Adidas makes comeback with kids
Adidas was the “comeback kid”, according to a survey of the “coolest” brands among children and teenagers.
The findings of Beano Brain’s 100 Coolest Brands 2025 were based on a year-long study of 12,000 seven- to 14-year-olds. Beano Brain is the kids and family insights arm of long-running comic Beano.
Adidas’ affinity with Gen Alpha has increased, the study found, with the brand rising 15 places in this year’s rankings to 14th.
Beano Brain attributed this revival in performance to Oasis, which began their comeback worldwide tour this year, alongside the trend of children leaning in to their parents’ music and styles, such as Gazelle trainers and “blokecore”.
YouTube dominance
YouTube has retained its top spot from the 2024 rankings. Beano Brain attributed its popularity to the video platform’s mix of games, short videos and long-form content, which align with the needs of Gen Alpha.
Nike rose three places to overtake Netflix in second place. According to the study, this was fuelled by partnerships with Cristiano Ronaldo, Zendaya and its dominance in female casual clothing.
Notably, YouTube parent Google fell out of the top 25, dropping 14 places to 38th, with Beano Brain highlighting that, as young people begin experimenting with AI tools, the company’s dominance as a search engine is starting to hold less relevance.
Love of food
Meanwhile, food brands made up just under half of the top 20.
KitKat celebrated its 90th birthday by breaking into the top 10 for the first time, with the study citing its flavour range and famous “snap” that coincides with the online ASMR trend.
Nutella entered the top 20 for the first time in 12th place. The release of its ice-cream tub, which was backed by a £1.8m marketing campaign, was credited as diversifying the brand’s appeal and increasing its accessibility.
Domino’s broke into the top 10 at number eight, with Beano Brain highlighting how its products appeal to Gen Alpha’s appetite for global foods. Also of note was its “fun” side, with the success of a limited-edition Pepperoni Passion fragrance for Valentine’s Day.
Many of these brands fall into the less healthy foods (LHF) category. Advertising restrictions on TV, VOD and online for LHF products come into effect on a voluntary basis from October and formally in January 2026. Brands will need to get creative to adapt to the new rules while remaining appealing to young people.
Helenor Gilmour, director of strategy at Beano Brain, said: “Gen Alpha’s expectations of design, content and innovation is increasingly sophisticated because of the sheer volume of data available to them. Unlike previous generations, the world is literally a click away.
“Many of this year’s Beano Brain 100 Coolest Brands have a distinctly adult feel, but Gen Alpha adopt and adapt these brands to their own needs. These early interactions with brands will dictate the pattern of use for the rest of their lives.”
Dive deeper into how brands appeal to different generations and adapt to an ever-changing landscape at Adwanted UK and The Media Leader‘s Future of Brands, taking place on 29 April 2026.