’s results.

Aston Martin has topped the rankings four times out of the last five years showing that the quintessentially British brand is always held in high esteem by the nation.

When it comes to fashion, Vivienne Westwood tops the poll in the style stakes beating fellow luxury brands Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Alexander McQueen.

As well as iPhone polling at number two, iPod comes in at number three with the Apple brand itself coming in at number thirteen. However the ground breaking iPad doesn’t make the grade.

BBC iPlayer, Nintendo Wii and YouTube  feature in the top twenty showcasing the popularity for fun and accessible brands. Despite two luxury automotive brands in the top twenty (Aston Martin and Ferrari), Mini also makes the list, further highlighting that the top of the rankings is a concoction of ‘classic luxury’ and ‘down to earth’ cool.

In terms of specific categories, many of the leading brands have retained their pole position but there are also some interesting changes. In particular Harley-Davidson has knocked Ducati off the top spot when it comes to the coolest motorbike, Ray-Ban has replaced Rolex as the coolest fashion accessory and The Fat Duck has replaced The Ivy as the coolest restaurant.

Top 20 CoolBrands 2010

The expert council and consumers were asked to consider the following:

• Are they stylish?

• Are they innovative?

• Are they original?

• Are they authentic?

• Are they desirable?

• Are they unique?

The CoolBrands selection process was independently administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis Ltd.

A comprehensive database of the UK’s coolest brands was compiled using a wide range of sources, from sector reports to blogs. From the thousands of brands initially identified, approximately 1,100 brands were short-listed.

An independent and voluntary Expert Council scored this list, with members individually awarding each brand a rating from 1-10.  The lowest-scoring brands (approximately 40 per cent) were eliminated. A nationally-representative group of just over 2,300 UK consumers (accessed via a YouGov panel) were asked to vote on the surviving brands.

The opinions of the Expert Council (70 per cent) and the British public (30 per cent) were combined and the 500 highest-ranking brands were awarded ‘CoolBrand’ status.

Check out:

www.coolbrands.uk.com

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

Share on Facebook

Bookmark to:

Rage against the same old Christmas tunes

For years the incumbent X Factor winner performs the UK Christmas Number One song. (In fact as sure as mistletoe goes with holly).

However this year, Rage Against the Machine unexpectedly clinched the top spot by 50,000 copies (total sales 500,000) against X Factor winner Joe McElderry’s version of ‘The Climb’.

Zack de la Rocha from Rage told BBC’s Radio 1 Chart Show:

“We are very, very ecstatic about being number one.”

The LA rock band’s track gained the greatest download sales total in a first week ever in the UK charts.

A Facebook social networking campaign described by de la Rocha as an “incredible organic grassroots campaign,” reminded record brands, as well as others, that it should be consumers who call the shots – rather than egg-nog latte drinking marketing qualified men and ladies dressed in black suits.

Jon and Tracy Morter a husband and wife team put the campaign together. In 2008 the Morters planned to usurp the X Factor Christmas top slot with a track from Rick Astley. Jon Morter said:

“If anything, last year was fun. This year it has gone stratospheric.”

We call the tune – he still wins

Last week, media impresario and X Factor judge Simon Cowell described the Morters social network campaign as “stupid.  This week he offered the Morters a job.

”I offered them jobs at my record company. It could be in marketing or even running the company!” he told the UK Daily Mirror newspaper.

Rage Against The Machine is signed to Epic Records, part of Sony BMG, the same label as McElderry – managed by no other than Mr Cowell.

Jingle more change this year for the people who really need it

A good cause – a great track

To celebrate their chart victory, De la Rocha promised that the band would perform a free UK concert in 2010.  Guitarist Tom Morello said that proceeds from the single would go to the homeless charity Shelter tying in with the Morters’ Facebook campaign that included an online link to donate to the charity, raising over £86,000 so far.

Fair in victory, realistic in outlook

Speaking to BBC Breakfast Jon Morter said that the X Factor winner would still probably climb to the top of the charts. “He’ll be number one next week without a shadow of a doubt. He’s going to have a great career ahead of him.”

