Greta effect: growing importance of sustainability, organic and fair trade brands

In 2019, the Havas Brand Predictor will again show how the Swiss rate national and international brands. The annual pulse measurement provides in-depth information about brand strength and future brand development. Havas' population-representative evaluation procedure is based on the brand perceptions of the Swiss population, surveyed on the basis of dynamics and trust. This year, megatrends that can no longer be ignored once again dominate: digital lifestyle, neo-ecology and Swissness. ProSumer's assessments prove that these three trends will continue to dominate the market in the future. 

The Brand Predictor sheds light on brand positioning and development, providing direct imperatives for a brand's upcoming tasks. "In order to maintain a top position for years, a brand must find the optimal mix of continuity and surprise. More precisely: guarantee continuity in quality, visibility and brand promise, while at the same time constantly surprising with innovations and new communicative measures," says Nathalie Diethelm, CEO of Havas Village.

The Brand Predictor has been collected by the strategy and communications agency Havas in collaboration with the market research institute management tools research since 2012. The parameters for the survey are the dynamics (= perceived popularity) and trust (= perceived reliability of products and services) of brands in Switzerland. Recognizing current and future developments with a system - looking into a crystal ball is not enough, it must be well-founded and verifiable. A total of 2,942 people assessed the developments in the area of dynamics and trust of national and international brands.

The big advantage of Brand Predictor is the integration of ProSumers. These are opinion leaders with a specific consumption and personal profile that distinguishes them from the rest of the population. Their assessments are 6 to 18 months ahead of the mainstream. By comparing the assessments of the population vs. ProSumers, predictions can be made about future market and brand developments in Switzerland. "The Brand Predictor study predicts the future," explains Andreas Logk, managing director at Management Tools Research. "This clearly sets the model apart from other brand tools. Their evaluations tend to be based on one-dimensional criteria as well as past successes, but without saying anything about future and growth potential." In addition to food consumer goods and retail, the Havas Brand Predictor covers 28 other industries with its brand selection, from finance to automotive to tourism.

Today's consumers are informed, interested and value sustainability, transparency and corporate responsibility. It is therefore hardly surprising that brands that experienced a turbulent year in the media also suffered setbacks in the brand perception of Swiss people. In the financial sector, Bitcoin and Raiffeisen in particular lost momentum, i.e. popularity among the population. After the hype surrounding cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, evaluated here as a brand, was the biggest dynamic gainer in last year's Brand Predictor study), talk of a bursting speculative bubble does not seem to have passed the Swiss by. This year, Bitcoin is the biggest dynamic loser, showing how volatile brand perception is, especially for progressive, young brands.

Netflix continues to be on the fast track and once again ranks as the most dynamic brand in the Swiss market. "The dynamic value reflects two factors of brand strength: firstly, it is an indicator of the growth potential of a brand. And secondly, the dynamic value shows how differentiated a brand is positioned. A differentiated brand is considered relevant to consumers in everyday life and is therefore also popular (= dynamic)," explains Marcel Benz, Strategy Director, Havas.

A look at the most dynamic brands in Switzerland makes it clear: With WhatsApp, Youtube, Zalando, Instagram and Twint among the top 20 in terms of dynamism, brands from the digital lifestyle continue to be among the winners. There is also a growing awareness of sustainability in shopping. Coop Naturaplan, Migros Bio, Max Havelaar and BioSuisse can look back on a strong Brand Predictor year. Consumers have become more critical and are asking for labels and private labels that stand for regionality, sustainability, fairness, orientation and safety. "From the region. For the region." is once again the strongest brand by Brand Aggregate (trust and momentum aggregated) this year.

The top 20 in the area of trust make it clear that Swissness remains a quality and trust criterion. This is because Swiss people continue to place a great deal of trust in Switzerland. In particular, brands from the Swiss retail and retail trade determine the top 10 of the trust ranking: From the Region. For the region., Le Gruyère, Migros, Lindt, Ovaltine, Zweifel, Rivella, Cailler, Ragusa, Coop Qualité & Prix are proof of this. In the retail and retail trade sector, Lidl was able to catch up with Migros and Coop. Lidl and Aldi are already the more popular grocery retailers (especially among women), Migros and Coop continue to enjoy greater trust in quality and services.

A look at ProSumer's most dynamic brands reveals that many existing consumer trends will continue to dominate the market in 2021: it will remain digital, regional and organic. Digital brands such as Booking.com and Huawei will establish themselves according to ProSumer forecasts and gain relevance in consumers' everyday lives. According to ProSumers, IKEA in particular will gain in brand stature. The fact that ProSumers see clear potential in IKEA is an indicator of a brand's profile and degree of differentiation. This year's ProSumer forecasts also show the importance of subbrands in particular. Lindt, as one of the strongest brands in the Food & Beverages segment, also has strong subbrands for ProSumer in this category: Goldhase, Lindor, Excellence. Strong subbrands have a vitalizing effect on their umbrella brand.