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iPod, Viking Show Growth In Brand Strength

  • Fortune, Monday, September 18, 2006 12 PM
By creating an online music ecosystem virtually overnight through ultra-hip ads and letting customers play with products at Apple stores, the iPod tops a Landor Associates survey of "breakaway" brands. Results are based on consumer perceptions of variables, such as awareness and esteem, over a three-year period. Following iPod on the list are Viking (focused on lifestyle with cooking schools and travel); Converse (let customers design their own shoes and commercials); Robitussin (new packaging helped customers heal themselves); Best Buy (created customer-friendly services like personal shoppers); Kohl's (remodeled stores and developed exclusive partnerships); French's (redesigned its packaging and created new flavors); Geico (humorous commercials made customers feel like friends); Dove (positioned itself as an advocate for women and girls); eBay (expanded efforts to teach people to use the site safely). Three unmistakable themes emerged from this year's survey, and most of the breakaway companies are standouts in at least two. "Today it's all about trust, community and creating a dialogue with your customer that shares real knowledge," says Hayes Roth, chief marketing officer for Landor.

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