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Mercedes, BMW, Toyota and Nokia are the world's most advocated brands according to NOP World's 2004 Global Advocacy Study.

The study queried over 30,000 consumers across 30 countries and covered 43 brands. Half or more of the customers of these four companies are classified as 'active brand advocates', individuals so passionate about a particular brand that they are likely to help spread the word about its benefits and recommend its products.

The study uses NOP World's Advocacy Multiplier(tm) tool to segment consumers into four categories, based on how close they feel to the brand. The four are:

• active brand advocates
• brand committed
• fulfilled and
• indifferent

According to Tim Wragg, Global Director of NOP World's Customer Management Center of Excellence, 'Through the identification of active advocates, organizations can develop highly tailored marketing initiatives aimed at those most likely to spread the message and regularly say good things about the brand. In an increasingly splintered marketplace where the impact of advertising is faltering, companies can no longer afford to overlook the word-of-mouth potential that this segment offers'.

The 2004 Global Advocacy Study is based on further analysis of the NOP World Roper Reports Worldwide(tm) survey, which includes in-depth personal interviews with over 30,000 13- to 65- year-olds. The brands were drawn from NOP World's Power Brand list, which is compiled annually using internationally-recognized barometers of brand prominence. NOP is online at www.nopworld.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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