Battle of the Brands British Airways Takes the Top Spot for Britain

British Airways has been voted the number one British brand in both the consumer and business Superbrands lists for 2019.

Over 1,500 brands were included in both surveys and British Airways was voted in fourth place in the Business Index and fifth place in the Consumer Index. The airline also secured the number one spot in the ‘Travel – Airlines’ category in the consumer survey, ahead of 18 of its competitors from the UK and internationally.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive said: “It’s our centenary year and we couldn’t be more proud to be flying the flag for Britain. We’re thrilled to be featured as one the top five Superbrands alongside some incredible global organisations. We’re investing more than £6.5 billion to ensure British Airways offers a world-class service - but we’re never complacent and we will continue to strive to ensure we meet and surpass our customer and colleagues’ expectations.”

 All voters were asked to judge brands against the three core factors inherent in a Superbrand: quality, reliability and distinction. According to the experts at Superbrands, brand perception and voting by individuals is also influenced by a range of both short and long-term factors, from the brand’s current profile to its latest marketing activities and new product and service developments, giving a holistic picture of how brands are currently perceived.

The business Superbrands voting process involving 2,500 UK business professionals, supplemented by an expert council comprising 24 senior business-to-business marketing leaders.

In addition to the British public vote in the consumer Superbrands survey, which was weighted to reflect the breadth of opinion across the whole country, all brands awarded Superbrand status were also highly rated by an objective and voluntary council of senior industry experts to provide a secondary quality control mechanism.

Brands do not pay or apply to be considered - in order to provide a broad review of the market and identify the strongest brands in each category, all the key players in each sector need to be voted on.

The research process was managed by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA) in partnership with Dynata, one of the world’s leading data research companies.

More information can be found on the Superbrands UK website: www.superbrands.uk.com.

Notes to Editors:

For more information about British Airways’ investments visit: http://mediacentre.britishairways.com/pressrelease

In Consumer Superbrands, British Airways placed 5th out of the 1,596 brands voted on, and also came first in the ‘Travel – Airlines’ category, ahead of 18 peers.

The overall top 10 Consumer Superbrands for 2019 are:

1.      LEGO                                                              6. Coca-cola

2.      Apple                                                               7. Andrex

3.      Gillette                                                            8. Mastercard

4.      Rolex                                                               9. Visa

5.      British Airways                                                10. Dyson

In Business Superbrands, British Airways placed 4th out of the 1,586 brands voted on. It places second in category, out of the 22 brands surveyed. Emirates placed top of category and third overall.

The overall top 10 Business Superbrands for 2019 are:

1.      Apple                                                               6. PayPal

2.      Microsoft                                                        7. BP

3.      Emirates                                                          8. Mastercard

4.      British Airways                                                9. Google

5.      Samsung                                                          10. Visa

About Superbrands

The Superbrands organisation identifies and pays tribute to exceptional brands throughout the world. The UK programme is run under license by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA). A selection of identified Superbrands are celebrated in the Superbrands Annual, first published in 1995 and now in its 20th volume in the UK. The book explores the history, development and achievements of the nation’s leading brands, showcasing why they are well-regarded and providing valuable insights into each brands strategy and proposition.

What is a Superbrand?

All voters considered the following definition and criteria when judging the brands:

‘A Superbrand has established the finest reputation in its field. It offers customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which customers want and recognise.’

·  Quality:            Does the brand provide quality products and services?

·  Reliability:        Can the brand be trusted to deliver consistently?

·  Distinction:      Is it well known in its sector and suitably different from its rivals?

About Dynata

Dynata is one of the world’s leading providers of first-party data contributed by people who opt-in to member-based panels. With a reach that encompasses over 60 million people globally and an extensive library of individual profile attributes collected through surveys, Dynata is the cornerstone for precise, trustworthy quality data. Dynata serves nearly 6,000 market research agencies, media and advertising agencies, consulting and investment firms as well as healthcare and corporate customers.