Netflix overtakes Aldi to become the top UK brand
Aldi has been knocked off the top spot for the first time since 2014, while two brands – Greggs and Spotify – make their first entry into the top 10.
By Sarah Vizard
Netflix has ended Aldi’s six-year run as the UK’s favourite brand, taking the top spot in YouGov’s annual BrandIndex ‘Buzz’ rankings.
Netflix topped the 2019 list with a score of 21.4, an increase of five points compared to 2018, while Aldi only managed to increase its score by 1.1, putting it in second place on 19.8. Lidl rounds out the top three with a score of 15.1.
Elsewhere, the success of its vegan sausage roll helped Greggs make its first entry into the top 10 with a score of 11. The only other new entry was Spotify on 10.4.
The two brands pushed out of the top 10 this year are BBC One and Samsung. BBC iPlayer, meanwhile, continues its descent down the rankings, falling from fourth in 2017 to ninth in 2019.
| Position | Brand | Score | Increase/Decrease |
| 1 | Netflix | 21.4 | +5 |
| 2 | Aldi | 19.8 | +1.1 |
| 3 | Lidl | 15.1 | +1.3 |
| 4 | MoneySavingExpert.com | 14.9 | +0.9 |
| 5 | Ikea | 13.2 | +0.9 |
| 6 | Yorkshire Tea | 12.7 | +2.4 |
| 7 | Greggs | 11 | +5.4 |
| 8 | Spotify | 10.4 | +2.6 |
| 9 | BBC iPlayer | 10.4 | -1.4 |
| 10 | PayPal | 10.2 | +1.1 |
YouGov’s head of UK data products Amelia Brophy says: “Netflix only entered into the rankings in 2016 and has done well to be highly perceived by the public in such a short amount of time.
“2019 saw Netflix focus on developing and launching original content that caters for multiple markets and demographic groups. This appears to have been successful, rewarding them with multiple award nominations, including the Oscars, and ensuring the brand was talked about positively more than ever before.”
The most improved brands
Netflix also makes it onto the list of most improved brands with its five-point increase enough to put it fifth in this ranking. Greggs is the only other brand to make it into both rankings, coming in third in terms of most improved.
Top of the list is Northern Rail, which managed to increase its Buzz score by eight points, although this still leaves it with a score overall of -5.5.
In fact, half of the most improved brands still have a score in negative territory, including Maplin, House of Fraser and Uber.
| Position | Brand | Score | Increase |
| 1 | Northern | -5.5 | +8 |
| 2 | Maplin | -0.8 | +5.7 |
| 3 | Greggs | 11 | +5.4 |
| 4 | Southern | -5.3 | +5.4 |
| 5 | Netflix | 21.4 | +5 |
| 6 | House of Fraser | -3.5 | +4.9 |
| 7 | Poundworld | 0.6 | +4.9 |
| 8 | KFC | 1.2 | +4.6 |
| 9 | Cadbury | 9.9 | +4.2 |
| 10 | Uber | -5.8 | +3.9 |
YouGov BrandIndex Buzz scores are calculated by asking members of the public if they’ve heard anything good or bad about a brand in the past fortnight. Scores are net scores, calculated by subtracting the percentage of negative responses from the percentage of positive responses. The ranking is calculated by using the average of these scores between 1 January and 31 December 2019.
