Cadbury, Amazon and Pringles top Generation Y brand chart
Cadbury, Amazon and Pringles top the chart for the 100 most liked brands amongst 16-34 year olds, ahead of media and entertainment, according to a new survey.
The ‘Generation Y and Brand Loyalty’ study, commissioned by w00t! Media, took a national sample of 1,000 British young people and looked at the changing relationships they have with brands as they age from 16 to 34.
The study revealed that Cadbury is the most liked brand amongst the demographic (82%), followed by Amazon (78%), Pringles, Walkers and Heinz (all 74%).
Five media brands feature in the Top 100, led by BBC (ranked 14th overall), with the rest falling behind significantly – Channel 4 (24th), ITV (43rd), Sky (53rd) and Virgin Media (90th).
The top ten is completed by Google, Coca-Cola (both 73%), Galaxy (71%), Kellogg’s and Facebook (both 70%).
Popular online video site YouTube came in at number 12.
Though Apple led the technology and mobile brand, it ranked at 19th in the overall list – just a few places ahead of Robinsons and Colgate.
Twitter was the 35th most liked brand amongst 16-19s, compared to 70th overall, and American Express was the highest indexing brand amongst Generation Ys earning over £40,000 per year (index of 325) and social group ABC1 (147).
How brand preferences change from 16 to 34
The report identifies three life-stages within Generation Y and how brand preferences change. The ‘all about me’ stage are typically 16-21 years and only need to consider brands for themselves, not having to buy for partners or children; snacks, fashion and the internet dominate their most liked brands.
The ‘all about us’ stage are typically 21-30 and becoming independent – moving into their first home, moving in with a partner or stepping onto the career ladder. The most liked brands here start to include more alcohol, retailer and household grocery brands such as Colgate.
The ‘all about them’ stage are 25-34 years old and are accountable to other considerations such as a partner, children or a mortgage – which trump initial personal preferences. Their brand repertoire grows considerably and more family-orientated brands such as Johnsons, Warburtons and Kellogg’s appear.
“Despite all the media attention given to internet, technology and mobile brands, the top 100 overall shows Generation Y remain most fond of traditional food, drink and retail brands – which account for over half the entire list,” said Dan McDevitt, w00t! Media’s joint managing director.
“Regardless of age, two common denominators emerged about why brands appeal to Generation Y – the product’s perceived quality and performance,” he added.
“These ‘functional’ reasons run counter-intuitive to those who believe young adults are preoccupied with simply jumping onto the next big thing.”