What Are the UK's Most Loved & Unloved Brands?

London ad agency isobel has conducted timely research to establish the UK’s most loved (and unloved...) brands.

The survey, conducted in association with OnePoll, polled 1500 UK consumers (18+ and nationally representative) and asked them to identify brands against a number of ‘love’ characteristics. The survey also asked respondents to identify those brands, if any, they hated.

Amazon, the internet retail giant, is the UK’s most-loved brand polling almost half of the votes (48%); the next three places are taken by food stalwarts Cadbury, Walkers and Heinz with BBC1 demonstrating national affection in 5th. 

The rest of the top 10 is occupied by Google (6th), Kellogg’s (7th), retailers Boots and Tesco (8th and 9th respectively) with ITV, the UK’s oldest commercial network, taking 10th spot.

Commenting on the Top 10, Paul Houlding, Managing Partner, isobel says: “It would seem that longevity works wonders for most. All, bar two of the top 10, predate the 1960's with top honours going to Cadbury (1824). Affection, it seems, has been hard won. But it's not just about affection, it's about relevance and usefulness and what better proof of that formula than Amazon and Google. Brands that are useful to us, brands that make our lives easier, brands that do what they promise. The question is, can they keep it up? 170 years from now will they have been as resilient as Cadbury?”

Political parties voted the UK’s most hated brands

With a general election less than three months away the UK’s political parties are firmly under the spotlight and keen to curry favour with the electorate. 

However the isobel Brand Love survey has revealed that the main political parties are amongst the most-hated brands in the UK.

UKIP, the controversial independent party, has been identified as the UK’s most hated brand polling almost one-third of the votes (30%) - closely followed by the Tories in 2nd place (27%) with Labour in 5th and the Lib Dems 6th.

The Top 10 ‘unloved’ brand list is completed by Marmite (3rd), Ryanair (4th), McDonalds (7th) and Starbucks (8th) with Facebook and KFC taking the last two spots.

“It will come as no shock to anyone (least of all the politicians themselves) that the political parties are all in the same unloved boat” says Paul Houlding “but will it concern them? When it comes to polling day are we voting for the party we love or are we voting for the party of most use?”

Facebook and Twitter – It’s a love/hate relationship

Are we beginning to fall out of love with Facebook and Twitter? The research has revealed that the UK has a love/hate relationship with Facebook -the social media giant.

The site, that has over 1 billion active users, polled 27% of the votes to take 15th place in the love stakes but also hit the hate highs with a top 10 ‘hate’ ranking of 9th. Twitter has also failed to impress in the love stakes polling only 11% of the votes in 65th - one place ahead of Vodafone and two behind NatWest. 

Paul Houlding comments, “Social media changes by the second and consequently so does our relationship with it. Facebook, the one time newbie, is now the granddaddy. And there is the suggestion that we’re suffering from Facebook fatigue. Is it as exciting? Do I still need it or want it? And with cyberbullying and privacy issues an ongoing concern - perhaps it’s a social media platform we’re beginning to fall out of love with?”