The 17th annual Sunday Times Top Brands

Issued by Kantar

31 Aug 2015

The 17th annual Sunday Times Top Brands awards took place on Tuesday the 25th of August. Hosted at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton by Times Media, the awards represent the outcome of 3,493 nationally representative consumer interviews and 300 interviews with business decision-makers. The research was conducted by leading market research company, TNS and reflects consumer and business perspectives on brands in South Africa.

These prestigious awards are recognised in the industry as a real reflection of the voice of the consumer and TNS is very proud to have conducted the research on behalf of Times Media in a partnership which is in its seventh year.

The methodology uses the concept of 'relative advantage' which means that the score a brand achieves is based on its brand penetration in the marketplace as well as its relative strength in the minds of users and non-users of the brand. This ensures that even small brands are given a fair opportunity if they are well loved by their users and strongly aspired to by non-users. The approach is in line with TNS thinking because it allows marketers to understand much about brand's relative power in the peoples' minds alongside their actual power in the market which is reflected by their market share.

In total there are 36 consumer categories, with four Grand Prix categories - Overall Favourite Brand, Green Award, Social Investment and the Robyn Putter ad agency award. For the business component there are 12 categories with three Grand Prix categories - Overall Favourite Brand, Green Award and Social Investment Award.

For a full list of all the winners - pick up a copy of the Sunday Times dated Sunday 30th August.

About TNS

TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and customer strategies, based on long-established expertise and market-leading solutions. With a presence in over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the world's consumers than anyone else and understands individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region of the world.

TNS is part of Kantar, the data investment management division of WPP and one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy groups. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.

About Kantar

Kantar is the data investment management division of WPP and one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy groups. By connecting the diverse talents of its 12 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 30,000 employees work across 100 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.

For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com.

Kantar is the world's leading evidence-based insights and consulting company. We have a complete, unique and rounded understanding of how people think, feel and act; globally and locally in over 90 markets. By combining the deep expertise of our people, our data resources and benchmarks, our innovative analytics and technology we help our clients understand people and inspire growth.