Retailers Pitch Value to Holiday Shoppers

The Brandweek BrandIndex Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: The scores are based on weighing positive and negative perceptions of a brand. A +100 score is positive, a -100 score is negative, and a rating of zero means that the score is neutral. This week's report also measures consumer willingness to recommend a brand.YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals. The report spotlights the following brands.Holiday RetailersBlack Friday promotions are over. Now, heading into the home stretch of the Christmas shopping season, major retailers are jockeying for the hearts and wallets of women with kids. Since our last look at this demo in value perception on Nov. 19, Amazon has moved up several points to the top of the pack with a value score of 54. In second place is Target with a score of 49. Walmart, another big gainer (up 15 points) sits at number three, while Old Navy and Kohl’s round out the top 5.Best Buy, which delivered disappointing sales in its most recent quarter through November, has had the largest improvement in value scores since, with a 17 point increase. Sister brands Gap and Banana Republic joined Walmart and Amazon in the top 5 biggest value improvers since Black Friday.Sam Adams vs. GuinnessTwo of America’s most popular brews–craft beer Samuel Adams and Irish stout Guinness –experienced great shifts in brand loyalty with men 21-49 this fall, but in opposite directions. Both brands are still flying well above the premium beer sector average. Since Nov. 11, Sam Adams’ willingness to recommend score has been eroding steadily, landing at 46.2 presently. Meanwhile, Guinness now holds the same score after starting November at 29.6. Guinness received a big plug from actress Gwyneth Paltrow around the time she appeared on the TV hit show “Glee,” when she told interviewer Chelsea Handler that her favorite beer was Guinness. Recently, the brand announced that it will be the first beer to have an iAd on Apple’s iPad, which will feature sports-themed challenges, quizzes and content.The Boston Beer Company, which makes Sam Adams, is trying a new tact this month: A champagne-infused beer called Infinium, a joint venture with the 1,000-year-old Weihenstephan brewery of Germany.Top HoteliersAfter remaining low on the totem pole for a long time, high-end hotel chains have been making a value perception comeback with adults over 18. As the economy has slowly gained steam, business travel is showing signs of life again and the winter travel season is about to take off. Brands such as Doubletree, Westin and Wyndham are driving the high-end sector with better value scores. Starting on Sept. 1 (with a 26.4 score), the sector is now at 35.9, right on par with the lower-priced economy hotel sector. Mid-price hotel chains–the leaders in value perception–have made similar improvements to the luxury brands. Courtyard by Marriott, the Holiday Inn chain, Sheraton and others have pushed this sector from 45.7 on Sept. 1 to its present 56.2 score.

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Retailers Pitch Value to Holiday Shoppers

Brandweek Staff

Yougov Staff

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Brandweek Staff

Yougov Staff