Woolworths, Wesfarmers and Lion Nathan have been among the big winners when it comes to brand value gains over the past year, with Woolworths claiming top spot as Australia’s most valuable brand owner. The research by Brand Finance showed half of the top ten most valuable brands were indeed companies with strong links to the food and beverage sector. Beyond Woolworths, Coles owner Wesfarmers, soft drink maker Coca-Cola Amatil and brewers Lion Nathan and Foster’s made the top ten. Wesfarmers,... ...Read more »

The buying habits of consumers change dramatically and cost companies millions when product safety and quality issues arise, according to a new study released by Deloitte. More than half of American consumers responding (58 per cent) who heard about product safety and/or quality problems altered their buying habits, according to the survey. These consumers turned away from such products for more than nine months, on average, increasing the likelihood that they would discontinue the use of the product... ...Read more »

UK PR company Kaizo has established Danone as the number one food brand on the web, according to the Kaizo Advocacy Index – which establishes the impact of online word of mouth. The Index searches links generated by Google and takes into account web, news, groups and blog content. The content is analyzed and assigned as either negative (detractor), neutral (passive) or positive (promoter), with the overall company rating based on subtracting the percentage of promoters from detractors. Due... ...Read more »