Unilever named as company with most brands in the Kantar Worldpanel Global Top 50

In its fifth annual study of the world’s most chosen FMCG brands, Kantar Worldpanel has revealed that Unilever is the company with the most number of brands in its index.

The extensive analysis of FMCG brands measures which brands are being bought by the most consumers, most often, around the world. It examines around 1 billion households and 300 billion shopper decisions across 39 countries.

Unilever’s brands include Knorr, Dove, Lux, and Sunlight, all of which feature in the top 20, with Lifebuoy, the world’s leading health soap, at number 3. Unilever’s Brooke Bond Tea is a new addition to the top 50. Sunlight features as the top Homecare brand, with Dove adding the most consumers to its portfolio reaching 14 million new households.

“Increasingly we see that people want to buy from companies and brands that not only have great products at the right price, but also fit with their values. Our experience is that brands whose purpose and products respond to that demand are delivering stronger and faster growth. Our business is investment-led, innovation-led and sustainability-led. We will continue to invest in our brands to drive their growth, popularity and consumer benefits whilst ensuring they are contributing positively to society and the environment,” said Keith Weed, Unilever Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.

Consumers are increasingly attracted to brands with a sense of purpose. Unilever has announced that its most sustainable brands are growing over 50 percent faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 60 percent of the company’s growth in 2016.

In addition, in this Kantar study, more than two thirds of the brands included in the top 50 were the Unilever Sustainable Living brands.

This week also saw the announcement that Unilever has topped The GlobeScan/SustainAbility Leaders Brand Report for the seventh year running. It looks at which companies, NGOs and governments, experts believe are leading the sustainability agenda. The 13 Unilever brands in the top 50 are Lifebuoy (3rd), Sunsilk (10th), Knorr (11th), Dove (12th), Lux (13th), Sunlight (14th), Pepsodent (18th), Surf (27th), Rexona (28th), Vim (29th), Brooke Bond (34th), Close Up (42nd) and Lipton (48th).

Kantar Worldpanel’s annual Top 50 ranking of the world’s most chosen FMCG brands reveals which brands are achieving global success, providing insights to help FMCG brands set global targets more accurately and improve their global business growth. It is set apart from other brand rankings by providing information on real consumer behavior rather than attitude. Consumer Reach Points (CRPs) form the basis of the ranking. An innovative metric that measures how many households around the world are buying a brand (penetration) and how often (frequency), it provides a true representation of shopper choice. To access the full global, regional, country and sector rankings and a complete index of the brands included in the Global Top 50, please visit www.kantarworldpanel.com/brand-footprint-ranking

Romanita Oprea