Which Brands Are Set to Celebrate the Year of the Goat?

Whether you're a rat, rabbit, monkey, dragon or tiger, checking out your Chinese horoscope to find out how closely you match with the animal of your birth year is always a bit of fun. But while the Chinese zodiac is most often applied to humans, Y&R has decided to let brands in on the celebrations too. 2015 marks the Year of the Goat and they've combined their proprietary brand analysis tool 'BrandAsset Valuator®' (BAV®) with the Chinese horoscope to find out which brands are classic ovines. 

The goat - or sheep or ram, the Chinese translation is pretty flexible - is characterised by a hardy, dependable, honest, gentle personality. The team at Y&R BAV analysed brands using 48 image and personality measures based on consumer perception to figure out which brands fit the model of the amiable and honest goat. Brands like Cheerios, Bounty, Betty Crocker, Kleenex and Pillsbury all came out as archetypal goats. However, while the goat characteristics are undeniably positive, they also leave the brands lacking in dynamism. The BAV method analyses brands around four pillars: differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge. The bad news for many goats is that differentiation, the one area they tend to fall short in, is a major predictor for future growth.

"For a brand this  is an admirable profile but one that has plenty of room to become more dynamic. 'Goat brands' tesn to be more Relevant than Differentiated because their attributes indicate they have meaning in our lives but aren't considered 'irresistible'," the report points out.

However all is not lost for Goat Brands. One Goat Brand that seems to have cracked the formula is Disney, which carries all of the hallmarks of a classic, dependable goat but which is also seen as energetic and innovative. 

Find out more in the presentation below: