Updated: Jun 22

By Marinette Dalbard, Client Servicing Director

BrandTrends shares the top 10 most favorite brands among EMEA Kids 0 to 6 years old

BrandTrends’ recent research unveils major findings which, compared to the previous three years, extract the following key facts:

1. Danish brand Lego increased its market dominance, putting distance between itself and its nearest rival. The brand performance among infants (0 to 2 years old, boys & girls), as well as girls 3 to 6 years old, substantiates this improvement.

2. Despite its minor increase over the past three years, Disney as a brand does not outpace the leading brand. Disney has, however, risen steadily in the rankings (#6 in April 2021, then #3 in October 2021, and #2 in April 2022). This is likely due to its streaming platform, Disney Plus, which saw an 85% increase in revenue in 2021 compared to the year prior (BusinessofApps, 2022). However, the brand is tied for second place, rivaled by the rapidly expanding Marvel brand; enhanced by the rise of Spider-Man at #6, compared to its #9 position in October 2021).

3. The bulk of the top brands are cross-gender – this is expected given the young ages of the participants and the fact that cross-gender differences often start around the age of three (American Psychological Association, 2001). And thus, being highly favored over both genders establishes their leadership (6 of the top 10 brands, notably Lego, Disney, Marvel, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Mickey Mouse, are also included in the Top 10 by gender).

4. Barbie and Frozen are the exception to this rule, being so well-known among girls that they rank #4 and #8 overall in the list of brands across genders.

5. Masha & The Bear isn’t far behind among boys, coming in at #12 and Spider-Man coming in at #17 among girls.

6. The Top 10 has remained relatively consistent over time, with 8 of the 10 brands remaining in the top 10 since April of 2019.

7. In contrast to toys (ex: Lego and Barbie), TV series have the highest representation (3–4 brands out of the 10 categories), certainly because spontaneous awareness is the main factor determining selection.

However, despite this firm stability across time, some significant changes took place in the past year:

· Paw Patrol, Masha & The Bear, and Lego held the top spot since April 2019, but Disney and Marvel’s drive beginning in October 2021 has shifted the dynamic.

· The percentage of favorite mentions for TV shows overall decreased from 33% in April 2021 to 20% in April 2022. In addition, the combination of the Disney and Marvel brands favorite score increased from 13% in April 2021 to 22% in April 2022.

This, undoubtedly, illustrates how much streaming has benefited compared to live TV. Read more about the changes in streaming consumption here.

If brand recognition is the first step in the funnel, it is essential for a brand to produce timely, ongoing content. By utilizing a sizable portfolio, brands continue to appeal to a broad population. The only things that could cause excess performance or underperformance are severe behavioral changes.