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Brands’ new standard-of-excellence metric—world value

by | Jun 12, 2017 | Public Relations

Today’s leading brands are judged by consumers on a wide-ranging checklist of issues that goes far beyond the traditional metrics of convenience, quality and price. New research quantifies these myriad new measures under the umbrella of “World Value.” Which brands earned the highest rankings—and why?

Mission-driven creative company enso recently unveiled the results of its 2017 World Value Index, an annual report that benchmarks 150 organizations by measuring and ranking each brand’s overall World Value, as perceived by people.

World Value is based on four segments of a brand’s purpose or mission:

  • High awareness of brand’s purpose
  • Strong relevance of brand’s purpose to people’s values
  • Brand’s purpose is a strong motivator in garnering support
  • Brand’s purpose is a strong motivator in triggering purchases

Brands’ new standard-of-excellence metric—world value

These brands are perceived by the general population as creating the most World Value out of 150 organizations.

The report’s findings are based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 3,000 people, across 19 audience demographics and psychographics. Of the survey questions, trust, personal values and cultural political influences were considered while polling people’s perceptions of all brands. Key findings in this year’s World Value Index include:

  • Age, gender, income, political leanings and global outlook appeared to highly influence brand mission perception and support: Marlboro ranks last among the general population, but not for Boomers and Traditionalists
  • Nonprofits were more resonant with people than the year before: New additions to World Value Index’s top 10 list for 2017 were primarily nonprofits, and Goodwill and Girl Scouts of the USA claimed the top two spots, beating Amazon, Google and Microsoft
  • Starbucks is the most politically polarizing brand: while it ranks #75 with the general population, Republicans rank them as #103 and Democrats rank them as #18
  • Twitter, Uber and Starbucks are brands poised to reach and activate millennials who are active on social media and like to take concrete action on issues important to them
  • People generally believe in the ability for businesses to make a positive impact, but only 41 percent trust business leaders to do what is right

Brands’ new standard-of-excellence metric—world value

“In an era when measuring companies by shareholder value is not good enough—for employees, customers or communities—the World Value Index measures the value of brands to everyday people. Against a backdrop of low trust in business leaders, we’re seeing forward-looking, purpose-oriented brands rise to the top, and some historic brands fall, particularly with younger people,” said Sebastian Buck, enso’s co-founder and strategic lead, in a news release.

Brands’ new standard-of-excellence metric—world value

The list of top 10 organizations whose mission and purpose are perceived as creating the most world value included nonprofits (Goodwill), brands traditionally associated with social impact and purpose (Dove), as well as brands providing practical value to people through their products and services (Amazon, Google).

This year, new entrants to the top-10 list included Save the Children, World Wildlife Fund, YMCA, and Subway, which bumped off household names like Kellogg’s, PayPal, Disney, Kraft and Johnson & Johnson.

Download the 2017 World Value Index Report here.

Download the 2016 Brand World Value report here.

Brands’ new standard-of-excellence metric—world value

Developed by enso, the World Value Index is a nationally representative, comprehensive survey of 3,000 Americans on perception, awareness, and behaviours in response to the purpose and mission of organizations and brands. enso commissioned Quadrant Strategies, a research-driven consultancy that works with Fortune 100 and Fortune 50 companies, political leaders around the world and major nonprofits, to field surveys with various demographic representative samples of the U.S. populations ages 18 and up. It tested brands spanning a mix of industries and company sizes, ranging from start-ups to established companies.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

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