ICA and Ipsos announce fifth annual Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada at FFWD: Advertising and Marketing Week 2016

Google retains top spot for fourth year, rankings shift and Amazon enters Top 10

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2016 /CNW/ - The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA, www.icacanada.ca) in partnership with Ipsos (www.ipsos.ca) today unveiled the Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada at day two of FFWD: Advertising and Marketing Week 2016 in Toronto.  The Most Influential Brands study evaluates 100+ brands that spend the most on advertising in Canada and ranks their influence; the study was also conducted in 20 other countries in 2015.  Steve Levy, COO at Ipsos announced the 2015 ranking, discussing how this year's brands achieved their status and explaining how and why brands are influential.

Most Influential Brands in Canada 2015

1.    Google  (-)

2.    Apple  (+2)

3.    Microsoft (-1)

4.    Facebook (-1)

5.    YouTube (-)

6.    Visa (+1)

7.    Walmart (-1)

8.    Tim Hortons (-)

9.    Amazon  (+2) NEW in Top 10, 2015

10.  Samsung (-1)

"Brands are more than just corporate logos.  They have meaning, personality, even attitude," explained Mr. Levy. "When it comes to asking which brand is the most trustworthy, has the most presence or is most engaging, the answer can be a personal one.  This is because we increasingly identify with, relate to and define ourselves by them, which gives brands something we can measure:  influence."

The Most Influential Brands study examines five key dimensions that define and determine the most influential brands in Canada by an influence index:  leading edge, trustworthiness, presence, corporate citizenship and engagement.  

The study ranks brands according to their influence and within each of 21 countries:  Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK and the USA.  In Canada, this year's study polled more than 6,000 respondents.

Study finding highlights
The Top 10 brands continue to be a combination of digital service/social media, technology, retail and credit card brands.  The one thing that many of these brands have in common is the frequency with which many are used, which results in them being so firmly entrenched in day to day life.  Google retained its number one position for the fourth year.  Apple took the number two rank, up two spots from last year, buoyed by the fact that it continues to be the most leading edge brand as expressed in terms of being perceived as innovative, trendsetting and that it has forever changed the consumer landscape.  The new addition to this year's Top 10 is Amazon, up from number 11.

A number of differences were found to exist by generation.  Millennials (born during 1982-1996) scored tech and social brands highest, with the addition of Netflix, Pay Pal and Instagram to their top 10 ranking, and the exclusion of Walmart and Tim Hortons.   Gen Xers (born during 1965-1981) ranked Walmart highest (#5) of all cohorts.  Boomers (born during 1946-1964) ranked Microsoft more influential than Apple, and included CBC and Canadian Tire in their Top 10.  

"The most exciting part of Ad Week is the innovative insights that underscore our theme of change this year, as evidenced in the Ipsos study," said Duncan Bruce, president and CEO of Publicis Canada, and FFWD Chair.  "FFWD attendees will benefit greatly from the content that they can take away and utilize in building their own brands and businesses."

Added Gillian Graham, CEO, Institute of Communication Agencies, "The ICA is again proud to partner with Ipsos on this significant study, which impacts everyone from the C-Suite to marketers, advertisers, agencies, communicators and consumers.  We're proud that FFWD Ad Week continues to lead as a resource for compelling thought leadership and important information for our industry in Canada."  

The Most Influential Brands study was conducted in December 2015.  The online survey of 6,006 adult residents of Canada was conducted using the Ipsos iSay Panel.  The results are based on a sample where weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.  The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval.  In this case, the results are considered accurate to within +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled.  Subscriptions to the study are available; for more information please visit http://ipsos.ca/go/influentialbrands/

About Ipsos Canada
Ipsos is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of marketing and public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty, forecasting and modeling insights.  Ipsos' marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information.  To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca.

About FFWD: Advertising and Marketing Week
The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) spearheads FFWD: Advertising and Marketing Week along with its member agencies, other related associations, the media and other companies involved with the communications industry.  This year's Chair is Bruce Duncan, president and CCO of Publicis.  For more information visit www.advertisingweek.ca or Twitter @adweekcdn #FFWD2016.

About the ICA
The Institute of Communication Agencies is the professional business association which represents Canada's communication and advertising agencies.  The ICA's mission is to champion commercial creativity, amplify the industry's economic impact, and to embrace and drive change.  As such, the ICA promotes thought leadership, higher standards and best practices.  It serves as the largest source of information, advice, education and training for Canada's communication and advertising industry.  ICA's member agencies and subsidiaries account for over 75 per cent of all national advertising in Canada, with an economic impact worth more than $29 billion annually.  More information about the ICA and its initiatives can be found at www.icacanada.ca, on Twitter @icacanada or Facebook.

SOURCE Institute of Communication Agencies

Image with caption: "ICA and Ipsos announce fifth annual Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada at FFWD: Advertising and Marketing Week 2016 (CNW Group/Institute of Communication Agencies)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160126_C6803_PHOTO_EN_606286.jpg

For more information, visuals, or to arrange an interview with an ICA or Ipsos spokesperson, please contact Susan Willemsen at The Siren Group Inc. Tel: [phone] or cell: 416-402-4880. Email: [email protected], www.thesirengroup.com or Twitter @thesirengroup. Or, contact Steve Levy, COO, Ipsos. Tel: [phone]. Email: [email protected]