What the 10 most loved brands share and what startups can learn from them

If you reflect on what our Brand Love report identifies as the drivers of brand love, it’s easy to see why people don’t tend to ‘love’ many brands.

According to our research loved brands fulfil one or more of the following key criteria.  They have values which align with the customer’s values (55%), are closely tied with the consumer’s identity (38%) and/or are part of someone’s life (42%).  In short, to be loved, a brand needs an intimate relationship with its loved-up consumer - not something easily achieved. 

However, some brands have attained this lofty status.  In our study 10 were consistently name-checked as brands people love: 

Apple

Nike

Adidas

Sky

Samsung

L’Oreal

Amazon

e.on

Tesco

ASDA

Let’s take a look at three of these to see how they’ve done it and what smaller brands can therefore learn from them.

Apple – Identity and Lifestyle

Apple historically has very cleverly aligned its products as the tech of choice for people who identify themselves as ‘creatives’ – photographers, designers, ad people, musicians, those in the media  - fundamentally linking the brand with their sense of creative identity.  

Even as the brand has moved mass market through Apple’s iPhones and TVs it has held onto its strong design credentials, so as not to alienate its original fans in its move mainstream.  

Apple has further pulled the ‘levers of love’ by becoming closely knitted with peoples’ lives.  It’s developed a smooth, seamless connection with its users, delivering music, entertainment, access to our social groups and apps in such a way that most people are reluctantly parted from the tech. Such care with identity and integration with people’s lives are key secrets to the success of the brand.  

Adidas – Identity and Values 

Adidas is less dependent on being integrated into people’s lives. Love for the Adidas brand is rooted in identity and values.  As the older of the sportswear brands, Adidas has played heavily on its history. Indeed, it even has a history management department. The iconic Jesse Owens wore Adidas founder Adolf 'Adi' Dassler's custom-fitted spiked shoes when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. While in the 70s Adidas created the white tennis shoe named after Stan Smith.

It’s this close association between the brand, sporting prowess and classic sports figures over time which has given the brand a ‘cool’ vintage, classic feel which really speaks to people who have (or want to have) these elements within their own self-image.  

Like all smart brands, Adidas recognises what makes it loved and has carefully preserved and amplified this while at the same time moving the brand forwards.  For instance, Adidas savvily recreated its classic “historical” shoe models, which were made popular in the 70s and 80s, but using modern, high-performance materials. This didn’t simply appeal to vintage collectors but to Millennials and Gen Z consumers too.  

It has also focused on being progressive when it comes to the environment, with sustainability being a core driver for the brand. Adidas has operated a strategic partnership with Parley for the Ocean since 2015 focused on driving eco-innovation to help the world’s oceans.  As a result, Adidas now produces trainers made from recycled plastic found in the sea. In 2020 it produced more than 15 million pairs of shoes containing Parley Ocean Plastic.

With these activities Adidas is really ticking not just the identity but also the values box. Setting the brand up to be loved by those consumers who value the past but care about the future.

Amazon – A Life Partner

If a brand is loved when it fits in with someone’s lifestyle then it is easy to see why Amazon is loved by so many.  In the modern, home shopping era, where selection, having something in stock, at a good price and next day delivery really matter, Amazon is king. It has become an essential adjunct to people’s lives. 

However, Amazon has spent years and invested heavily getting to this loved position. For instance, in its early days it might have seemed logical for Amazon to limit its product range to those high demand, big ticket items which generate the most profit. But Amazon recognised that people don’t buy these items every day. And it wanted to be such a big part of our daily lives that we would always turn to it.  So, it stocked the low profit everyday items and spent heavily, ironing out the irritations which can come with online shopping. 

Consequently, Amazon consistently lost money for its first several years as a public company. But it’s latest net income figure of $26.9 billion suggests this commitment to becoming the online consumer’s life partner has paid off. 

Conclusion

These are big companies but it’s the size of their long-term commitment to becoming loved which impresses me.  Brands do not achieve ‘loved status’ by chance, or overnight.  It’s the result of careful, long-term strategic thinking about the brand’s values, identity and role in lives – backed up by unwavering resolution to deliver on that promise. The smallest company can do this.