The High School Superlatives Brands Would Win in 2018

Ah, superlatives—the titles we bestow upon ourselves when we graduate high school, as well as upon brands, innovations and virtually anything else that can be put into a list when one chapter ends and another begins. In this case, that chapter is the calendar year, which is why market research firm Morning Consult released its 2018 brand superlatives. Morning Consult interviewed 1.5 million consumers throughout the year to come up with the titles—and Adweek determined its high school superlative equivalent. Class Heartthrob Winner: Amazon Ecommerce (and increasingly everything) darling Amazon is the Most-Loved Brand of 2018. Amazon retains its 2017 title as the brand that ranks highest in net favorability—which are favorable ratings subtracted by unfavorable ratings—with a score of 78.7. Coolest Winners: Amazon and Google Amazon tied with Google as the Most Admired Employer as 60 percent of participants said they would like to work for the companies. The number skewed slightly higher for college graduates. Most Outgoing Winner: Netflix Netflix is always in the center of conversation as The Brand Most People Told Their Friends About. Morning Consult says 74 percent of adults “would be very likely to recommend the streaming service.” That’s particularly true for Gen Z and millennials (77 percent). Most Changed Since Freshman Year Winner: DoorDash Morning Consult’s Brand On the Rise is on-demand delivery service DoorDash, which saw brand recognition increase from 36 to 51 percent. Brands like UberEats (65 percent) and GrubHub (73 percent) have higher brand recognition overall, but their increases from 2017 were lower. Life of the Party Winner: Walmart American retail giant Walmart was dubbed The Brand Most People Want to Buy From. Morning Consult said 69 percent of consumers said they “are either very likely or absolutely certain they would consider purchasing from the company,” which was matched by no other retailer. This was true across income levels, with 71 percent of households with income under $50,000 saying they are very likely or absolutely certain they would consider purchasing from Walmart; 70 percent of households in the $50,000-to-$100,000 range; and 62 percent of households that earn more than $100,000.