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360Emotional branding

What are the most loved brands among Romanians in 2015?

360insights has launched the 4th wave of Emotional Branding, identifying those brands that have

strengthened their emotional ties with Romanian consumers, as well as those that have losen theirs.

The study is theoretically based on the 10 branding laws developed by Marc Gobe, a marketing visionary

who talks about the fact that a brand need to fully know its audience, to understand not only the

consumer and the buyer, but also the man behind it with all its characteristics, needs, aspirations and only

then to size its products and services, adapting them to its audience.

The year’s Emotional Branding top includes nearly 400 brands from 13 different product categories and

services. We are witnessing spectacular escalations in the top, but also descends, the rankings mirroring

the brands evolution in recent years.

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360Emotional branding

Sweets

As every year, Milka is the detached

occupant of the 1st position, constant

innovation being the key ingredient in its

successful story.

Producer Fererro enjoys one of the most

beautiful developments. Besides Kinder, we

also find in the top 10 brands Raffaello,

Nutella and Fererro Rocher, all showing

notable increases. Brands have different

territories, but their point of parity is the

refined personality that makes them distinct

in the crowd ("If the brand would be a

person, then it would be a special person").

Even if it is in a slightly decline, Romanians

continue to love Poiana (4th place), as well as

the emblematic ROM (7th place).

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360Emotional branding

Salty snacks

The ranking is led by the chips brands Lay's

and Chio. While Lay's earns its fans with its

dynamism and memorable commercials,

Chio is appreciated for innovations and

manages to create a loyal audience, keeping

the competition tight between Lay’s and

Chio.

Nutline and 7Days (Bakerolls, Pizetti) occupy

the 4th and 5th place and are in a slight

decline due to the chips soar in the rankings.

Nutline wins the relevance law (“It’s my type

of brand"), while 7Days dominates the

territory of innovation, most likely helped by

the umbrella brand strength, corroborating

the innovations in the snack segment with

those in the sweets segment.

Toortizi, the new brand introduced in the

ranking, goes directly to the 6th position.

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360Emotional branding

Food products

The food category appears to be the most

dynamic one, with many overturns. The only

constant evolution in the top 10 belongs to

the leader, Hochland.

Dr. Oetker is on 2nd place, climbing 3

positions, while Covalact has a spectacular

climb of 10 positions.

As every year, dairy category dominates the

top, and besides those already mentioned,

we find Napolact and Delaco on the 4th and

5th position.

Taking into consideration a highly fluctuating

evolution over time, an important ascend is

registered by Matache Macelarul, who

arrives directly on stage 9 (after the first

years of the study, has never managed to

enter the top 10).

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360Emotional branding

NA drinks

Like every year, the start of the top is given

by the duel Coca-Cola vs Pepsi.

Fanta continues the ranking, occupying the

3rd position, same as the previous wave,

being the most beloved brand of fruit-

flavored carbonated juices, governed by its

commercials and the young spirit.

The top representatives from bottled water

segment remain Borsec (4thplace) and Dorna

(6th place) swapping position this year in

Borsec's favor, raising a place, while Dorna

descends two positions. Another successful

story in this territory is that of the Aqua

Carpatica, which started in 2011 in the 27th

place and now it occupies the 11th position

in the ranking.

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360Emotional branding

Beer and cider

In the 4th wave of the Emotional Branding

study, the beer category was expanded with

the new player on the alcoholic beverage

market - cider. The new drink was welcomed

by the Romanians and it quickly gained

appreciation, already reaching the top 10 of

this category.

However, it isn’t appearing any change

among the top 3 beer brands - Timisoreana,

Ursus and Heineken.

On an upward trend from the past wave, we

see the Tuborg and Carlsberg ranked in

positions 4 and respectively 9.

Redd's is on the 5th place, while Strongbow

and Somersby are launched directly in the

top, on 6th and respectively 10th place.

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360Emotional branding

Coffe

Jacobs is the one to start the rankings,

maintaining its position as leader in the top

since 2011.

Tchibo and Lavazza are the next on the

podium, both in slightly ascent, reversing

positions with Doncafe and Nescafe, which

are now on the 4th and 5th place. Jacobs,

Tchibo, Doncafe and Nescafe are all strongly

supported by the law of communication, the

one that speaks about relevant and

memorable commercials. Lavazza, on the

other hand, is associated with the law of

preference and recommendation, revealing

somewhat its aspiring character.

New in the rankings, Starbucks goes straight

to the 6th place, tempting its consumers with

more than just coffee and offering a full

experience.

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360Emotional branding

Personal care

The Romanians are quite constant in time in

declaring their attachment to personal care

brands. Dove seems to made its way up

slowly but confidently to the 1st position in

the ranking, reconfirming its strong

emotional positioning, governing the

attachment law ("I Love This Brand").

