Discover the UK's most loved brands
What makes a loved brand?
Explaining to colleagues, or the C-Suite, that your brand is a loved brand doesn’t in itself achieve very much. It’s important to triangulate outputs (your marketing communications activity); with out-takes (what people now think as a result, such as whether they love your brand); and business outcomes (sales, share price, and alike). Luckily, being a loved brand isn’t just another vanity exercise. Because brand love directly correlates to bottom line, with 86% of consumers spending more on the brands they love.
That’s why being a loved brand is important - because it’s reflective of the bigger picture. Our methodology isn’t just about counting stuff - it moves beyond quantitative analysis to incorporate three qualitative scores - The Passion Score, The Customer Satisfaction Score, and The Trust Score. The brands in this year’s top ten have nailed all three.
Take a stroll around your favourite city and you’ll no-doubt tick off most of the top 10 after visits to a few stores. They’re brands we trust, brands we’re always satisfied with, brands we have grown passionate about. They’re brands we love. Here they are:
- LEGO
- L'Oréal
- Olay
- Land Rover
- Head & Shoulders
- Nando's
- Oral-B
- Lacoste
- Lush
- Hasbro
1. LEGO
When it comes to your little prince or princess, only the best is good enough, and it shows.
One of LEGO’s biggest successes has been its ability to leverage its subsidiary brands and partnerships - such as LEGO Batman, Horizon Forbidden West and Assassin's Creed.
Consumer love online demonstrates how strong LEGO's partnerships are with thousands of hashtag mentions of Star Wars, Batman, Horizon, Sonic, Transformers, The Hobbit and many more. Source: Talkwalker
It’s precisely the breadth of product that sees such a range in the demographics of those engaging online - anywhere between the ages of 25-44.
2. L'Oréal
L’Oréal recognises that beauty is about more than looking good, but feeling good too. They embody this in the way they advertise, with people being the meain focus of almost 95% of their Twitter posts, according to Talkwalker.
The brand employs a range of ‘ambassadors’ - from Kate Winslet to Helen Mirren - women deemed to be both relatable, and aspirational.
This approach of people over product in turn builds trust, a crucial element of the Talkwalker Brand Love methodology.
Though, of course, it’s important to ensure these ambassadors and brand influencers truly reflect your brand and its message…
Helen Mirren makes L’Oreal’s skin crawl with admission moisturiser ‘probably does fuck all’ https://t.co/3A7idbxrOO pic.twitter.com/CANuR52pnI
— The Drum (@TheDrum) August 3, 2017
3. Olay
While L’Oreal’s marketing leans more towards building trust, customer satisfaction is the route of skincare giants Olay. According to glossy.com, “Olay is trying to appeal to millennials by positioning itself as a convenient and accessible approach to skin care”.
The article explains that in order to demonstrate convenience and accessibility, Olay’s ‘Face Anything’ campaign features a range of women - from Olympians to Business Owners - with different backgrounds and stories, to tangibly demonstrate that the brand can serve you through its product range no matter who you are or what product background you come from.
Its transparency aims to leave customers feeling satisfied, and with the brand in at number 3 on this year's Love Brands list, it sure does.
4. Land Rover
“So, baby, pull me closer, in the back seat of your Rover, that I know you can't afford”. The lyrics of this Chainsmokers track epitomises that Land Rover, acquired by Jaguar in 2008, is an aspirational brand - one which evokes passion and exudes excellence.
It is a brand disliked by only 8% of people and appears above the likes of Mercedes and BMW in this YouGov popularity polling.
It’s a brand of the stars, too, with many footballers seen cruising in their rovers to and from games on a Sunday afternoon. Though to get the full effect, it’s worth learning to drive first…
Luke Shaw. Brand new Range Rover. L plates.
Wish I was a footballer... pic.twitter.com/539u9wHPsw
— 90min (@90min_Football) August 29, 2016
5. Head & Shoulders
In at number five, people love this brand not just from their head to their shoulders, but to their toes! This is a brand that has identified opportunity, and taken action. Its ‘Free the Shoulders’ campaign looks to remove the stigma surrounding dandruff and, in the process, empower “1 million teenagers across Europe to stand against bullying in any form”.
Our partnerships are a vital component in the ongoing activities of our programmes. Today, we are spotlighting our partnership with Head & Shoulders through our Anti-Bullying Programme. Head over to @AntiBullyingPro to learn more about our #FreeTheShoulders campaign! pic.twitter.com/qbT738cIH6
— The Diana Award (@DianaAward) December 28, 2021
The Procter & Gamble range sits alongside a range of other star brands, including Pampers; Ariel; Tampax; Gillette; Febreze, Oral B; and more besides.
6. Nando's
Anyone for a cheeky Nando’s? Whether you like it HOT or you’re only brave enough for a bit of Lemon & Herb, Nando’s has become nothing less than a British institution.
As well as having a brand image many can relate to, Nando's works on being different, inventive and fun. The chicken restaurant chain demonstrably understands that successful brands, brands who are loved, do not sit back and execute the same old campaigns. They lead from the front in all their creativity and flair. And they nail it. Every time.
It helps when you get some brand love, from someone we all love. Ed Sheeran, international singer superstar, is one of them.
The star even has a black card. That’s right - free Nando’s for a whole year. And - you guessed it - that means free influencer marketing for Nando’s, too.
Get yourself some loving
Those are just six of the UK’s top ten most loved brands. But we’ve gone global! Download Talkwalker & Hootsuite’s Love Brands Report 2022 for the full insights today.
