The Brand Popularity Contest: who won in 2010?

Bloomberg’s Businessweek announced the findings this week of their giant annual survey into brand popularity. Now presented online at Businessweek.com and in the current double issue on news-stands, is the a-z of brand categories and who won Miss/Mr Popularity in 2010.

To explain their rationale behind this, a quote from their front page:

“Even in our present era of 10,000 niches, mass customization, and the “long tail”—of companies selling fewer items from a far vaster inventory—we are, arguably, governed more than ever by what’s popular. Thanks to the Internet’s ability to rank everything, one can dwell almost exclusively in the world of trending Twitter topics, of top-reviewed restaurants, of Amazon.com bestselling books, of the cutest cute-cat YouTube videos. News sites all feature tallies of the Most Read, Most E-mailed, and Most Commented On articles—creating a self- reinforcing conversation.

Is all this popularity data enriching us, or does it obscure new paths of discovery? Are crowds wise, or do they follow the pack and middle-of-the-road? A deep dive into what’s totally beast, right now—not just the bestselling, but the fastest-selling; not merely the market leaders, but the ones gaining the most market share—proves that while there’s no accounting for taste, the data can be helpful and even inspiring. It highlights huge, wealth-creating opportunities as well as under-appreciated ways that cash flows to the sublime.”

Every entry in the list represents either a market leader or “the person, product, or trend that experienced the greatest commercial growth or surge in popularity during 2010.” Some figures are literal (e.g. Nordstrom’s revenue, $9.7 billion), and others symbolic (the rpms of the top-selling turntable, 33⅓).

Anyhoo, for me it made for fascinating reading. Some not wholly surprising – those we could have predicted include Kate Middleton as top choice for magazine front covers and Harry Potter for top move franchise. And I was particularly amused by the inclusion of ‘Car (stolen)’ as a category (the Honda Accord, if you were wondering). Remember this is only representative of the US market, but still a curious list.

So for your delight (and with thanks to Brand Channel this morning), a selection of the list:

• Actress: Sandra Bullock

• Athlete (Female): Serena Williams

• Athlete (Male): Peyton Manning

• Beverage (Beer): Bud Light

• Beverage (Soda): Coca-Cola

• Beverage (Sports): Gatorade

• Cable TV Show: MTV’s Jersey Shore

• Car (Electric): Nissan Leaf

• Car (Stolen): Honda Accord

• Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios

• Chocolate: M&Ms

• Cigarette: Marlboro

• Coffee: Nescafe

• Credit Card: Visa

• Department Store: Nordstrom

• Diet: Gluten-Free

• E-Reader: Kindle

• Game System: Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect

• Gum: Orbit

• Jeans: Levi’s 501

• Magazine Cover Subject: Kate Middleton

• Model (highest paid): Giselle

• Movie Franchise: Universal’s Harry Potter

• Museum Exhibit: Alexander McQueen at the Met

• Music (album sales): Adele

• Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal

• Philanthropists: Bill & Melinda Gates

• Razor (Female): Gillette Venus

• Snack (Cookie): Oreo

• Sport: NBA

 

Ralph Lauren & the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour: the perfect match

© Getty Images Entertainment: (L-R) Vera Zvonareva, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Anne Keothavong and Elena Dementieva

At the delectable Kensington Roof Gardens last night, tennis beauties mixed with the tailored glamour and chiselled jaws of Ralph Lauren’s most handsome ambassadors. To kick-off the pinnacle of the British tennis season at SW19 next week, Ralph Lauren came together with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in a perfectly conceived partnership to host the annual WTA’s pre-Wimbledon party in London.

Earlier that day, WTA girls got an ultimate Ralph makeover thanks to the racks of the designer’s luxe collections. Venus Williams wore a pre-Fall Black Label platinum satin tuxedo silk dress, while Serena Williams donned a Spring 09 Ralph Lauren Collection gold sequin pants with white top. Vera Zvonareva chose a platinum satin silk dress from pre-Fall, while Elena Dementieva showcased an owl neck dress from the Black Label. Brit star Anne Keothavong meanwhile took a liking to gold lace embroidered number from the Spring 09 collection.

All attended the party at Kensington Roof Gardens along with venue host and owner Sir Richard Branson (with Holly and Sam in tow), a selection of the London Social Set, a sprinkling of TV and music faces and of course players, coaches and their associated entourages. 

Guests were treated to an impressive array of summer barbeque goodies accompanied by seared tuna, poached salmon and bean salad, followed by strawberries & cream and mini chocolate tarts. All washed down with a specially Wimbledon-themed cocktail menu (cute). Then we danced it all off on the dancefloor ’til the wee small hours.

Safe to say, from the fabulous blazers and striking pinstripes modelled by all the staff and Tour hosts across the evening, I think I know what’s now top of the birthday list next month.

Great job Ralph – when’s the next one?

London Fashion Week glamour for England Women’s Cricket

While England’s male cricketing side suffers from an overdose of sand and severe deprivation of consistent form, their female counterparts back in the UK are indulging in a little fashionista glamour.

British designer Paul Costelloe, who will open London Fashion week on February 20, was once again the chosen designer tasked with creating the new formal wear for the England Women’s Cricket team for 2009.

© ECB / Christopher Lee

Fresh from the press release this morning, the new suits are (apparently) ”inspired by ‘Chariots of Fire’, infusing classic English style with chic contemporary cuts using materials such as fine wool crepe and cotton”…

Regardless, the move is a canny one for both parties. The England Women will potentially reach a different set of press through cross-pollination with the fashion world, and Paul Costelloe can reach out to a more mainstream audience with a foray into the sporting world, just at the time when both international cricket and London Fashion Week are hitting two very different sets of headlines.

Following nike’s needlework at Wimbledon this summer (producing arguably more column inches for Sharapova and Williams than their actual game) the marriage of sport and fashion seems to be an increasingly profitable platform.

© Nike / PA / Vogue.com

(As an aside, can I also point to the connection between the England cricket girls’ new formal kit, and my own musings on the influence of Gossip Girl on fashion this season? Check out how similar those Costelloe blazers are to the Abigail Lorick design sported by Blair Waldorf in the show…)