By: Jim Thompson


What brand would you most like to sit next to at a dinner party? Why?

Dinner parties have several implicit and unspoken rules. Do not, for example, do or say anything that would embarrass yourself, your host, or a fellow guest. Dinner parties are about being civilised, interesting, and engaged. And which brand would brandjunkies prefer to sit next to?

The Top Five: Apple, Virgin, Google, Coca-Cola, Nike



Trends:
Apparently, for brandjunkies, the most desirable characteristics in a dining partner are sex appeal, intelligence, sense of humour, celebrity status, and of course taste — both on a literal and figurative level. Picture Steve Jobs wearing Victoria's Secret but smelling like Chanel while drinking a Coke on Comedy Central (all mentioned as responses).

Brandjunkies are also, well, economical—but at least honestly so. Many chose to bring brands that would pay the bill, from American Express to Oprah. Our readers also seem to enjoy plenty of booze with their dinner, as these brands made the guest list: Absolut, Bacardi, Black Label, Budweiser, Ciroc Vodka, Dom Perignon, Guinness, Heineken, Jack Daniel's, Johnnie Walker, Kaapzight Wine, Laurent-Perrier, Moët, Mont Blanc, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray. Cheers!

What brand, if sent back 100 years, would have the biggest impact on the course of history? How?

Ah, the time-traveling brandjunkie dilemma. Where modern branding intermingles with history and creates a different, perhaps unrecognizable, present. Crank up your time machine and bring your branding expertise.

The Top Five: Apple, Microsoft, Google, Coca-Cola, Ford



Trends:
Brandjunkies want to help. All of them saw time traveling as an opportunity to improve the human race's present circumstances. For most that meant introducing our ancestors to powerful, educational, innovative, and healing brands such as BBC News, Wikipedia, NASA, and Johnson & Johnson.

An American woman between the ages of 46 and 50 managed to comment on going green and modern day superficiality with these words praising Aveda: "The idea that beauty and nature are inseparable would have saved us a WHOLE lot of trouble now."

Others took aim at ridding the past of brands they see as purveyors of modern-day social ills such as obesity and cancer by targeting fast food giant McDonald's and cigarette manufacturer Marlboro. Still others would use the opportunity to redraw current geopolitical lines with combat-related brands AK-47, Uzi (submachine gun), and Lockheed Martin.

What brand that no longer exists would you resurrect? Why?
Yes, brandjunkies, an unfortunate reality in life is that brands die all the time, and in a myriad of ways.

But do you believe in life after death? Well, we presented our readers with the chance to bring a dead brand back to life. Here's what they had to say.

The Top Five: None, PanAm, Atari, TWA, Cingular



Trends:
We noticed that many brandjunkies took liberty with this question and explained how certain brands still in existence were, well, as some put it, "dead to me." Sorry Zenith, Texaco, British Rail, and IBM. People by nature don't like change, and they certainly don't appreciate their favorite companies being bought out.

Others wrote about brands that they believed to be dead, but which are, in fact, very much alive — Howard Johnson and Fresca, for example. Being considered dead is certainly a disturbing challenge for any brand.

Age also played an important role in the responses. The younger generation answered that they hadn't experienced any memorable brand deaths yet or chose tech-related brands such as Netscape and Cingular. The older generations would bring back everything from the Marathon bar and Oldsmobile to Canadian Airlines and the Commodore.

Sadly, some of our brandjunkies were on deathwatch, standing by their brands until the end. Our condolences to Polaroid and Northwest Airline brandjunkies.

Which brand do you want to argue with? Why?

Arguments are often the catalyst for growth, innovation, and inspiration — arguments involving brands aren't any different. So when given the opportunity, brandjunkies reveled at the chance to ask their favorite targets the tough questions.

The Top Five: Microsoft, Apple, None, Coca-Cola, McDonald's



Trends:
Brandjunkies hold their brands accountable for their actions.

Despite the popular saying "It's nothing personal, it's business," we all know that business — especially the branding business — is indeed, often, very personal. Branding is all about relationships, and brandjunkies take their relationships with brands seriously.

