After only a year in the pole position as the most “intimate” brand in the US, Disney has dropped a notch, with Amazon jumping two positions to top the list this year, per the latest annual study [download page] from brand agency MBLM.
The brands are ranked based on survey responses from 3,000 US adult consumers ages 18-64 with an annual income of at least $35k, with the intimacy metric designed to measure the extent to which these consumers have relationships with brands – and the strength of those relationships. The results were used to form a Brand Intimacy Quotient for each brand, which is “a composite measure that reflects the intensity of the relationship between consumers and brands as well as the prevalence (usage) of the brand.” That measure appears as a score on a 1-100 scale.
Disney’s short reign at the top spot comes to an end as Amazon emerges as the brand with the strongest emotional bond with adults in the US, with a Brand Intimacy Quotient of 68.3. Disney fell to the #2 spot (67.8) followed by Apple, which was itself knocked out of the lead spot last year, in #3 (66.8). Interestingly, Amazon’s Quotient this year is lower than it was in 2019 when it was #3.
Amazon also topped the list of the US’ most valuable brands, with an estimated brand value of $334.6 billion, a position previously occupied by Apple. Nonetheless, these two brands tie as the brands to which people feel most attached. One-third (33%) of respondents said that they can’t live without each.
On the other hand, only 19% of respondents named Netflix as a brand they can’t live without. This is despite other research that found that Netflix has been deemed the most indispensable programming source.
One reason for this may be that the subscription video streaming brand, which dropped one rank to #6 with a Quotient score of 59.2, has not been with consumers as long as brands like Apple and Amazon have. About 73% of Apple users and 61% of Amazon users have been with these brands for at least 6 years, while only 44% of Netflix users can say the same.
The brand intimacy rankings diverge somewhat when sorted by gender. While Ford ranks at the top of the list for men, women have the strongest bond with Disney. However, Amazon and Apple rank 2nd and 3rd across both genders.
Other Study Highlights
In other notable findings from the report:
- PlayStation, which just snuck into the overall top 10, ranks #1 among consumers ages 18-34. Amazon is #2 for these youth, while topping the list for consumers ages 55-64.
- Apple sits on top of the list for Gen X (35-54 years old), with last year’s #1 for this age group, Amazon, falling to #2.
- For individuals with an annual income of $35-$100K, Disney has the highest intimacy, while those with an income range of $100-$200K feel more affinity towards Apple.
- Media & Entertainment holds the top position in the industry category in the US again this year. Its industry average Quotient of 46.7 is well above the overall mean of 31.0.
- The Automotive industry claims the #2 position in the industry category, with 4 brands making the overall top 10 list.
To read more, download the report here.
About the Data: The ranking is derived from a survey of 3,000 US adults, who answered questions designed to measure the extent to which they have relationships with brands – and the strength of those relationships. The results were used to form a Brand Intimacy Quotient for each brand, “a composite measure that reflects the intensity of the relationship between consumers and brands as well as the prevalence (usage) of the brand.”
