Ehrenberg-Bass Institute releases its latest report; study claims big brands are not dying

A new report released today by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute rejects the popular opinion that the world is turning against big brands.

The report was released in response to mounting speculation that big global brands are losing out to small local brands, that young people today are less brand loyal, and that small brands have higher loyalty than large brands.

Says professor Byron Sharp, Institute director: “When someone shouts that big brands are dying they get a lot of attention, because big brands pay the salaries of many, and make up a large chunk of our pension funds.”

“But the scary story that large brands are dying turns out to be wrong.

“These claims are dangerous because they are being used to justify hasty, ill-thought out marketing strategy.”

Using scientific research from published peer-reviewed journals, the report sorts fact from fiction.

One popular fiction is that consumers are rejecting ‘corporate’ brands and instead seeking eco/purpose/ hipster brands.

Co-author of the report, Professor Magda Nenycz-Thiel explains the lack of substance behind the claim.

Says Nenycz-Thiel: “Our analysis reveals that in more than 40 per cent of cases, leading brands actually do better among under-25 year-old consumers than they do selling to older consumers.

“While there is certainly a trend for brands to signal virtues like being eco-friendly, the idea that young people increasingly distrust and reject big brands is not backed by the evidence.

“Hipster coffee shops attract both young and old — and the same is true for Starbucks.”

The report shows that the ‘top five’ brands in any category are more likely to be growing sales than losing sales, in spite of competition from small brands as well as retailer’s own private labels.

Yet the report is also critical of some big brand marketing – it points out six big strategic mistakes that brands have made in the past 10-20 years, a result of knee-jerk reactions and a lack of evidence-based thinking.

Says Sharp: “The good news is that these mistakes can be corrected, which in itself is one reason that the future looks bright for brands.

“Yes, the world continues to change, but overall this change isn’t favouring small brands over big.

“In fact, the resilience of leading brands in the face of much social and technological change is astonishing; the lists of top brands in many consumer goods categories look remarkably similar decade after decade.”

The full report is available here.