Whittaker’s still our favourite but Cadbury fighting back

COLMAR BRUNTON MEDIA RELEASE

12 September 2016

Whittaker’s still our favourite brand but Cadbury fighting back

Whittaker’s has increased its lead over the field as New Zealand’s most loved brand but there are some big movers in this year’s top 20 with arch-rival Cadbury closing the gap.

In the 2016 Brands I Love rankings released by Colmar Brunton this week, Cadbury comes from outside the top 10 last year into the top five behind perennial top four – Whittaker’s, All Blacks, Air New Zealand and Tip Top.

This year’s Brands I Love report is characterised by a number of fast risers and new entrants to the top 20, most notably Lotto, Fisher and Paykel, Lewis Road Creamery and Anchor.

Colmar Brunton Chief Client Officer, Sarah Bolger, says the big movers are reaping the rewards of their brand building efforts over the past year.

“Lotto is a great example of this. They have refreshed their brand and have won back the hearts and minds of the NZ public with an engaging campaign over the past 12 months. They have rocketed from 47th position last year to be 19th equal this time,” she says.

While Lotto is the single biggest mover – up 14 points and 28 places, Fisher and Paykel has jumped 15 spots to 12th, and Anchor and Lewis Road Creamery are both up 14 spots to 16th and 19th equal respectively.

Ms Bolger says the likes of Cadbury, Lewis Road and Anchor are further examples of brands that have been very visible and innovative over the past year.

“Being top of mind and forging a meaningful connection with consumers helps to build financially strong brands, Ms Bolger says.

“These brands have all been very active in the market, introducing new products to appeal to consumers and investing in brand advertising campaigns and activations. And when you look at Cadbury and Lewis Road Creamery you can see that this is a winning formula for both new and long-established brands.”

“These brands appear to have followed the lead of Whittaker’s, who have kept their brand moving in the right direction with a number of high profile partnerships, new products and a winning brand advertising campaign.”

Whittaker’s increased its brand love by 8 points to 65% and extended its lead over its nearest rival to a record 10 points.

While there are plenty of brands rapidly climbing the rankings, there are some former favourites that Kiwis appear to be falling out of love with, based on the 2016 Brands I Love report.

Wattie’s drops from sixth spot last year to 12th in 2016. Pak ‘n’ Save, a regular in the top 20 for the last three years with a highest ranking of 11, is dethroned by Mitre 10 as the country’s favourite retailer and disappears from the top 20, along with TVNZ, Briscoes and Sanitarium.

And there’s no sign of a comeback for ‘iconic’ New Zealand brand L & P, last sighted in the top 20 in 2014.

A representative sample of 1000 New Zealanders were surveyed online and the survey has a maximum margin of error of + or – 3.1%.

ENDS

About Colmar Brunton

Colmar Brunton was started in 1981 by two Kiwis with a passion for taking consumer research ‘from the backroom into the boardroom’. It is now New Zealand's best known and most trusted market research company, with offices in Auckland and Wellington, and employing more than 100 research and business consultants. Colmar Brunton is a Kantar Millward Brown company. The Kantar Millward Brown network covers more than 51 countries around the world, as part of WPP's insight, information and consultancy group.

For further details see www.colmarbrunton.co.nz.

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