The Most Influential Brands in Canada in 2016
Some have it; some don’t. The question is, which brands in Canada enjoy the kind of influence where consumers identify so highly with them, we couldn’t imagine our lives without them?
Steve Levy, Ipsos Marketing, shares Canada’s Top 10 of 2016, together with the primary influence drivers associated with each brand and how the results of our study differ by generations.
Creating Brand Influence
Which banks do you trust? Where do you get your news? Which organisations are truly shifting paradigms? Brands play a huge role in our lives and around the globe—and that influence is growing, accelerated by the rise of social networking. From streamlining our daily routines to improving our wellbeing, brands are transforming the communities and societies we live in. A number are using their economic clout to solve social ills and better the planet.
Some, of course, have a bigger impact than others. These visionary brands go well beyond selling a product or service. They are founded on a sense of purpose that establishes stronger emotional connections with people. For the brands that choose to listen, new technologies have enabled ways to capture consumer feedback. Brands that use this data to their benefit are more relevant than ever before—and their influence cannot be overstated.
Our comprehensive study measures and ranks today’s most influential brands in Canada and around the world. We look at why they are leading, which generations they are influencing most, how they impact us and what makes them influential—essential insights that apply to any business, large or small.
Defining Influence
Being influential means having an impact on people’s lives. We place a tremendous degree of trust in these brands, allowing them to guide how we shop, interact and behave. Influential brands have aspirational qualities, too. They offer a gateway to a better, more interesting life by giving people the tools to make smart choices. This explains why a number of technology brands rank so highly.
The most influential brands are important and relevant in the world. Consumers identify with these brands and have an emotional reaction to them—and really, couldn’t imagine their lives without them. But becoming an influential brand is no easy task.
The Power of Influence
This is the sixth year Ipsos has assessed Canada’s most influential brands. But beyond our own measures, there are other related factors. Influential brands invest, and this investment pays off—they consistently outperform the rest of the stock market reflecting their perceived value.
Driving Influence
Being influential takes work. People are busy and interact with many brands in their lives, often not noticing the brand names themselves. But then there are those that stand out. Why? It’s complex. We have identified five key factors that build influence.
Dimensions of Influence
- Trustworthy
- Engagement
- Leading edge
- Corporate citizenship
- Presence
Top 10
Our Top 10 countdown follows, along with the overall index score and primary influence drivers associated with each brand. We also include, in the paper, our analysis about why these brands performed so well this past year
- Microsoft
- Apple
- Amazon
- YouTube
- Walmart
- Visa
- Tim Hortons
- CBC