Monday February 11 saw the awards ceremony for the second French edition of Best Brands, an event that each year rewards the best-performing brands in several European countries, according to an exclusive study conducted by GfK. During the evening, AMAZON, SAMSUNG, CRISTALINE, BOSCH, HUAWEI and BOSE were named 2019 winners in four categories, based on their scores from 4,500 French consumers surveyed at the end of 2018.

Born in Germany in 2004 on the initiative of communications agency Serviceplan and GfK, Best Brands is a brand performance barometer. Each year, it measures the strength of brands in several European countries, based on a cross-analysis of their actual economic success in their reference market and consumers' emotional preference.

Advertising executive Jacques Séguéla kicked off the event, which brought together over 400 decision-makers from the worlds of business, marketing, communications and the media at the Théâtre des Sablons in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

During the ceremony, AMAZON, SAMSUNG, CRISTALINE, BOSCH, HUAWEI and BOSE received awards in the following categories, closely followed by other prestigious brands.

To compile this brand performance barometer, GfK collected the opinions of a richer sample than last year's at the end of 2018, with 4,500 French consumers surveyed on 365 brands in 27 product categories, according to the following methodology: https://youtu.be/tnngIOwg3Fk

BEST CORPORATE BRAND: Why does Amazon come out on top?

Winner for the 2nd time, Amazon increases its Best Brands score in 2019 thanks to a good performance on the experience criterion, considered strong and positive.
French consumers gave the retailer a score of 53 (compared with a 2019 average of 31). They rate Amazon's experience very favorably, more so on rational criteria such as service quality and fulfillment of promises, than on emotional dimensions.

The American giant is clearly identified as a "market leader" by consumers, with the latter abounding on performance and reputation (reputation and positioning) criteria.

BEST PRODUCT BRAND :

Samsung, n°1 in all categories.

Samsung is once again named Best Product Brand across all product categories.
Its Best Brands score is fueled by strong economic performance elements, notably its Cross-selling indicator +30% above the 2019 average. This reveals the Korean brand's ability to convert the French into consumers in multiple product categories, for their future purchases.

Samsung also has a high Share of Soul. This component is fueled by a Loyalty score almost double the 2019 average (58 vs. 33). French consumers also attribute a friend status to the brand, revealing a long-term and trusting relationship. The criteria of singularity ("Different from the others") and Innovation are also rated very positively in the study.

Cristaline: a relationship of trust

Cristaline water is the No. 1 consumer brand in the Best Brands 2019 ranking, and No. 2 in the Top 10.
With a Loyalty score twice as high as the average, the brand is well established on the Share of Wallet economic criteria.

It is also rated positively on Share of Soul criteria. French consumers give the brand high marks for Trust, Meeting Expectations and Quality. These indicators are particularly sensitive in the agri-food sector, and are crowned by a score of 54 on the "Good Quality/Price ratio" criterion, more than double the average observed in the Best Brands 2019 study.

Bosch: a strong brand "promise" kept

For the second time, the German brand Bosch is among the Top 3 Best Product Brands in France, and is No. 1 in the Home & Garden category.
Bosch particularly stands out for its experience: French consumers rate the criteria of Trust, Quality and Service very positively ("Makes life pleasant" rated at 34, i.e. +70% compared to the 2019 average). The brand is seen as reliable, delivering on its product promise. Moreover, it is considered a "close friend" by French consumers.

This relationship combined with a solid Share of Wallet is illustrated by a very good Cross-selling rating (the brand's ability to recruit and convert consumers outside its reference product category).

BEST GROWTH BRAND: HUAWEI

Huawei is the 2019 winner for the increase in its Best Brand score between the 2018 and 2019 editions. The Chinese Telecoms player sees its good performance on the Share of Wallet criteria confirmed by a positive memory footprint, and above all higher than the 2019 average.

This is partly revealed by a high level of satisfaction among French consumers. They give it positive marks for Innovation (+32% compared with the average), Design (+24%) and its positioning in the zeitgeist ("A la mode" +35%). Huawei is thus beginning to establish itself in the consumer landscape, and can now count on an acquired community, with a Loyalty score well above the 2019 average.

BEST GOLDEN AGE BRAND: BOSE

Bose is the brand with the highest Best Brands score among Golden Age consumers (aged 50 and over), who are the focus of this year's Best Brands study. This demographic now represents over 25 million consumers in France, and is set to grow significantly in the years ahead. Far from clichés, Golden Agers are mostly active, and 2/3 have a monthly income in excess of €3,000. They have a unique relationship with brands, driven by the values of Protection, Simplicity and Freedom, with particular expectations in terms of quality/price, eco-responsibility and transparency of manufacturing processes.

Bose is therefore perceived very positively by Golden Agers in France. They even gave it double the Best brands 2019 average marks for Quality, Innovation and Trust. This shows that Bose is in line with Golden Age values and their expectations of brands.

The brand also stands out for its Loyalty score (74 vs. an average of 33), ranking it No. 1 all categories combined on this criterion among French people aged 50 and over. This criterion is all the more interesting given the brand's strong cross-selling potential.