BBC iPlayer Tops U.K. Brand Rankings

LONDON: The BBC iPlayer has topped the mid-year rankings of the U.K. brands with the most positive buzz, occupying the slot for the first time, according to YouGov’s BrandIndex Buzz Rankings.

YouGov’s survey asks respondents: "If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" The table of more than 850 brands measures consumer perception by assessing quality, value, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, general impression and the likelihood that customers will recommend the brand.

BBC iPlayer scored the most positive buzz, overtaking Amazon, which was number one in the last BrandIndex poll, and Marks & Spencer.

In the overall brand rankings from YouGov, BBC iPlayer occupied the number three slot, marking the first time the brand cracked the top 3. Amazon and Google were numbers one and two, respectively.

"Whilst the BBC has experienced some highs and lows over the last 12 months, ranging from high praise about its coverage of the Royal Wedding to public condemnation about its reporting at the Jubilee Pageant, BBC iPlayer has gone from strength to strength," YouGov states in its rankings. "Praised for its positive and engaging user experience, iPlayer recently added non-BBC content to its on-demand catch-up TV service in a move dubbed ‘Partner Linking’ with six new videos on demand (VOD), services are now accessible through the iPlayer portal. The BBC won brand of the year at the 2012 Marketing Week Engage awards, underpinning its status as U.K. masterbrand, no doubt in part thanks to the contribution of the iPlayer."