Top 100 - Wamda.com

BrandZ Top 100 2011: INTRODUCTION 12New media messagesUsing both new and traditional media, brandscommunicated messages shaped by themes thatinformed this year’s BrandZ Top 100 Most ValuableGlobal Brands, including:– Assertion of individuality: The surge of personalexpression empowered by the Internet was matchedby a consumer preference for personal expressionin apparel and other products, resulting in a trend tothe bespoke (for those who could afford it) or masscustomization (for everyone else).– Concern for personal health and wellness: Consumers,across economic groups, paid more attention to thefood they put in their bodies (improvements in fastfoodmenus) and the products they put on their bodies(changes in personal-care ingredients).– Concern about the environment: Consumers weren’twilling to pay any price for environmentally friendlyproducts, but being “green” became a hygiene factorin some categories (the introduction of more hybrid andsome electric cars).– Concern about product provenance: Consumerswanted to feel good about their possessions.They wanted peace of mind, knowing that any pleasurethey derived from owning a product did not come atthe expense of the people who made it.The changes in media and message influenced the verynotion of brand. Digital media enabled brands to becomemore present and interactively involved in the lives ofconsumers. Prompted by a shift in consumer values,brands pursued their commercial interests in a largercontext, if not with a higher purpose.