Report finds Levi’s to be most "intimate" apparel brand

Levi’s has been ranked as the most intimate brand in the apparel industry in a recent report. Brand intimacy is a new paradigm that leverages and strengthens emotional bonds between a person and a brand. According to the 2017 report, top ranked intimate brands continued to outperform S&P and Fortune 500 indices in revenue and profit over the past 10 years.

The apparel industry performed slightly below the 15-industry average and comes in 7th out of 15 categories examined, said MBLM, the Brand Intimacy Agency focused on strategy, design, creative and technology that released the Brand Intimacy 2017 report.

The most intimate apparel brands in the US following Levi's according to the report are Nike, Lululemon Athletica, Under Armour, Adidas, Victoria's Secret, The North Face, Ralph Lauren, Gap and Puma.

“Brands that you wear are intimate by nature, yet this industry is falling short on its potential. This may be because of a variety of factors from shifts in the way we shop to generational orientations and out-of-reach messages. However, we firmly believe there is room for the industry to build stronger emotional connections with consumers,” said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM.

The report also states that Indulgence is the dominant category archetype; however, only 24 per cent of apparel customers surveyed are intimate with brands in the category. Levi's strongest association is related to nostalgia and it has the highest percentage of fusing with customers at 9 per cent. More than half of the top 10 brands are athletic related, aligning with the ‘athleisure’ movement.

The potential reasons why the apparel industry is falling short according to the report are that apparel brands have become less relatable, what was once inspirational advertising, today are out-of-touch with most people and not believable. Brands are also pivoting to aligning with celebrities and pop culture figures, thus shifting away from a tradition of linking to athletes.

The MBLM report also says that the rise of e-commerce and easier access to brands at a variety of outlets has resulted in a less intimate shopping experience. Millennials also play a role here, as they are drawn to superior service and web-based stores.

The report contains the most comprehensive rankings of brands based on emotion, analysing the responses of 6,000 consumers and 54,000 brand evaluations across 15 industries in the US, Mexico and UAE. MBLM's reports and interactive Brand Ranking Tool showcase the performance of almost 400 brands, revealing the characteristics and intensity of the consumer bonds. The survey was conducted by Praxis Research Partners.