Swedish furniture retailer Ikea tops list of most authentic Australian brands

Proudly and unapologetically Swedish furniture brand Ikea has beaten out the likes of Bunnings, Qantas, and the ABC to land the number one spot on a recent list of the top 20 most authentic Australian brands.

In a survey by branding agency Principals and research firm The Navigators, more than 300 respondents were presented with a list of 140 brands that operate in Australia, and were asked to assess them on four different factors: visibility, value, vitality and virtue. The survey is conducted multiple times a year and has been running for more than 10.

Read more: Why Ikea is asking its shoppers if they want religious AI-enabled furniture

Wayde Bull, founder and planning director at Principals told B&T Ikea was a winner for Australian consumers across nearly every category, saying the retailer “performed over and above on value, vitality and visibility, and performed as expected on virtue”.

The top five ranked brands includes tech giants Apple and Amazon, despite the global online retailer having not launched its Australian operations just yet. Bunnings and Aldi are also included in the top five, and Bull believes the more “human aspect” of those brands are a winner in the eyes of consumers.

“This gives hope to the non-tech brands that differentiation can be achieved through service and the human aspects of the brand,” he told B&T.

Human aspect or meatball aspect? You decide. Here’s the the full list of the 20 most authentic brands in Australia:

1. IKEA

2. Apple

3. Bunnings

4. Aldi

5. Amazon

6. Qantas

7. Google

8. ABC

9. Mazda

10. Toyota

11. Coca-Cola

12. Netflix

13. Hyundai

14. Australia Post

15. Foxtel

16. Commonwealth Bank

17. NAB

18. Telstra

19. Optus

20. Woolworths

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