Walt Disney, Yahoo, Google, Sony and Nestlé, in that order, are the most-loved companies in the world, according to an extensive study by APCO Worldwide. Rounding out the top 10, per the global communication and business strategy firm, are French retailer Auchan, Netflix, Whole Foods, Apple and Lowe's.
APCO surveyed 70,000 consumers in 15 major international markets about 600 of the world's biggest brands to arrive at its top 100 rankings. Interestingly, the Washington, D.C., firm's study measured eight emotional feelings people have toward brands: understanding, approachability, relevance, admiration, curiosity, identification, empowerment, and pride.
Nancy Bachrach, an APCO senior advisor, said marketers "need to know which emotions affect [sales]."
Five particularly intriguing findings from the study:
- PepsiCo (No. 17) trails Coca-Cola (No. 14), but not by as much as one might expect;
- Six out of the top 22 brands were born after the Internet;
- Whole Foods (No. 8) is more than 60 spots ahead of McDonald's;
- Digital stalwarts eBay (No. 76) and Facebook (No. 81) didn't rank super high—but their "approachability" scores probably hurt them;
- Cat, the heavy machinery brand, made the list at No. 92.
And here is APCO's top 100 most-loved companies.
