The 2017 Cohn & Wolfe Authentic Brands study examines the role of authenticity in business, the attributes associated with an authentic brand and the impact of authenticity on consumer, investor and employee attitudes and behaviors.
This is the fifth report in their Authentic Brands series. For 2017 they surveyed more than 15,000 consumers across 15 markets on their perceptions of more than 1,400 brands, and applied their proprietary algorithm to determine the Authentic 100, an annual index of global brands ranked by consumer perception of authenticity.
Cohn & Wolfe have also determined the top 20 most authentic brands in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Among the qualities of “brand authenticity are: Communicating honestly about products and services; Communicating honestly about environmental impact and sustainability measures; Acting with integrity at all times; Being clear about and true to beliefs; Being open and honest about partners and suppliers; Standing for more than just making money; Having a relevant and engaging story.
Here are the Top Dozen in the US survey (in rank order): Amazon, PayPal, Burt’s Bees, Crayola, M&Ms, LEGO, Hershey’s, Newman’s Own, AAA, UPS, Intel and Apple.
Source: Cohn & Wolfe