first direct, the UK's number one bank for customer satisfaction, was today announced as a CoolBrand for 2009/10, by the Superbrands organisation. This follows independent research administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis amongst influential opinion formers and the British public.
This annual list reflects the combined opinions of an Expert Council and 2,458 members of the public, who selected first direct as one of this year's CoolBrands from an initial list of thousands. The criteria against which brands are judged include style, innovation, originality and desirability and against tough competition first direct has made it onto this definitive list of cool.
Stephen Cheliotis, Chairman of the CoolBrands council and Chief Executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis commented "first direct's inclusion on the CoolBrands List 2009/10 shows that first direct is a leading figure in its sector. Competition to be seen as one of the coolest brands in the UK is as fierce as ever and clearly first direct is delivering in the eyes of experts and the public."
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Editor's Notes:
How do you define a CoolBrand?
The definition of cool, is of course, entirely subjective. However, CoolBrands research has shown there to be six key factors inherent in identifying a CoolBrand, and so the expert council and consumers were asked to consider the following in making their decisions:
- Are they stylish?
- Are they innovative?
- Are they original?
- Are they authentic?
- Are they desirable ?
- Are they unique?
How were the CoolBrands selected?
SUMMARY
The 2009/10 CoolBrands list reflects the combined opinions of an Expert Council and over 2,458 members of the public, who selected this year's CoolBrands from an initial list of thousands of brands.
DETAIL
The CoolBrands selection process was independently administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis Ltd. A comprehensive database of the UK's coolest brands was compiled using a wide range of sources, from sector reports to blogs. From the thousands of brands initially identified, approximately 1,100 brands were short-listed.
An independent and voluntary Expert Council scored this list, with members individually awarding each brand a rating from 1-10. Council members were not allowed to score brands with which they have a direct association or are in direct competition to.
The lowest-scoring brands (approximately 40 per cent) were eliminated. A nationally-representative group of just under 2,500 UK consumers (accessed via a YouGov panel) were asked to vote on the surviving brands. The opinions of the Expert Council (70 per cent) and the British public (30 per cent) were combined and the 500 highest-ranking brands were awarded 'CoolBrand' status.
Who are Superbrands?
The CoolBrands programme has been running annually since 2001. It is administered by Superbrands (UK) Ltd, the UK arm of a global organisation which presents expert and consumer opinion on the world's leading brands. The programmes run by Superbrands are recognised as a benchmark for brand success.
The CoolBrands programme pays tribute to the UK's coolest brands and is accompanied by a book, national media supplement, and website - all of which list the 500 qualifying brands, offer a profile on each member brand, and provide expert insight and information pertinent to the world of branding.
Expert Council 2009/10
Walé Adeyemi, Fashion Designer
Simon Armstrong, Head of Retail, Design Museum
Niku Banaie, Managing Director, Isobar Global
Damian Barr, Journalist, Writer,Playwright & Presenter
Ed Bartlam, Co-Founder & Director, Underbelly Ltd
Edith Bowman, Radio & TV Broadcaster
Kevin Braddock, Contributing Editor, GQ
Patrick Burgoyne, Editor, Creative Review
Neil Byrne, Board Director, Camron
Kate Creasey, Editor, Cosmopolitan.co.uk
Sarah J Edwards, Director, BLAG UK Ltd
Lee Farrant, Partner, RPM Group
Sadie Frost, Actress & Fashion Designer
Sandra Halliday, Global Managing Editor,Real-Time Reporting & Analysis, WGSN
Newby Hands, Associate Editor & Director of Health & Beauty, Harper's Bazaar
Andrew Harrison, Associate Editor, The Word,& Editor-in-Chief, Mixmag
Jack Horner, Co-Founder & Creative Director, FRU KT
Lucy Johnston, Brand Innovation Consultant & Founder, The Neon Birdcage
Dolly Jones, Editor, VOGUE .COM
Katrina Larkin, Co-Founder, The Big Chill
Ben de Lisi, Fashion Designer
Kay McMahon, Digital Director, Wallpaper*
James Murphy, Founding Partner, adam & eve
Trevor Nelson, DJ
Steve Parkinson, Managing Director,London Radio, Bauer Media
Lauretta Roberts, Digital Development, Director WGSN
Nicolas Roope, Founding Partner, Poke London
Tom Savigar, Partner, The Future Laboratory
Jess Search, Chief Executive, Channel 4, BRITDOC Foundation
Stuart Semple, Artist
Michael Acton Smith, CEO, Mind Candy
Roger Wade, Director, Brands Incorporated
For further information / Use of pictures / Interviews please contact:
Threepipe: +44(0)20 7632 4800
Abbie Hughes: abbie.hughes@threepipe.co.uk
Lauren Garner: Lauren.garner@threepipe.co.uk
