News

Sears, American Apparel score big as least engaging brands

May 6, 2016

The top 10 least engaging brands includes some of the most prominent retail names, including American Apparel, Sears and Sports Authority, which filed for bankruptcy in March.

Also on the list is teen retailer Aeropostale, which just filed for bankruptcy this week, and fast-casual chain Cosi.

The top brand taking honors, though, is not a retailer but an automotive giant: Volkswagen garnered the lowest emotional engagement, according to the new Brand Keys’ annual 2016 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index.

Emotional engagement, according to Brand Keys, is a key measure of how well brands are delivering on shopper expectations.

"The fundamental reason these brands were rated so low for consumer engagement is because they were unable to meet the high, and ever-growing, emotional expectations consumers bring to the marketplace," noted Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, in an announcement. "These are the critical values consumers use to compare brand options when they shop. If a brand performs poorly, consumer displeasure not only shows up on the list butharshly in the marketplace. And, shortly thereafter, on profit-loss statements."

Showing up on the list again are Blackberry and Budweiser. Not on this year's list are McDonald's and A&F.