Google beats Apple and Facebook to top global brand health list
Tech brands including Google, YouTube and Facebook dominate YouGov’s first global brand health rankings, while retailers top the list in the UK.
Google has taken the top spot in YouGov’s first global brand health rankings, followed closely behind by YouTube and Facebook, as tech brands dominate globally.
The list is based on data from YouGov’s BrandIndex Index metric, which assesses overall brand health. This is determined by looking at perceptions of a brand’s quality, value, impression, satisfaction, reputation and whether consumers would recommend the brand to others.
Other tech brands that feature in the top 10 include Samsung, Whatsapp and Apple, with Toyota, Adidas and Colgate the only non-tech brands to make it into the ranking.
- YouTube
- Samsung
- iPhone
- Amazon
- Toyota
- Adidas
- Colgate
YouGov’s CEO of data products Ted Marzilli says while it may seem tech firms dominate, all the companies in the list have one thing in common – their “broad utility”.
“Tech brands dominate this global list and with good reason. By their very nature the likes of Google, YouTube and Facebook are open and accessible in most places on earth to anyone with online access,” says Ted Marzilli, CEO of YouGov data products.
“But all of the brands in the ranking are mainstream with broad utility at their core – and this is as true of the likes of Toyota and Colgate as it is for WhatsApp and Samsung.”
Retailers dominate in the UK
However, the situation is slightly different in the UK, where tech brands are overshadowed by retailers and longer standing brands. John Lewis topped the list in the UK, with brands including Marks & Spencer, Amazon, Heinz and Boots also making the top 10.
The BBC had three brands in the top 10 – iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Two. But it should be noted that the results were obtained before the BBC published its recent pay figures, which have invoked widespread criticism.
- John Lewis
- BBC iPlayer
- Sony
- Marks & Spencer
- Amazon
- BBC One
- Samsung
- Heinz
- BBC Two
- Boots
“While the global rankings are dominated by brands born in the past 20 years, the UK list is predominantly made up of ones that have been around a good while longer,” says Amelia Brophy, YouGov’s UK head of data products.
“The collapse of some big high street brands in recent years shows that this is no easy task, but as the UK faces an uncertain economic environment, having brand health steeped in history could help.”
YouGov also looked at the brands with the most improved health over the last year. These include companies such as Tesco, Whatsapp, Volkswagen and Coca-Cola. A number of streaming services are also included, with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Spotify making the list, suggesting the way consumers are accessing entertainment is changing.
