"In the second annual BrandZ France ranking, released by WPP and Kantar, Louis Vuitton secured the first position ($46.4 billion), Chanel second ($39.2 billion) and Hermès third ($31.5 billion). The total value of BrandZ French Top 50 rose by 12 per cent. While this is significantly ahead of the 2.3 per cent increase in the country's GDP, it is less than the 21 per cent rise in total brand value seen in the BrandZ Global Top 100 Brands earlier this year. One potential reason for the growth lag could be comparatively low perceived innovation score for France's top brands. Taking 100 as the benchmark score for this measure, the Top 50 most valuable French brands average 103 compared to 113 for both the BrandZ Global Top 50 and the US Top 50 rankings."
In the second annual BrandZ France ranking, released by WPP and Kantar, Louis Vuitton secured the first position ($46.4 billion), Chanel second ($39.2 billion) and Hermès third ($31.5 billion). The total value of BrandZ French Top 50 rose by 12 per cent. While this is significantly ahead of the 2.3 per cent increase in the country's GDP, it is less than the 21 per cent rise in total brand value seen in the BrandZ Global Top 100 Brands earlier this year.
One potential reason for the growth lag could be comparatively low perceived innovation score for France's top brands. Taking 100 as the benchmark score for this measure, the Top 50 most valuable French brands average 103 compared to 113 for both the BrandZ Global Top 50 and the US Top 50 rankings.
But some French brands are delivering on innovation with initiatives that include encouraging staff to act as brand ambassadors on social media and providing opportunities for consumers to test products. Sports retailer Decathlon is viewed by consumers as the most disruptive brand within the ranking
BrandZ French Top 50 study highlights the key trends:
Dior registers fastest growth: Dior emerged the fastest riser in the ranking, up 58 per cent, with Rémy Martin growing by
39 per cent and Saint Laurent by 34 per cent.
Preference for fresh products: The percentage of French consumers opting for fresh produced has risen to 33 per cent from 29 per cent a decade ago. More than half of French consumers say they will willingly pay more for higher quality.
Ratio of older consumers increase: Nearly a third of the French population is aged 55-plus and the proportion is growing. They also account for more than 40 per cent of spending on consumer goods and are on the lookout for great food, fashion, travel and tech.
Promoting regional products: Supermarkets and national brands are now promoting the regional heritage of selected produce, and a new brand, C'est qui le Patron, co-created with consumers, is successfully selling a growing range of fresh food, from milk and butter to burger patties.
Commissioned by WPP, the valuation behind the BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable French Brands was conducted by brand equity research experts Kantar Millward Brown. The methodology is similar to the one used to calculate the annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking.
The ranking combines rigorously analysed market data from Bloomberg and Kantar Consulting with extensive consumer insights. Globally, the research covers 3.6 million consumers and more than 122,000 different brands in over 50 markets. In France, we interviewed more than 101,000 consumers for over 1,100 brands in 88 categories. As the only brand valuation ranking grounded in consumer opinion, BrandZ's analysis enables French brands to identify their strength in the market and provides clear strategic guidance on how to boost value for the long-term. The BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable French Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking of the country's brands available, and the brands ranked all meet these eligibility criteria.
