Dive Brief:
- Procter & Gamble's Dawn was the most-favored brand by women, with an impression score of 62.8 from February 2018 to January 2019, up from third place last year, according to a YouGov analysis. The rankings are based on a scale of -100 to +100 and gathered sentiments on 1,700 brands.
- Amazon came in second place with an impression score of 61.6, followed by Hershey's at 60.9 and M&M's at 60.3. Skincare brand Dove made the list for the first time and took the fifth spot with a score of 58.4. Black & Decker and the Mayo Clinic also made the list for the first time, and Google, Cheerios and YouTube fell off the ranking.
- Security brand Ring saw the biggest improvement with women, with its score jumping from 6 in 2018 to 14.3 this year. GNC, Best Buy, Planet Fitness and Cabela's also saw large gains.
Dive Insight:
The YouGov analysis is the latest research to underscore that brands should look for ways to support or express opinions on social or political issues to best resonate with consumers. Women, more so than men, like it when brands get involved in social issues, and 72% of women appreciate it when companies incorporate a moral message in their advertising, YouGov said. Once seen as a risky move, consumers are increasingly basing purchase decisions on a brand's stance on the issues important to them.
This could be why Dawn topped the list, as the brand has showcased its commitment to wildlife conservation in its marketing. Its "Dawn Helps Clean Wildlife" was rated as the most powerful ad for Q3 2018, according to an Ace Metrix analysis. The ad received high scores for attention and likeability, and its "tough-on-grease" tagline had the highest purchase intent.
Millennial woman especially like to get to know their favorite brands and tend to seek out ones that they are proud to support. Nearly half of millennial women said they know their favorite brand's origin story, who founded the brand and follow someone affiliated with the brand on social media, according to research by Merkle and Levo. Fifty-seven percent said their purchase decisions were driven by a brand's values and stances on issues that were important to them.
The YouGov analysis offers interesting insights around which brands have made the best impression on female shoppers, a key demographic for most brands. Marketers should note what these brands are doing to create emotional connections or otherwise resonate with consumers, especially as consumers see most content from brands as irrelevant and not meaningful. Consumers said 77% of brands could disappear and no one would care, according to a recent report from Havas, but the brands viewed as meaningful and working to make the world a better place were able to drive wallet share and purchase intent.
