Hershey's Named Most Intimate CPG Brand

MBLM's Brand Intimacy 2020 Study is the largest study of brands based on emotions, analyzing how consumers are relating to brands today and measuring the bonds formed with the brands consumers use and love. 

After surveying 6,200 consumers, Hershey's earned the top spot in the consumer goods industry, named as the favorite intimate brand of those with incomes both over and under $100,000. The top 10 CPG brands were:

1. Hershey's
2. Kellogg's
3. Ben & Jerry's
4. Nestlé
5. Campbell's
6. Pillsbury
7. Quaker
8. Nabisco
9. Betty Crocker
10. Stouffer's

Men ranked Kellogg's as their top intimate brand, while women preferred Hershey's. Millennials as a whole preferred Ben & Jerry's. 

"The nostalgic strength of consumer goods brands – the only industry in our study where nostalgia is the dominant archetype – is playing a large role in helping people cope during the COVID-19 crisis. Consumers are taking solace in the foods of their childhood, which are bringing them back to the positive memories of their past. As entertainment binging continues with people at home, snacks are also becoming a part of the experience," said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. "By focusing on the relief they are offering and reliability of these products, we believe that consumer goods brands can continue to build upon the strong emotional connections they have formed in recent months to strengthen their bonds with consumers post-pandemic."

The consumer goods industry ranked fifth out of 15 industries studied in the Brand Intimacy 2020 Study and had an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 37.5, which is above the cross-industry average of 31. 

The report analyzed the responses of 6,200 consumers and 56,000 brand evaluations across 15 industries in the U.S., Mexico and UAE. Complete CPG findings can be found here.