MBLM defines brand intimacy as the bonds that consumers form with the brands that they use, consumers see these brands as a required part of their lives and are also more willing to pay premium prices.
About 1,200 UAE consumers took part in the online quantitative survey last year. They were also required to grade the brands on six fronts, including the level of indulgence, fulfilment, identity, enhancement, ritual, and nostalgia that they provide.
A list of top 10 ‘most intimate’ food and beverage consumer brands in the UAE was subsequently identified.
For Patchi, the number one brand on the list, 15% of the users said that they “can’t live without” the brand and 8% of the users were willing to pay 20% more for the brand.
Other food and beverage consumer brands that made it into the top 10 list included (in order): Galaxy, Al Ain, Nestle’s Nido, Kellogg’s, London Dairy, Sadia, and Americana Dairy.
Notably, Nestle’s Nido had the highest percentage of users who said they “can’t live without” the brand at 19%.
On the other hand, Mars’ chocolate brand, Galaxy, had the highest number of users who are willing to pay 20% more.
Demographic differences
There were also gender and age differences when it comes to brand preferences. Al Rawabi ranked highest for men, while most women preferred Nestle’s Nido.
In terms of age, millennials preferred Kellogg’s, while Galaxy is the choice for the older generation.
The report explained that the element of nostalgia, which focuses on warm memories of the past, was the dominant industry archetype. This means that the more intimate brands have already been part of the consumers’ lives since their childhood.
Consumer goods ranking dropped
Overall, as compared to the other industries, the ranking of consumer goods has dropped from 3rd to the 10th place this year in terms of brand intimacy.
A total of 15 industries were studied, the first place went to the automotive industry, followed by tech and telecom, and media and entertainment.
“There continues to be an under leveraged opportunity for brands in this industry to better leverage emotion when building consumer relationships. We would strongly encourage brands in this space to revisit what they are prioritizing and consider tangible ways to create stronger bonds,” said William Shintani, managing partner of MBLM.
