Men and women may love Southwest Airlines, Google and Dove (yes, Dove, thanks to its line of products for men) but after that, the “battle of the sexes” continues.
Women ranked Hallmark, Kohl’s, Lexus, Target, Neutrogena and Crest tops in the second annual “Most Desired Brands in the U.S.,” while men gave Cadillac, BMW, Apple, Sharp and GE their votes.
Neuromarketing firm Buyology, Inc., recently released the results of their study of 4,000 Americans on 220 brands across 10 diverse industries that used a brand profiling technique combining EEG brain monitoring and eye-tracking data. “What we’re really doing is scientifically measuring what is the strength of the connection with brands,” explains Gary Singer, the chief executive of Buyology.
As marketers, we’ve long known that connections, or engagement, with a brand ultimately leads to sales. Here are some of the industry leaders revealed by the study and why:
- Auto: Cadillac, the most desired auto brand among men, ranked first because of one product, the Escalade, which Singer believes has increased the “masculine appeal” of the brand, according to Singer. Lexus was cited by women for its all-around customer-service experience.
- Financial: MasterCard may see itself as “priceless,” but Visa led the pack for both men and women. This was the only category in which men and women had the same top-three brands in the same order—Visa, American Express and MasterCard.
- Airlines: According to Singer, “Southwest is increasingly distinct in the airline business and both men and women appreciate the difference.” Especially appealing is its consumer friendly baggage-fee policy.
- Retail: Kohl’s diversity, quality and the value of its shopping experience are what make it the most-desired retail brand for women. The constantly changing inventory and the adventure of deal-hunting is why women return the store over and over again, Singer says. The men went with Apple in this category.
View the full survey to see where your favorite brands ranked at buyologyinc.com.