Health & hygiene industry ranks eighth out of ten in brand intimacy, study finds
06 Jan 2022 --- MBLM’s most recent “Brand Intimacy COVID Study” found that the health & hygiene industry ranks eighth out of 10 compared to other sectors. The study analyzed relevant brands including Dove, Olay, Lysol, Colgate, Pantene, and how they formed and maintained emotional connections during the pandemic.
The study shows that consumers’ connection with health & hygiene brands is only expanding. Over 40% of consumers have an increased, positive emotional connection with these brands when contrasted with MBLM’s 2020 study respondents.
The study said that 27% of consumers were “willing to pay 20%” more when compared to the previous research. In the survey, 48% of respondents said they “can’t live without ” health & hygiene products, based on the brands studied.
According to MBLM, the health & hygiene industry scored an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 38.3 out of possible score of 100. This year, the industry increased its performance by 2.5%.
MBLM describes brand intimacy as the connection brands make with consumers. It is the emotional aspect of marketing and consumer-brand relationships.
Brand intimacy and messaging
The brands involved in the study are Dove, Olay, Lysol, Colgate, Pantene, Listerine, Ivory, Purell, Scope, and Head & Shoulders. Dove entered first place, while Olay was demoted from first to second compared with MBLM’s previous 2020 study.
The agency says that women and those over 35 show a stronger preference for health & hygiene brands.Dove was valued last year at around US$5.1 billion. This was despite a noticeable decline in skin cleansing compared to the year prior. Olay, owned by Procter & Gamble, reportedly benefitted from its parent company’s push to bolster online sales in the third quarter, despite being knocked down from its position in the 2020 study.
Proctor & Gamble’s strategy has increased its Q1 2022 profits by 5%.
The brand Lysol ascended to third place, reflecting the expanding focus on sanitation due to the now two-year-long global pandemic. MBLM projects that hygiene products will continue to be a significant market focus for the foreseeable future. Consumer preference also rose for health & hygiene brand Scope.
Head & Shoulders moved to last place, compared to its former spot.
Brand intimacy and messaging
Mario Natarelli, managing partner for MBLM, notes the inherently intimate nature of health & hygiene products. He notes their critical role in protecting consumers during the pandemic and says this is an opportunity to create better connections with customers to achieve better brand intimacy.
The “Brand Intimacy Agency” says that brand messaging has shifted from general themes of care to a more specific explanation of products, ingredients and scientific testing.
MBLM’s study was released alongside an article titled, Health & Hygiene Brands Stay Relevant During COVID, discussing brands’ engagement strategies. The report offers MBLM’s study findings and investigates how communications have shifted in the second year of the pandemic.
Edited by Olivia Nelson
