Coca-Cola leads the first global ranking of the most chosen FMCG brands launched today by Kantar Worldpanel

Master Kong is the only FMCG brand bought by more than 90% of the Chinese urban families in 2012

SHANGHAI, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The first ranking of the most chosen global FMCG brands launched today by Kantar Worldpanel reveals the brands that are being bought by the most consumers, the most often. The emerging markets (Asia, Latin America, and Saudi Arabia) are driving growth (up to 98%) for those brands in the Brand Footprint ranking that are growing their reach, it reveals.

It is Coca-Cola that leads Kantar Worldpanel's Brand Footprint ranking as the world's most chosen brand, being chosen 5.3 billion times a year. The beverages drink manufacturer reaches its number one spot by combining a high penetration of 44% with the highest global frequency of purchase (15 times per year on average) meaning that it is chosen a total of 5.3 billion times a year.

Kantar Worldpanel's Brand Footprint Ranking reveals the strength of brands in 32 countries around the world, across the food, beverage, health and beauty, and homecare sectors. It uses an insightful new metric called Consumer Reach Points which measures – for the first time – how many households around the world are buying a brand (its penetration) and how often (the number of times shoppers acquire the brand).

This unique calculation of penetration and frequency helps FMCG manufacturers to clearly understand their global reach in terms of actual basket reach and provides a vital guide on which regions present the biggest opportunities.

The strongest brands in the ranking have demonstrated their ability to understand and respond to local needs and reach the most remote consumers in rural areas of emerging markets by building larger distribution networks. However all of the brands still have plenty of room to recruit more shoppers in new geographies, new targets, new segments, or on new occasions.

Jason Yu, General Manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, says, "As the pressure to maintain and increase growth intensifies, brand consumer base expansion and significant increase of their loyalty are more critical than ever. Until now brands have lacked more in-depth analysis of their current basket reach compared to their competitors and opportunities for growth around the world. In China, there are many local brands with an enormous 'footprint' in terms of the number of households they reach and frequency of purchase. The report provides insight that will help FMCG brands in China with international ambitions to set regional and global targets more accurately and improve their global business growth.''

The top 10 FMCG brands in China revealed by the Brand Footprint study are:

Other key highlights include:

• Emerging markets drive growth - Seven of the top 10 brands in the ranking show significant increases in their growth driven by the emerging markets - Coca-Cola, Colgate, Dove, Maggi, Nescafe, and Pepsi. Coca-Cola increased its growth in these territories by 7% gaining 230 million Consumer Reach Points.
• Three Billionaire Brands in China - Three local brands are chosen by consumers more than one billion times a year - Master Kong, Mengniu and Yili.
• Some manufacturers grow global by acquiring local -Availability in emerging markets like China remains a challenge for global brands, which is why some manufacturers, such as Heinz and Nestle, chose to acquire local brands.
• Globalisation is on the rise - Although international brand owners are driven by social-demographic and cultural trends, consumers often don't differentiate between local and global brands. To achieve significant household penetration locally, a global brand must know its consumers intimately and not impose the brand's home culture on the local market. Safeguard and Crest are only two Western brands in the top 20 leagues in China that practice this.
• Local brand giants - 23 local brands around the world achieve more than 500 million Consumer Reach Points: Wahaha, Shuanghui, Want Want, and Bright in China amongst them.

Brand Footprint Methodology

Kantar Worldpanel's Brand Footprint ranks the most chosen FMCG brands across 32 countries from four continents (Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America) comprising 823 million households. It is based on analysis of measures of how many households purchased a brand at least once in 2012 (penetration) and the average number of times households bought the brand (frequency). The calculation uses a new metric, Consumer Reach Points, which measures a brand's strength based on how many shoppers are buying brands and how often.

To access the full report please visit www.kantarworldpanel.com/brandfootprint

About Kantar Worldpanel - high definition inspiration™

Kantar Worldpanel is a CTR service in China.

We are the world leader in continuous consumer panels. Our global team of consultants apply tailored research solutions and advanced analytics to bring you unrivalled sharpness and clarity of insight to both the big picture and the fine detail. We help our clients understand what people buy, what they use and the attitudes behind shopper and consumer behaviour.

We use the latest data collection technologies best matched to the people and the environment we are measuring.

Our expertise is rooted in hard, quantitative evidence – evidence that has become the market currency for local and multinational FMCG brand and private label manufacturers, fresh food suppliers, retailers, market analysts, and government organisations. We are not limited to the grocery sector; we have a wide range of panels in fields as diverse as entertainment, communications, petrol, fashion, personal care, beauty, baby, and food-on-the-go.

It's what we do with our data that sets us apart. We apply hindsight, insight, foresight, and advice to make a real difference to the way you see your world and inspire the actions you take for a more successful business.

We have over 40 years experience in helping companies shape their strategies and manage their tactical decisions; we understand shopper and retailer dynamics; we explore opportunities for growth in terms of products, categories, regions and within trade environments.

Together with our partner relationships, we are present in more than 50 countries - in most of which we are market leaders - which means we can deliver inspiring insights on a local, regional and global scale. Kantar Worldpanel was formerly known as TNS Worldpanel.

For more information, please visit www.kantarworldpanel.com or http://e.weibo.com/kantarworldpanel

About CTR

CTR is a market information and insight provider specializing in China. We are a joint venture company between CITVC and Kantar Group, one of the world's largest insight, information, and consultancy networks. As the foremost provider in China, we integrate our local expertise with cutting-edge research technology and innovative thinking to meet our clients' needs for 360° media intelligence monitoring at all touch points. We analyze consumer responses to marketing activities across all kinds of media; provide in-depth profiles of consumer products and markets, as well as strategies for retail service management. For further information, please visit www.ctrchina.cn or http://e.weibo.com/chinainsight