Disney Takes Top Media & Entertainment Spot in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy COVID Study

Consumer willingness to pay 20 percent more for media & entertainment products and services up 20 percent

NEW YORK — October 6, 2021 — The media & entertainment industry ranks first out of the 10 industries featured in MBLM’s 2021 Brand Intimacy COVID Study, a study of brands based on emotional connections during the pandemic. MBLM (pronounced Emblem) uses emotional science to build and manage more intimate brands. Disney is the #1 category brand, rising from third in the last COVID study, followed by Amazon Prime and YouTube, respectively. Brand Intimacy is the emotional science behind the bonds we form with the brands we use and love.

Brands in this sector also improved by 68 percent compared to last year’s study on the “can’t live without” measure, further demonstrating how essential they are to consumers’ lives.

“Media & entertainment remains the most intimate industry in our COVID Study,” said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. “These brands provide escape, comfort and instant gratification, all growing needs in our society today. With competition increasing, brands should find ways to deepen their bonds with users. This should not only be through introducing strong products, but by building stronger customer relationships, finding ways to connect.”

MBLM’s study reveals that the remaining brands in the top 10 for the industry are PlayStation, Netflix, Xbox, WWE, Nintendo, ESPN, hulu, and HBO. During the second year of the pandemic, daily usage of media & entertainment increased by 7 percent, which suggests many continue to rely on this sector even as sheltering in place measures have lifted. Top intimate brands have also continued to outperform leading brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P indices in profit, and stock price growth over the last year, generating an additional $16 billion in profit.

Additional significant media & entertainment industry findings include:

• Media & entertainment brands perform better with men than with women, and with consumers under 35 years old versus those older than 35.
• Disney, which previously ranked #3, is the top brand overall and with women, while YouTube is the top brand for men.
• Amazon Prime is the top brand for those making over $100,000

MBLM also analyzed the industry in an article entitled “Fun & Games.” The piece looks at the rise of Disney into first place, as well as the communications from media and entertainment brands during COVID.

To view the media & entertainment industry findings, please click here. To download the main Brand Intimacy COVID Study report or explore the Rankings, click here.