Harnessing the Power of Fandom: Dawn Soap Emerges Alongside Tech and Retail Giants at the Top of Inaugural 'Fandom 50' List from Stagwell's (STGW) National Research Group

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Jun 06, 2023, 11:24 ET

Tesla, NWSL, Bulleit Whiskey, and MLS scored out of the top 50, but were among the brands with the strongest momentum

NEW YORK, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National Research Group (NRG), a global insights leader at the intersection of culture, content, and technology, today released The Fandom 50, a list of the top 50 brands earning the highest scores across 18 categories included in the newly created NRG Fandex. The NRG Fandex takes a data-driven approach to measuring brand fandom through a multi-dimensional lens, conducted through a comprehensive study of 12,500 U.S. consumers.

Fandom of brands has hit critical mass, as the research concluded that 73% of U.S. adults consider themselves a superfan of at least one brand. These fans are the vital force behind brand success. Not only are they advocates, they are also part of a larger community that surrounds the brand and their loyalty is strong enough to withstand organizational missteps along the way. Validated against financial performance, NRG's Fandex composite metric has a stronger positive correlation to revenue than any one measure, making NRG's Fandex more predictive of revenue than usage, affinity, or likelihood to recommend alone.

Technology brands dominated the top of the Fandom 50 list, with Google (1), Apple (3), Android (6), and Samsung (9) all placing in the top 10. Amazon (2) and YouTube (4) rounded out the top five, along with one household brand, Dawn, which far outpaced the rest of the household brands despite the category being well-represented on the list.

"The Fandom 50 highlights brands that have the most powerful fandom," said Fotoulla Damaskos, EVP, Brand Strategy and Innovation, NRG. "From tech giants leading innovation, to platforms and companies that connect people, to reliable household products, each brand on the Fandom 50 uniquely delivers on the components that culminate in brand fandom. These are brands that are committed to continually innovating and evolving in ways that surprise and delight customers, and they rally behind a mission that consumers identify with, creating a community that connects people with like minds and interests."

Highlights from the study include:

The Top 5 brand categories with the strongest Fandex Scores, in order, are: technology, entertainment and media, social media, household goods, and food.
Brands are for (Millennial) lovers: Avid brand fandom is strongest among Millennials, who are superfans of nearly twice as many brands as Boomers, and of 19% more brands than Gen Z.
Vocal in their support: Brand fans are 3.5x more likely to be vocal advocates for a brand.
Through thick and thin: Brand fans are 3x more likely to stick with a brand even if it does something they don't like.
Generational divides: When isolated by generation, the list of brands with the strongest fandom shifts. The brands with the most notable shifts include:

Gen Z – Snapchat moves 28 spots higher on the list to #13
Millennials – Nintendo moves 16 spots higher on the list to #6
Gen X – MLB moves 20 spots higher on the list to #30
Boomers – Keurig moves 27 spots higher on the list to #10

Top 50 absentees: Brand categories that were included in the overall study but absent from the top 50 list include: travel, automotive, fitness, luxury, and alcohol.

The full list of the Fandom 50 is:

Google (Tech)
Amazon (Retail)
Apple (Tech)
YouTube (Social Media)
Dawn (Household)
Android (Tech)
Netflix (Entertainment)
Walmart (Retail)
Samsung (Tech)
Coca-Cola (Beverage)
TikTok (Social Media)
Visa (Finance)
Microsoft (Tech)
Disney (Entertainment)
NFL (Sports)
PayPal (Finance)
Chick-Fil-A (QSR/Fast Casual)
Febreze (Household)
Starbucks (QSR/Fast Casual)
Marvel (Entertainment)
Facebook (Social Media)
Nintendo (Entertainment)
Instagram (Social Media)
Spotify (Entertainment)
Clorox (Household)
Dove (Beauty/Personal)
Nike (Apparel)
Crest (Beauty/Personal)
PlayStation (Entertainment)
Lysol (Household)
Target (Retail)
Gatorade (Beverage)
Bounty (Household)
Pepsi (Beverage)
McDonald's (QSR/Fast Casual)
Tide (Household)
Keurig (Consumer Goods)
NBA (Sports)
Kraft (Food)
Rare Beauty (Beauty/Personal)
Snapchat (Social Media)
Heinz (Food)
Colgate (Beauty/Personal)
Verizon (Telecom)
Kellogg's (Food)
Mr. Clean (Household)
Pinterest (Social Media)
Adidas (Apparel)
Fenty Beauty (Beauty/Personal)
MLB (Sports)

"Building an engaged and loyal fanbase has never been more important for brands who want to stand out and drive success on all metrics," said Ryan Linder, EVP, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stagwell. "Understanding how to build and activate your brand fans is critical, as is having a reliable and data-backed way to measure that fandom year over year. The brands on the Fandom 50 are knocking it out of the park and the insights from this research provide an incredible tool for brands ready to take their fandom to the next level."

The research also revealed that the most dominant path to brand fandom starts with "Momentum," which is driven by a brand's commitment to continuous evolution, clear future vision, and innovation. Brands that harness the power of Momentum and leverage the right ingredients of fandom – community, belonging, relevance and identity – have the power to be the future leaders on the brand fandom list.

Rising brands identified as leading on Momentum but not yet in the Fandom 50 include: Tesla, NWSL, Bulleit Whiskey, MLS, SoFi, Mint Mobile, Method, Toyota, Mrs. Meyers, YETI, VRBO, and Discord.

Rooted in four decades of expertise, NRG is a tested leader on cultural and entertainment insights, fueling the post-pandemic resurgence of the film industry and informing strategy for several of the most well-known sports teams, leagues, and brands. With a unique understanding of the world's most passionate fan bases, NRG created The Fandex to bring those insights to brands across industries, providing a new data-driven approach to understanding the brand fan ecosystems.

Brands interested in learning more about The NRG Fandex should contact [email protected]. NRG is part of Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing.

Methodology
The NRG Fandom 50 is based on an online survey of 12,509 Americans in a nationally representative sample of adults ages 18-64 fielded from April 21-May 3, 2023. The Fandom 50 ranking is based on Fandex Scores, which are a composite of three key pillars: Action (engagement and first choice in category), Alignment (passion and personal relevance), and Amplification (advocacy and buzz). The Fandex study has also identified the components that make up a multi-dimensional framework for defining brand fandom and unpacks the drivers that spark and grow a brand's fan base, allowing brands to measure their current fan ecosystem and understand how to better activate, grow, and nurture a stronger fan network.

About National Research Group
National Research Group (NRG) is a leading global insights and strategy firm working at the intersection of culture, content, and technology. Rooted in four decades of industry expertise, the world's leading marketers turn to us for insights that drive growth. To learn more, please visit www.nrgmr.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

Media Contacts

NRG
Mary Moczula
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HUNTER
Ross Lipschultz
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Stagwell
Sarah Arvizo
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.