L’Oréal Paris takes the lead. A new report by WPP’s marketing and brand consultancy firm, Kantar Millward Brown, revealed that the brand is the personal-care category’s “world’s most valuable” for a sixth consecutive year.
According to a spokesman for the company’s latest “BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands Ranking,” report, L’Oréal’s consumer-first focus earned the brand the first top position.
The spokesman explained that L’Oréal’s 9 percent brand value boost follows “successful strategies to build loyalty and become more customer-centric.” Specifically, the report pointed to the brand’s effective use of social media and innovative campaigns and activations as examples.
The brand has made efforts to maintain relevance with consumers — from naming Winona Ryder as a brand ambassador to the launch of its women’s empowerment-focused talk show at the Cannes Film Festival.
| Rank 2018 | Brand | Country of origin | Brand value 2018 ($M) | Brand value change (2018 vs. 2017) |
| 1 | L’Oréal Paris | France | 26,107 | 9% |
| 2 | Colgate | U.S. | 18,516 | 4% |
| 3 | Gillette | U.S. | 15,358 | -6% |
| 4 | Lancôme | France | 11,274 | 20% |
| 5 | Nivea | Germany | 7,394 | 9% |
Above: Leading brands in the report’s “Top 15 Most Valuable Personal-care Brands” list.
Meanwhile, Colgate increased its brand’s value by four percent and while Gillette’s decreased six percent, the label still boasts third-place position in the report’s “Top 15 Most Valuable Personal-care Brands” rankings.
Lancôme and Nivea trailed closely behind, with a 20 percent increase and a 9 percent boost in brand value, respectively.
The analysis pointed to e-commerce and shifting consumer attitudes as factors determining change for the category at large. Overall, it appears to be thriving. As report material affirmed, “The personal-care category increased eight percent in value, compared with a rise of only 1 percent a year ago.”
Kantar Millward Brown’s concept of brand value is calculated through a combination of consumer brand perception and financial data.
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