A Christmas miracle or portent of bigger change?

There is an ever increasingly larger silent majority of cynical consumers who are frustrated by conglomerates often perceived as bull-dozing their wares into the public consciousness.  With this in mind, over the mid-term, the X Factor Christmas miracle, might emerge as the lone bright sign in dark, that many have been waiting for; heralding a new kind of marketing approach for the wise men in black suits bearing gifts for a brand new decade of the 21^st century.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

Share on Facebook

Bookmark to:

Get that down you

This week has been an interesting one in terms of sexism and brands. Firstly radio advertisements for Mattesons smoked sausage featured a male voice, which stated “Mmm, Mattesons smoked pork sausage … Think about all the things you can stick this tasty, extraordinarily large sausage in… Mmm. Pizza, pasta, stir fry. You have any ideas? Give me a call and tell me where you like to stick it. Ladies, I’m waiting for your call … Mmm, Mattesons smoked pork sausage. You want it”.

All very salacious and full of innuendo. Then a survey conducted by AskMen.com of 5,000 men was published which revealed what ‘modern’ men really think. It makes interesting reading for most brands at pains to show that their products or services are metrosexual and politically correct. It is also especially relevant as it targets the traditionally cash-ready 18-34 year old age group who are particularly susceptible to brand messages

According to the study, eighty-nine per cent of UK men aged 18-34 thought that any girl they date should have marriage potential. Thirty-eight per cent thought that their partners shouldn’t have more than five former partners.

Seventy-eight per cent regularly make an effort to be romantic, but forty-three per cent would leave their partner if they became fat. Twenty-four per cent would change the moodiness and nagging of their partner if they could.

The survey suggests that men are really feeling the credit crunch. Sixty-four per cent are concerned about debt. And here’s an really interesting point that flies against modern marketing messages: a whopping eighty-four per cent are only mildly concerned about green issues. (This is probably down to being more concerned with today’s recession issues rather than looking towards the bigger economic problems of tomorrow).

Bring back Johnny Rotten

Traditional British cynicism is still alive and kicking among the 18-34 year old age group. Forty-six per cent of UK men would vote for a non-major political party in the next general election. Forty-one per cent want Stephen Fry to be next Prime Minister. As for the Queen, seventy per cent would prefer to become citizens rather than remain Royal subjects.

At work, sixty-eight per cent would not punch their boss in the face, even if they could get away with it. [Still leaving the boss to be on guard against thirty-two per cent of men who are willing to offer a lesson in Queensbury Rules. What’s more, given the opportunity, fifty per cent would punch a colleague.

Go for it Shelia

But does all this only affect British men? According to Askmen – the answer is ‘no’. Take their opposites selves on the other side of the world in Australia. 1.500 Aussie ‘blokes’ [as I understand the correct vernacular for them is] were also questioned.

Seventy-one percent believe in the institution of marriage but sixty nine per cent said they have fantasised about sleeping with their partner’s friends. Meanwhile fifty eight per cent feel that moral standards in business are on the decline. Ninety-five per cent said they would date a woman with a higher incomes, forty-six per cent believed women put too much value on financial worth.

Bye-bye bluebird

Only eighteen per cent of UK men are using the TV as the main portal for information and entertainment, with seventy-five per cent using computers as their main source. And bad news for Twitterers… Eighty-five per cent of men simply cant be bothered with it.

Ah well, better forget the last twenty years and resurrect drinking pints, ogle at slim Tory MP gals from Norwich. Hope my wife smashes through the career glass ceiling, stick up a finger up at the establishment and work on my pecs to show that boss a thing or two.

Now where should I stick this extraordinarily large url link?…

Jonathan Gabay
www.brandforensics.co.uk

(Source: AskMen.com survey was conducted on the AskMen site between 8th June and 13th July 2009). More of the results

Share on Facebook

Bookmark to: