Household Brand Names vs. Social Media Stars

In a time when your brand's social media fanbase seems to mean everything, an interesting new survey from Forrester supports the notion that trust, and not buzz, is the key to building a strong 21st century brand.

"Too many brands today are caught up in the need for creating buzz — gathering likes and social marketing cooler talk — at the expense of building a critical foundation for trust," writes Forrester Principal Analyst Tracy Stokes.

To the contrary, a survey of of 4,500 United States online adults showed that household name consumer packaged goods brands that have been around for decades often control mindshare and thus market share.  

They ranked Crest, Gillette, Dove (in the health and beauty category) and Kellogg's, Heinz and Kraft (in the food and beverage category) ahead of all other brands when it came to striking the right balance of being trusted, remarkable, unmistakable and essential —"TRUE" brands as Forrester puts it.

"…These brands have taken the necessary steps to build lasting brand resonance with consumers," writes Stokes.

On the other end of the spectrum, the survey showed that newer brands like vitaminwater struggle to resonate with consumers.
 
In her new research, Stokes takes a deep dive into how two brands have followed the TRUE brand compass to garner consumer loyalty above other options in the industry:

• Dove builds consumer trust with its "Campaign For Real Beauty." Consumers rank Dove strongly on critical category attributes of "providing a consistent experience every time I use the brand" and "having products/services that consistently deliver on their promises." Its campaign was a bold move that eschewed storytelling norms to change the way women are perceived and how they view themselves — and it's paid off. Not only has Dove grown from a $200 million soap brand in the 1990s to a $4 billion megabrand today, but it has overpowered facial care giant Olay, which falls behind on Forrester's brand ranking.

• Gatorade refocuses on its athletic roots to solidify its core following. While not as widely acclaimed as soft drink giant Coca-Cola, Gatorade stays true to its brand North Star to "enable athletes to always perform at their peak." Its marketing strategy has a one-two punch, affiliating the brand with athletic performance backed by scientific research for its products, and even tops Coke on the brand ranking with its core target audience of twenty-something men. Its refocused efforts have pulled the brand back from market share decline to garner a dominant 46 percent share of the global sports drink market and $4.7 in brand value.

 
To learn more about these brand rankings, visit Forrester Principal Analyst Tracy Stokes' blog. 

To learn more about Forrester's TRUE Brand Compass framework and methodology, visit Data Insights Innovation Analyst Roxana Strohmenger's blog.