US: Lexus, Sony and Toshiba feature in Biggest Brand Movers April 2023

In this month’s edition of Biggest Brand Movers in the US, Lexus takes the top spot with lifts in 11 out of 13 brand health metrics.

Biggest Brand Movers is a monthly analysis highlighting the brands that make statistically significant, month-over-month improvements in the brand metrics tracked by YouGov BrandIndex.

Lexus steered its company in a new direction with the announcement of its first all-electric model, the RZ 450e crossover SUV. The brand’s recent move aligns with its vision to prioritize sustainability over the next decade and coincides with its overall positive sales performance over the last quarter.

Sony Entertainment has been making strides in its Reputation scores and overall brand image. The brand recently earned the top spot in Metacritic’s annual publisher rankings and teamed up with soccer star Leo Messi to collaborate on a new animated series about his early years.

Electronics company Toshiba had a string of positive news in the last month. The company accepted a $15 billion buyout from Japan Industrial Partners and announced a new gaming TV line all within the same month. Several Toshiba products also featured in Amazon’s spring sale, likely boosting its Ad Awareness and Consideration scores among the other 10 categories it made improvements in.

Chicken of the Sea has been in the news recently for its major rebrand, which includes a new logo and packaging design. The brand saw lifts in nine of 13 categories, including Consideration and Awareness.

Food retailer Omaha Steaks was another big improver last month. The company recently promoted a 50% off everything sale on its website including on its steak, meat and seafood products. The sale coincides with boosts in Awareness, Ad Awareness, Word of Mouth Exposure and Consideration among other improvements.

Best Buy has announced a partnership with Roku to launch Roku-made hardware, providing customers with even more options for streaming their favorite shows and movies. The brand's earnings call in March also went better than expected, signaling a positive outlook for the company.

Ace Hardware recently renovated its corporate headquarters and also hosted an annual spring convention, which saw record-high attendance for the company. The home improvement brand earned upticks in eight of 13 brand health categories.

Hotel chain Best Western has experienced some challenges in recent months, including a fire at the end of the month, a shooting at one of its hotels in February and the decision to replace real people at the front desk with a hologram. However, despite these issues and changes, the brand has managed to improve its brand perception metrics such as Impression, Value, and Reputation.

Red Lobster has been offering exciting events for its customers, such as the endless lobster event and selling its food at grocery stores, providing customers with even more options to enjoy their favorite dishes. Additionally, a Red Lobster employee went viral on TikTok for sharing how much she made in a night, providing the brand with more exposure.

Shoe brand Vans has made several significant improvements through its brand and celebrity collaborations. Vans recently partnered with Haribo, launched a sustainable gardening shoe line with Nicole McLaughlin, and received positive PR with Olivia Rodrigo, positioning itself as a trendy and environmentally conscious brand.

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Methodology

Data for the Biggest Brand Movers compares statistically significant score increases across all BrandIndex metrics between the current and the previous month. Brands are ranked based on the number of metrics that saw a statistically significant increase from month to month. The metrics considered are:

Media & communication metrics

Aided Awareness – Whether or not a consumer has ever heard of a brand

Ad Awareness – Whether a consumer has seen or heard an advertisement for a brand in the past two weeks

Word of Mouth Exposure – Whether a consumer has talked about a brand with family or friends in the past two weeks

Buzz – Whether a consumer has heard anything positive or negative about a brand in the past two weeks (net score)

Brand perception metrics

Impression – Whether a consumer has a positive or negative impression of a brand

Value – Whether a consumer considers a brand to represent good or poor value for money

Reputation – Whether a consumer would be proud or embarrassed to work for a particular brand

Satisfaction – Whether a consumer is currently a satisfied or dissatisfied customer of a particular brand

Recommend – Whether a consumer would recommend a brand to a friend or colleague or not

Quality – Whether a consumer considers a brand to represent good or poor quality

Purchase funnel metrics

Consideration – If a consumer would consider a brand or not the next time they are in the market for a purchase

Purchase Intent – Whether a consumer would be most likely or unlikely to purchase a specific product

Current Customer – Whether a consumer has recently purchased/owns a given product or not


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