The most common sentiments behind the desire to argue were:

Disillusionment — for example, over American car manufacturers and "their arrogance in thinking they know what we want."

Disdain — at how, for instance, British Airways, "one of the best and biggest airlines in the world [can] always makes me late, tired, and grumpy."

Disgust — for companies such as Shell Oil. "I am tired of the patronising ads that try and prove how environmentally correct they are…"

And the final trend…

Dismissal — for the idea in general. "I have no need to [argue]. I just move on."

Which brand inspires you the most?

It is no secret that different people are inspired by different things; yet, for most, being inspired means — more or less — the same thing: becoming motivated to be a better person, whether that be on a personal, professional, or spiritual level.

Top Five Answers: Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Google, Starbucks



Trends:
When explaining which brands inspire them and why, brandjunkies demonstrated a clear affinity for functionality, aesthetics, tenacity, and purpose. Not a surprise considering that branding is a blend of art, design, science, and willpower.

Ferrari inspires many brandjunkies because of its "Amazing engineering, which is near to perfection. Consistency in all aspects of 4 Ps (product, pricing, promotion, and placement). The brand is a phenomenon!"

Diesel clothing was admired because it is "incredibly imaginative, cleverly cool, and eternally premium." Innocent brand fruit drinks is highly regarded, "Because they launched successfully into a highly competitive market through the use of simple wit and wisdom."

Socially aware brands such as Dove received praise because their marketing campaign "talks to real women and not skinny models."

If you were to describe yourself as being a brand, what brand would you be? Why?

We all know the saying, "You are what you eat." Well, you are also the brands that you are inspired by. Every time you connect with a brand—or go all out and purchase it — you're saying something about yourself. Here is what brandjunkies had to say about themselves as brands.

Top Five Answers: Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Virgin, BMW



Trends:
It's always fun to get a glimpse into how people see themselves, and it appears brandjunkies have a healthy sense of self-esteem, because just about everyone chose brands that exhibit the most desirable qualities.

Yet it is compelling to witness how different people see the same brands differently. For instance, one brandjunkie from the US, a female, 46-50, said that she is most like Amazon.com because it is "reliable and eager to help," while another female brandjunkie from Argentina, 31-35, chose Amazon because of "the mix of strong organizational skills and intellectual content."

Others were more in tune with their perspectives. One brandjunkie from Sweden, male, 46-50, described Porsche as "Performance, elegance, passion, powerful... helps to drive one. Is my car an extension of me, I like to think so!" A brandjunkie from the US, male, 41-45, said, "Fast, sleek, expensive, hedonistic—what we should all aspire to be in our next life." Other males in the same age range from India, Saudi Arabia, and Spain had similar feelings for the brand.

If you could rebrand any brand, what brand would it be?

Once again brandjunkies are being called upon to offer their most helpful and insightful branding industry advice. When the occasion to rebrand brands presented itself, our readers couldn't type fast — OR LOUDLY — enough.

Top Five Answers: Microsoft, USA, Ford, Coca-Cola, Pepsi



Trends:
Apparently, many brandjunkies have been thinking about this question for quite a while, because the enthusiasm is palpable in their words. Brandjunkies do examine branding closely, so when they see something that doesn't work, it arouses a response. For example, a female in Thailand, 26-30, answered bluntly: GM—U KNOW WHY. Plenty of other brandjunkies answered in ALL CAPS. A male from Greece between the ages of 31-35 had this to say, or scream, about Nokia: YOU CAN DO SO MANY THINGS WITH YOUR NOKIA MOBILE PHONE BUT NOBODY KNOWS THAT...

And we should note that brandjunkies have an active sense of humor when it comes to rebranding, as evidenced by the following responses.

One cynical brandjunkie, a 36-40 female from Belgium, answered with this: Mankind — totally overrated.

A gentleman from the United Kingdom, age 31-35, had this to say: Victoria Beckham — because she is worth it.

