MSW’s RDE Analytic Framework rests on a study that found that three equity dimensions (Relevance, Differentiation, Emotion) are responsible for driving a significant portion of brand growth.  Our ongoing Chart of the Week series is dedicated to sharing RDE results for a variety of categories.  

If you have questions about your category or want your own Chart of the Week – give us a call.

This week our RDE Assessment among 500 men and women for six major brands in the Smartphone category led to the following insights:

• Not surprisingly, Apple and Samsung lead the way in both RDE composite and Brand Preference, as these two brands dominate the US Smartphone market.

• Apple’s RDE is driven by differentiation, since Apple is well known for its differentiation strategy in terms of product design and user experience.

• On the other hand, Samsung RDE is driven mainly by relevance.  Unlike Apple, which plays at the high end of the market, Samsung offers a vast array of devices to fulfill the needs of any smartphone purchaser.

• LG offers a similar profile (albeit at lower levels) to fellow Korean brand Samsung.

• Differentiation also drives RDE for Google Pixel, as Google’s technological leadership and reputation for innovation across a diverse set of products and services has extended into their offering in the Smartphone market.

• Motorola is relatively undistinguished in terms of RDE – it remains to be seen if the new foldable Razr will succeed in lifting the Lenovo unit’s profile among consumers in the US.

• Huawei ranks lowest on both RDE composite and brand preference among the brands studied.   Not surprisingly, it is particularly low on Relevance given the US government’s action against the brand and the difficulty of buying a Huawei device in the US.

• The RDE composite is strongly related to brand preference in this category, with an extremely high correlation of 0.98.

MSW’s RDE Analytic Framework rests on a study that found that three equity dimensions (Relevance, Differentiation, Emotion) are responsible for driving a significant portion of brand growth.  Our ongoing Chart of the Week series is dedicated to sharing RDE results for a variety of categories.  If you have questions about your category – give us a call.

This week our RDE Assessment among 250 men for several major brands in the Fast Food Restaurants category led to the following insights about the three major burger chains:

• McDonald’s easily outpaced its fellow burger purveyors – and all other fast food outlets we studied – in terms of Relevance.  The chain’s ubiquity, shrewd marketing and combination of price, convenience and taste drive its relevance among consumers which in turn underpins its leading sales position in the industry.

• McDonald’s also leads its peers in emotionally connecting with consumers perhaps due to its history and long-running I’m Lovin’ It campaign.

• Burger King has a slight edge on its rivals when it comes to differentiation, with a history of being unafraid to try innovative menu items, illustrated by the recently introduced Impossible Whopper.

• Wendy’s is seen as more differentiated than McDonald’s, perhaps due to a menu that features classic differentiators like the Frosty and Chili as well as newer favorites like the Baconator; and is more emotionally connected than Burger King with a brand personality that has embraced a sassy social media persona. 

• McDonald’s lead in overall RDE score is reflected in its dominant position in terms of both brand preference and market share.

Frank Findley, Executive Director of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) does a great job explaining the value and importance of measuring Brand Preference in this video titled; Five Compelling Reasons to Measure Brand Preference.

All the data, examples and Brand Preference methodology that Franks refers to in this video are MSW’s measure of Brand Preference.  This is terrific independent validation of the importance of what we do for our clients.

Contact me to learn more about MSW’s Brand Preference.