Aesop
Brand Storytelling Survey 2016
At Aesop we believe that all great brands have a story to tell.
This study, now in its fourth year, identifies the UK’s top storytelling brands; demonstrating a ‘heroic’ sense of who they are, what they stand for, and what their ultimate purpose is.
To better define an increasingly broad concept…
we asked over 2000 consumers
to identify 180 brands
…against 9 key storytelling criteria, including whether the brands had a ‘clear sense of purpose and vision’ and whether they ‘produce content you want to share or talk about.’
The Results
Apple retains the top spot for the fourth year in a row, closely followed by Amazon moving up to 11 places to 2nd. The National Trust replaces Macmillan as the highest ranked charity. Instagram is a new entry at 14.
Apple and Amazon keep us guessing
Apple and Amazon are this year’s top two storytelling brands. With their recent track records for innovative product launches, it’s not surprising that both scored highly against the “I’m intrigued to see what they’ll do next” criteria.
Amazon
Apple
- 2007 Kindle
- 2011 Instant Video
- 2012 Kindle Fire HD
- 2014 Fire TV Stick
- 2006 iPod Nano
- 2008 MacBook Air
- 2010 iPad
- 2012 iPhone 5
- 2015 Apple Watch
Each year, Amazon seems to introduce new products and features that deliver on its customer-centric vision.
Ed Woodcock, Director of Narrative, Aesop Agency
Supermarket wars
The supermarket wars are a British obsession, and in the last few years the competition has really heated up. This year’s survey reflects the new landscape, with Lidl replacing M&S as the number one grocer.
The discounters continue to develop and deliver on their easy-to-understand narratives about surprising quality and value.
Ed Woodcock, Director of Narrative, Aesop Agency
Ryanair becomes a first class storyteller
Following the reporting of a 66% jump in full-year profits plus nine million additional passengers, Ryanair soars past Virgin into first place amongst the airlines.
- Ryanair47th
- Virgin Atlantic49th
- British Airways53th
- easyJet69th
Changing their tune seems to have borne results for Ryanair. The reputation for value remains clear, but the tone has softened for the better.
Ed Woodcock, Director of Narrative, Aesop Agency
Archetypes
For the first time, this year’s survey asked consumers to map brands against popular characters each, relating to the 12 archetypes originated by the psychiatrist Carl Jung.