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22 July 2005
Australia
Italian fashion powerhouses Giorgio Armani and Gucci are the world’s most coveted designer brands according to a global online survey conducted by ACNielsen, but Australians are skeptical of the real value of designer brands, with more than one in three saying they wouldn’t purchase from the world’s leading designer fashion houses, even if money was no object.
These and other findings were released today by leading marketing information company ACNielsen as part of its latest Global Online Consumer Confidence and Sentiment survey which polled over 23,500 people in 42 countries – including more than 500 Australians – on their usage of and attitudes towards designer brands.
The survey found that the vast majority of Australians (88%) believed designer brands were usually overpriced for what they were and almost half (48%) disagreed that designer brands were of significantly higher quality than standard brands. Further, Australians were the most likely in the Asia Pacific region and third most likely globally to opt for imitation designer brands, with 29 percent saying they thought the imitations were just as good as the real thing.
“With the high profile Mercedes Fashion Week still relatively fresh in the memories of Australia’s fasionistas, no doubt these survey findings will be astonishing to most,” says Nicole Torkar, Executive Director, ACNielsen. “While consumers in many of the markets we surveyed around the world respected and paid homage to the leading designer fashion brands, the typical Aussie seemed to regard designer brands with irreverence and saw them as a tool for people who were trying to project their social status.”
The findings could also be indicative of Australians’ patriotism to home grown brands like Collette Dinnigan or Sass & Bide, which weren’t included in the international designer brands listing, Torkar indicated.
Asked to select from a list of 18 leading international designers including Armani, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, more than two thirds of Australians (67%) said they did not purchase products from such brand names and more than one third (34%) said they wouldn’t purchase these brands’ products even if money was no object (see chart 1).
Designer accessories were held in somewhat higher regard by Aussies, particularly sunglasses, shoes and wallets. One third of Australians (33%) said they had purchased designer sunglasses in the past, while 29 percent had purchased designer shoes and 24 percent had purchased a designer wallet. And of those surveyed only 17 percent said they wouldn’t purchase a designer accessory even if money was no option.
Around the world designer brands were much more sought after – just over one in five consumers globally (21%) said they purchased designer brands, and in some countries this percentage climbed much higher. Hungarian consumers were the most likely to purchase designer brands (66%), followed by consumers in Hong Kong (49%) and Greece (34%). Sixteen percent of global consumers said they purchased Ralph Lauren products making it the most popular designer brand, followed by Gucci (14%), Christian Dior (12%) DKNY (12%).
But the designer brands that global consumers said they most coveted and would want to buy if money were no object were Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
“Armani, Gucci and Louis Vuitton topped ACNielsen’s Global ‘Most Coveted Fashion Brands’ ranking by scoring consistently high responses from online consumers in every part of the world – a remarkable testament to the power and universal appeal of these luxury fashion brands,” said Torkar. “These fashion houses clearly understand that strong brands make for profitable businesses. They are not merely selling fashion – they are selling an image – something many consumers are willing to pay a premium for.”
Chart 1: Which of the following brands’ products do you buy (Australian average)?
About the ACNielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Sentiment Survey
The ACNielsen online survey, the largest global survey of its kind, is conducted twice-yearly and is designed to provide an understanding of consumer attitudes and opinions on a variety of topical issues. The most recent wave of the survey took place in November 2005 and polled over 23,500 consumers – regular Internet users – in 42 markets.
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