British Airways (BA) has been voted the number one British brand in both the consumer and business Superbrands lists for 2019. A ‘Superbrand’ is considered to have established the finest reputation in its field, offering customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which customers want and recognize.
More than 1,500 brands were voted for in both surveys, with BA earning fourth place in the Business Index and fifth place in the Consumer Index. The airline also won the number one spot in the ‘Travel – Airlines’ category in the consumer survey, ahead of 18 of its competitors from the UK and around the world.
A good result for BA, but how did the process work?
Voters in the Superbrands program were asked to judge brands against three core factors considered inherent in a ‘superbrand’, namely quality, reliability and distinction.
- Quality: Does the brand provide quality products and services?
- Reliability: Can the brand be trusted to deliver consistently?
- Distinction: Is it well known in its sector and suitably different from its rivals?
According to Superbrands, brand perception and voting by individuals is also influenced by a range of short- and long-term factors, from the brand’s current profile to its latest marketing activities and new product and service developments, giving a holistic picture of how brands are currently perceived.
The business Superbrands voting process involved 2,500 UK business professionals, supplemented by an expert council comprising 24 senior business-to-business marketing leaders.
The British public vote in the consumer Superbrands survey was weighted to reflect the breadth of opinion across the whole of the UK, and all brands awarded Superbrand status were also highly rated by an objective and voluntary council of senior industry experts to provide a secondary quality control mechanism.
Brands do not pay or apply to be considered in the Superbrands program. In order to provide a broad review of the market and identify the strongest brands in each category, all the key players in each sector need to be voted on. The research process was managed by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA) in partnership with Dynata, a data research company.
Alex Cruz, BA’s chairman and chief executive stated, “It’s our centenary year and we couldn’t be more proud to be flying the flag for Britain. We’re thrilled to be featured as one the top five Superbrands alongside some incredible global organizations. We’re investing more than £6.5 billion to ensure British Airways offers a world-class service – but we’re never complacent and we will continue to strive to ensure we meet and surpass our customer and colleagues’ expectations.”
The results:
In Consumer Superbrands, BA finished fifth out of the 1,596 brands voted on, and also came first in the ‘Travel – Airlines’ category, ahead of 18 peers.
The overall top 10 Consumer Superbrands for 2019 are:
- Lego
6. Coca-cola - Apple
7. Andrex - Gillette
8. Mastercard - Rolex
9. Visa - British Airways
10. Dyson
In Business Superbrands, British Airways placed fourth out of the 1,586 brands voted on. The airline placed second in category, out of the 22 brands surveyed. Emirates placed top of category and third overall.
The overall top 10 Business Superbrands for 2019 are:
- Apple
6. PayPal - Microsoft
7. BP - Emirates
8. Mastercard - British Airways
9. Google - Samsung
10. Visa
