The Observatory of major brands, with the OpinionWay* institute, publishes its eighth list of favorite brands of the French on Monday. And like every year, it is the gourmet pleasure food brands that dominate. Aim for the head of the top 5: La Laitière, Lu, Lindt, Bonne Maman and Carte d’Or. We have to wait for the thirteenth position to find a non-food brand, with Samsung. And out of this top 30, 24 brands sell food products.
Does that seem huge to you? In fact, this is the first time in eight editions that there are so “few”. In total, six non-food brands are in the top 30: Samsung, therefore (13th), Tefal (15th), Bic (16th), Decathlon (17th), Moulinex (19th) and Bosch (23rd). There were only four in 2022. Less greedy, these brands then offer another promise. “They are very practical and continue the trend observed since the confinements of 2020”, explains a representative of the favorite brand of the French. With the health crisis, the rise of telework, the greater importance given to the personal framework, “home products are gaining more and more importance in the hearts of the French. “. However, the latest health measures had been lifted for more than a year at the time of the study (carried out in February 2023), which clearly shows “that we are on an underlying trend, and not on an episode specific to the health crisis”.
The useful more and more appreciated
The example that best illustrates this trend is Bic. Absent from the top 30 in 2022, she made a great breakthrough to 16th place. However, without any lack of respect, a Bic pen does not necessarily sell dreams. “But it does the job, and it’s one of the brands found to be the most useful,” says France’s Favorite Brand. It ranks fourth in this category, behind three delivery giants: Colissimo, Chronopost, Amazon. “It shows the importance that home and home have taken on. A Bic pen always helps out, and that’s enough to mark the hearts of the French. In 2023, we therefore vibrate less for the impossible than for the effective.
Another trend of the year, proximity, “became the most important item in the eyes of the consumer”. This explains the meteoric rise of Decathlon, which went from 30th to 17th place: “Proximity is the key factor, and Decathlon is seen as the number 1 sign on this. “A place he already occupied in 2022, proof that the “proximity” criterion has gained importance in this final ranking.
Made in France and gourmet food, the two safe bets
But as we saw at the beginning, certain sure values remain: even if it is losing ground, food, and particularly “gourmet food, is the most likely to mark the hearts of the French”. While one would have thought that the historic inflation of 2022 would curb pleasure purchases, they are still strongly represented. If you doubt it, reread the top 5 above, and you will see that we are more about desserts and delicacies than lentils or rice.
Even if, due to the purchasing power crisis, “certain trade-offs have taken place. Yes, sweet/salty pleasure remains at the top of the rankings, but it is slipping back a bit in its dominance,” the report notes.
Finally, note the made in France. Seven French brands squat the top 10, and 22 the top 30. A ratio identical to 2022. “French brands are firmly anchored in consumer preferences”, explains the favorite brand of the French. To enter this top 30 if you are not from the country, it is better to be a reference in your field: we will thus find German Tefal pans, Korean Samsung laptops or Italian Barilla pasta. Only world tops.
* Survey conducted online on 1,300 brands from February 2 to 13, 2023 by the OpinionWay research institute for the French Favorite Brand award with a representative sample of 4,900 French respondents aged 18 and over.
Respondents were presented with a list of brands with their logo and they answered 2 questions:
– Which of these brands do you like? (1 answer among 4 possible: I like/I don’t like/Neither one nor the other/I don’t know).
– How would you qualify these brands? (1 to 7 answers among: is a useful brand, committed, trustworthy, close to me, accessible, quality, innovative, none of these qualifiers)
Trends and growth compared to L’Observatoire 2022 conducted in March 2022 by OpinionWay on 1,300 brands from a representative sample of 4,900 French respondents aged 18 and over.