HOPE AND CONFIDENCE POISED TO DELIVER CHANGE
I am delighted to introduce you to the inaugural WPP BrandZ™ Top 50 MostValuable French Brands ranking at a time of great change in France.As the country adjusts to newly electedPresident Emmanuel Macron’s vision forFrance and its future, this ground-breakingstudy ranks the country’s most successfulbrands, analyzes their strengths, andidentifies the key forces that are drivinggrowth in this market.
It is the first edition of an annual reviewthat will track and anticipate the rapidlyevolving environment for brands in France,and will chart the changing fortunes of the country’s most valuable brands.
We are incredibly excited to be bringingthe BrandZ™ study to France. This is oneof the largest economies in the EuropeanUnion and the seventh-biggest in theworld. It is also an economy proving adeptat managing change.
France’s influence around the world hasstemmed from exploration and diplomacy;from style and craftsmanship. That richheritage is serving French brands well.In times of change and uncertainty,consumers gravitate towards longestablishedbrands that are trusted forquality.
At the same time, the landscape in whichbusiness is done and on which brandsare built is being transformed. This is tosome extent happening the world over, butin France it comes at a time when, postelection,there is hope that the governmentcan help unlock new developmentopportunities and help people build astrong future for themselves.
France’s economy grew at 0.4 percent inthe first quarter of 2017, beating forecastsof 0.3 percent. This is still slow growthby world standards, but does signal thatrecovery may be under way.
France’s educated and talented workforce,strong infrastructure and appetite forinnovation are laying the foundationsfor future growth. This is, after all, thecountry that gave the world the word“entrepreneur”.
In fact, at the world’s biggest consumerelectronics and information fair, CES2017, more than 260 French companieswere represented, and at the Eureka Parkexhibition zone for startups, there weremore French startups this year than fromChina, Israel or the UK.
So while France is perhaps best knownfor producing Chanel and Louis Vuitton,it is also the birthplace of tech-basedinnovators such as BlaBlaCar, Criteo,Devialet, and a growing number of risingstars.
As France’s cultural and businessexports change, so too does the imageof “Brand France” that they carry withthem. In this report, we examine thestrength of the relationship betweenBrand France and the brands of France,which has been a powerful exemplar forconsumer and destination brands theworld over. The changing face of Frenchbusiness, combining the strength of thepast with the energy of the current cropof entrepreneurs, will help determinewhat France stands for in the mind of themodern global consumer.
We take an exclusive, in-depth look at dataand analysis from the “Best Countries”research done by Y&R’s BAV Group,with Partners US News and the WhartonBusiness School, which shines a lighton how country of origin affects Frenchbrands.
Go to
brandz.com to learn more.