Who is winning the culture wars?

Kate McDougle, Director of Marketing at Added Value, delves into their Cultural Traction 2013 report to reveal which global brands are the most culturally vibrant.

Culture-led marketing strategy can be a critical part of creating brand growth. Brands that tap into culture well will prosper and grow. Those that don’t will wither. Given today’s tough climate this is worth strong consideration.

The study asked 62,950 people in ten countries across fifteen sectors and 160 brands to rate which brands are getting it spot on.

Culturally vibrant brands are those perceived to have the most Visionary, Inspiring, Bold and Exciting (VIBE) attributes. Tech titans Google and Apple dominate the global terrain with their VIBE. And yet, worryingly for Google and Apple, their VIBE scores have slipped by 8% and 10% respectively in the US compared to last year, even though they still hold on to the top slots. Is Apple losing its shine as smartphone rival Samsung swoops in? Facebook, noticeable by its absence in the top 20, suffered the biggest fall in VIBE score out of all the brands surveyed - down 20% - partly as a result of its troubled flotation and outcry over privacy concerns.

Samsung on the rise. Is Apple on the wane?

Although Apple emerges ahead of Samsung in the study, leading edge consumers are picking up on Samsung’s VIBE. The latter is enjoying a more consistent and stable VIBE across the globe. Apple lead in the US, Western Europe and Australia, but it’s a bumpier road in Asia, which suggests a narrowing of the gap between the brands. Currently, Apple ranks ahead of Samsung by market value. Samsung ranks ahead of Apple by sales. The findings in Cultural Traction™ 2013 suggest Samsung has the greater momentum moving forward.

IKEA: The Best Loved Swede since ABBA?

Leading the non-tech brands in the ranking is IKEA. The big blue and yellow box has built an empathetic persona around the world by focusing its offer and marketing on delivering clever small space solutions that are in tune with the struggling economic climate. It’s enabling people to indulge their appetite for design and to refresh their homes by being practical, friendly and enterprising.    

Coca-Cola: Still the king. How does it manage it?

Mainly due to a single-minded focus to make the world a better place by putting responsible business strategies at the heart of the brand and weaving aspects of these positive changes into their brand stories, expressed and delivered in ways that are responsive to cultural trends.

The Top 20 Brands:

For detailed case studies from the Cultural Traction 2013 report visit www.added-value.com/culturaltraction.