What brand can you not live without? Why?

In the US, 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. Though human beings have a hard time staying committed to each other, many brandjunkies have no problem committing to the brands they love the most—through health and sickness, for better or worse, through product functionality to internal brand alignment.

Top Five Answers: Apple, None, Coca-Cola, Google, Starbucks



Trends:
Variety abounds, and so does like-mindedness. From peanut butter to personal computers and furniture to fruit drinks, brandjunkies have brands that they just can't live without, for some reason or other. What makes a brand indispensable to one's own life? According to our survey, we all have our own reasons, and some of us share those reasons.

A young man, 21-25, in the Netherlands said he couldn't live without Rolex because "It gives me status." On the other side of the world, a gentleman from Korea, 31-35, feels similarly about the Rolex brand: "Gives me status and finally makes me confident and peaceful."

A female in the US, 41-45, answered Tide detergent because she "Love[s] the smell. Provides memories of my mother." Yes, brands can be part of important bonds. Another woman from the US, 26-30, says of J. Crew, "It's classic. Timeless and reliable — like a good friend."

A gentleman from Spain, 31-35, offered a very practical answer: "Camper Shoes — It makes the only shoes I can wear."

What brand is most likely to revolutionize the branding industry in the next five years? Why?

With all of the creative souls and forward-thinking minds in the branding industry, a probe into the future regarding which brand will revolutionize the business was unavoidable.

Top Five Answers: Apple, Google, Doesn't exist yet, Facebook, Nike



Trends:
Though the answers differed, the vast majority of responses had one thing in common: technology. From Samsung to Sony and from YouTube to MySpace and Facebook, most brandjunkies believe that the next branding revolution is going to be — somehow — digital.

Whether it is a yet unknown Web 6.0 social networking platform or a savvy established brand able to connect future values with emerging technologies, it's difficult to predict how branding and technology will continue to merge in the future. Perhaps the revolution will hardly be noticeable, as one American brandjunkie, 61-65, puts it: "No brand is capable of such an achievement. There will be incremental progress from established brands and new brands alike."

In the meantime, the year 2013, and the answer to our question, is getting closer every day.

What brand do you think is truly (going) "green"? Why?

The branding industry is abuzz with the marketplace's focus on global warming and protecting the environment. So, when asked about which brands were really serious about sustainable development, brandjunkies offered a resounding, and—perhaps you may want to sit down for this — surprising consensus. Who is really going green? Answer: NOBODY.

Top Five Answers: None, Toyota, BP, Body Shop, Honda




Trends:
Obviously, the dominating trend in these responses is skepticism; however, that skepticism is tempered by a pronounced sense of hope expressed by brandjunkies. And that should be encouraging for everyone in the industry.

While shady marketing campaigns and misleading advertisements that make claims of "going green" are seemingly everywhere, brandjunkies are paying attention to the truth, and that truth will set them free. Over time, the lawless landscape of "going green" will become better regulated and measured, and companies who dabble in greenwashing will have to "come clean" in front of everyone.

For now it is up to brandjunkies to speak the truth and prepare for the future. The "going green" movement will certainly have its day, and brandjunkies — by speaking the truth as they have in our survey — are going to lead the way.

The Method Behind the Madness

From February 24 to March 9, 2008, nearly 2,000 brandchannel readers — 74 percent of which hail from the marketing profession—in 107 different countries answered our 10-question online survey and identified one brand that best fit the criteria for each inquiry. Respondents could recognise any brand they felt appropriate, as a shortlist of brands was not given.

The brandchannel staff would like to thank all of our fellow brandjunkies across the globe that participated in our survey and contributed their valuable time and insights.

Check back next week for a follow-up article featuring in-depth analysis and commentary on the brandjunkie survey results!

Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Interbrand has been voted the 'world's leading branding consultancy', having developed some of the world's most significant brands over 29 years. As part of the Omincom Group of companies, with 34 offices in 27 countries around the globe, our experience covers every area of commercial endeavour.- more....

[7 Apr 2008 10:58]

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