News

Study says brand absence 'makes the heart grow fonder'

May 22, 2014

New research from marketing agency Momentum Worldwide says that people in countries with long-established consumer spending power — Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. — feel less connected with brands than those in emerging markets.

According to the research, brands operating in more developed consumer economies are less likely to forge meaningful relationships with customers than those in emerging markets, as global research reveals that over half of British, Japanese and American people report indifference towards some of the best known brands in the market.  

The study asked over 6,504 respondents across nine markets to classify their feelings towards well-known brands by types of interpersonal relationship: specifically whether they see a particular brand as a family member, friend, acquaintance or enemy. Over half (54 percent) of those asked in Britain would not consider brands as any more than an acquaintance. In Japan and the United States, 55 percent and 45 percent respectively, report a similar emotional distance from popular brands. 

In the U.K., only 15 percent would consider brands as a member of the family. Similarly, in Japan, which tops the list of nations where affection for brands shows up low, only 13 percent hold a similar affection for the brands for which they have identified awareness. This is in stark contrast with emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines where more than a third of those questioned would consider these brands as a member of their own family.

The report also shows a clear wane in brand affection among younger respondents — the Millennial generation. Globally, those who see brands as the closest to them are in the 25–31 year old bracket with more than a quarter (28 percent) of respondents considering them as a family member or a significant other. This drops by a considerable five points in the sought-after 18–24 bracket.

The study also asked respondents to score brands based on how authentic they think the brand is among their peers and social networks. There is an 89 percent positive correlation between brands that are seen as most authentic and brands which people would consider part of their family. 

"What we are seeing here is a critical case of brand fatigue for countries in which people have experienced a sustained and extensive exposure to brand messages," said Matthew Gidley, director of insight and strategyt at Momentum U.K.