Canada’s most influential brands are Google, Microsoft, and Facebook

The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) has once again partners with market research firm Ipsos Canada to pinpoint the most influential brands in Canada. For the third year running, Google has topped the list, followed by Microsoft and Facebook, though Facebook has traded places with Microsoft and ended up in third place this year.

Apple has remained in fourth place, with YouTube usurping Visa for the number five position. Visa now sits at number seven (lower in the ranking than even the year before last) having also been passed by Walmart, which moved up to number six from ninth place last year.

The biggest change in the top 10 most influential brands in Canada was not Visa’s fall from the top five, or even Tim Hortons slip from sixth to eighth place, but the appearance of Samsung on the list for the first time. The company enters the charts at number nine following by President’s Choice rounding out the top 10.

Also of note is that Ipsos also highlighted three brands that were “on fire” in Canada last year, and all of these are technology brands. First is Netflix, which jumped 18 places from 36 to 18 in 2014. Then Twitter, which jumped 16 spots to arrive at 24. Lastly, LG moved from 71 in 2013 to 55 in 2014.

Ipsos and ICA’s list is based on a survey that polled nearly 6,000 people across Canada. Ipsos determines ‘influence’ by measuring what it calls the “drivers of influence.” These include the trustworthiness, presence and engagement of a brand.

This data also gives some insight into different demographics and how certain brands influence Canadians within those demographics. However, some of these discoveries are not exactly groundbreaking discoveries. For example, Ispsos men are more likely than women to rank technology and digital brands ahead of retail brands, while millennials score these companies the highest out of anyone. Shocking stuff.

[source]Ipsos Canada[/source]