Next in the ranking are Nivea, Gilette, Adidas

and Colgate.

Avon continues to grow in the rankings and

reaches this year the 6th place.

The brands with Romanian resonance –

Elmiplant, Farmec and Gerovital - manage to

get emotionally close to consumers and join

the top 10, recording impressive climbs in

the rankings.

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360Emotional branding

HH care products

The P&G producer dominates the podium

with 3 brands: Ariel, Fairy and Lenor, while the

competitor, Unilever, proposes another series

of brands that the Romanian audience loves:

Cif which maintains its 4th place, Dero and

Domestos, each climbing 2 steps getting to the

5th place, respectively 7th place. Coccolino, on

the other hand, loses some ground and gets

on 9th place.

Persil records the highest climb in the top of

the rankings, reaching this year the 6th place.

Zewa has a steady performance over the past

wave and retains its position on the 8th place

in the virtue of the innovations that it presents

to the public. Vanish finishes top 10.

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360Emotional branding

Telecom

On the telecommunications market, the

struggle of earning the Romanians

appreciation remains very tight given the

low number of competitors. To the three top

leaders committed in the Emotional

Branding, Orange, Vodafone and RCS & RDS

joins in the fall of 2014 another player,

Telekom – occupying the 4th place.

Orange remains in the front position by

attracting consumers with its commercials,

but also by its strong personality. Vodafone

secondly follows it in the ranking,

highlighting itself as a friend-brand, loved by

its customers.

RCS & RDS is also ranked this year in the 3rd

place, while Digi Mobil, the mobile phone

brand from the same portfolio, ranks 5th.

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360Emotional branding

Financial

BRD and BCR, the two banks that have

already established themselves in their

leading positions, remain in the top two

places, but they swap by placing BRD as a

leader.

ING maintains its 3rd position, but it is

getting more closer than ever to its

competitors. What propels the brand is the

power of innovation, but also the ability to

come up with products and services adapted

to the public that they are addressing. Banca

Transilvania and Raiffeisen Bank also remain

still in the ranking.

NN managed to enter Emotional Branding

Top directly on the 6th position, while

UniCredit Bank and Alpha Bank climb (+4

positions, + 1 position), restoring themselves

to the top 10.

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360Emotional branding

Electro & appliances

Samsung maintains its supremacy this year

too as the detached leader of this category,

appreciated for the perpetual power of

innovation. Its direct opponent, Apple,

climbs two levels in the rankings, playing in

the same territory of innovation.

The occupant of the 3rd place, Philips, climbs

two positions over the last wave, while

Nokia occupies the 5th place and loses two

more positions, continuing to slowly decline

(Nokia ranked 1st place in 2011).

On the 5th place we find the Nikon, which

records an important climb of 13 position.

Nikon, together with Cannon (+9 positions

and reaches the 12th place) have notable

increases, probably indicating an increasing

atraction of the Romanians to the art of

photography.

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360Emotional branding

Auto

Like in every year, at the top of the podium

we find German premium brands,

demonstrating that this is a category of the

aspirationals.

BMW is ranked 1st, being associated with

one of the strongest branding laws - "I love

this brand". Audi maintains its 2nd position

and attracts the Romanians with

innovation. Volkswagen falls two places,

occupying the 3rd position of the podium.

Dacia, the representative brand of

Romania among the cars, occupies the 5th

place and it is the first brand to be

highlighted after the dominance of the

German brands.

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360Emotional brandingRetail

Lidl is one example of success stories, which

not only maintains itself in the first positions

of the top, but also enjoys a beautiful

evolution from the last years. At the end of

2011 it ranks the 5th position , but now we

find Lidl in the front position.

eMag takes the lead and reaches the 4th

place, climbing 3 positions.

The top continues with three successful

stories and with high escalations of the

rankings. Ikea occupies the 6th place and

rises 4 positions, Dedeman occupies the 7th

place, climbing 4 positions too, and Altex

reaches the 8th place, with a spectacular

climb of 8 positions.

The only two players who have left the top

10 are Cora, which reaches the 11th place,

and also Domo reaching the 20th position.

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360Emotional branding

Metodologia studiului

360Emotional Branding study was conducted using CAWI methodology (online interviews) run on a sample

of 600 persons, men and women, aged between 16 – 54 y.o.. The study is representative for the urban

area, for cities above 50.000 inhabitants.

About 360insights

360insights is a full-service marketing research consultancy passionate about helping companies to make

the right decisions in order to grow their brands and business . Founded in 2008, 360insights came to be

the biggest independent research agency in Romania.

In its evolution, 360insights has been defined on the market as a customer oriented company, working

through time with companies in various fields and industries such as FMCG, Telecom, Automotive,

Financial, Pharmaceutical Industry, Media, Real Estate, Human Resources, Social marketing.

Contact: For more details, please contact us at office@360insights.eu or +40 21 527 0101