Google, Amazon, Samsung, Disney and Dove Rated 'Most Motivating' Brands By American Consumers in 2020

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Harte Hanks, a global, behavior-driven customer experience (CX) company, unveiled today its inaugural Most Motivating Brands Index, a list of brands ranked according to their ability to influence consumer behavior. The top 15 ranking brands, in descending order by index scores, are (1) Google, (2), Amazon, (3), Samsung, (4), Disney, (5), Dove, (6) Target, (7) Nike, (8) Paypal, (9) Home Depot, (10) Apple, (11) Sony, (12) Teladoc, (13) LG, (14) Visa and (15) Headspace.

"2020 is clearly a tumultuous year that has brought a number of societal issues to the forefront in our country. As people seek to make sense of these issues, they are reevaluating their lives and enacting a number of changes, including in how they make purchase decisions," said Gretchen Ramsey, Chief Strategy Officer, Harte Hanks. "The brands topping our list are the most successful in maintaining influence in people's lives during this time, and they are doing it in ways that will likely have a long-term impact after this culture-reshaping year."

The Most Motivating Brands Index is part of the Harte Hanks Behavioral Index, a global initiative to uncover emerging behavioral shifts that influence consumer behavior. The Most Motivating Brands were determined using a proprietary methodology that evaluates brands on a set of drivers critical to Empathy – or, the act of showing consumers that they are being listened to and understood – and that demonstrate Action to serve those consumers. Google rated the highest on a number of drivers, including Creativity and Cultural Relevance. Amazon, the second highest-rated brand on the Motivating Brands Index, was rated the most Reliable brand, and also scored high in areas such as Responsiveness and Relevance. Apple had the highest Action total score, while Dove ranked highest on total Empathy.

The Harte Hanks Behavioral Index, launched in March 2020 and updated on a continual basis, helps brand marketers get in front of shifts in consumer behavior by understanding mindsets and emotions, ultimately to help create better products and services that bring value to people. The Behavioral Index uses a mix of periodic surveys, continuously pulled web-based data and ongoing analysis to uncover emerging behavioral shifts and trends. As of today, the Harte Hanks Behavioral Index includes insights based on 500 million global social conversations 7,000 people surveyed, 40,000 global stories and 2 million semantic artifacts.

"2020 will likely lay the foundation for consumer behavior, and its impact on our economy, for the next decade or longer," said Andrew Benett, Executive Chairman and CEO of Harte Hanks, and co-author of the 2010 book Consumed: Rethinking Business in the Era of Mindful Spending, which foretold of a world in which brands would need to stand for purpose beyond profit in the wake of the Great Recession. "As consumers reevaluate how they do everything -- from work to connecting with loved ones to shopping to educating the next generation – brands that stay quiet in this pivotal year risk losing their chance to make an impression on consumers that will impact their bottom lines for years to come."

About Harte Hanks
Harte Hanks is a behavior-driven Customer Experience (CX) company uniquely able to partner with brands on everything from Data to Delivery. We marry our data-driven understanding of human behavior with a seamless connection to the consumer through a full suite of digital, direct marketing and eCommerce services, including fulfillment and customer care. Harte Hanks works with leading Fortune 500 companies, including Bank of America, BMW Group, Cisco, L'Oréal S.A., Pfizer, Sony and Unilever. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, Harte Hanks has more than 2,000 employees throughout North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. For more information, visit Harte Hanks at hartehanks.com.

SOURCE Harte Hanks