Thomson Reuters
A sign is seen outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden in London
Millennials make up a crucial group of consumers.
Ad agency Moosylvania asked over 3,500 millennials — defined as 20 to 35-year-olds — to select their favorite brands over the past three years.
Great Questions, LLC helped rank the winning brands.
These brands are the ones that came out on top.
Some are surprising — others, not so much.
A common theme for successful brands? Engaging with millennial consumers via social media.
100. Audi
Headquarters: Ingolstadt, Germany
Place on last poll: Not applicable (*Note: Moosylvania’s previous poll from spring 2015 only contained the top 50 brands for millennials.)
Why it’s hot: Audi used a mobile app to connect with its users during the 2015 Audi Cup, allowing users to be parts of the experience.
99. Subaru
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Subaru’s Winterfest integrated an entire winter culture to go with the brand. It gave Subaru owners perks such as free snowboarding clinics — and more. This helped the brand develop a different kind of image — one with the outdoors and adventure — which can be appealing to millennials.
98. Nestle
Headquarters: Vevey, Switzerland
Place last poll: 34
Why it’s hot: Nestle’s Nescafe created “social art” in Croatia by placing its red mugs all over the city. This, Moosylvania says, appealed to millennials. Nestle also manufactures many popular candies.
97. Johnson & Johnson
Headquarters: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: The “ACUVUE 1-DAY Contest” allowed users to meet with popular celebrities and receive a brief mentorship. This has helped the brand cater to millennials, and not just be known as a producer of baby powder.
96. DC Shoes
Headquarters: Huntington Beach California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: DC Shoes is about cultivating a skateboarding lifestyle. Additionally, the brand engaged its audience by with its #TraseYours campaign, wherein the Talenthouse community of artists were able to design shoes for chances to win cash prizes. Better yet, the winning design had the chance of being produced by DC Shoes.
95. Carter’s
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: The Carter’s website proves that the brand has nailed ecommerce. In fact, the brand has mastered social media. Therefore, Moosylvania found that it’s very appealing to millennial parents who want to share photos of their babies (wearing Carter’s apparel, no less) with its hashtag #lovecarters. Carter’s features those photos of adorable tykes on its website, too.
94. Calvin Klein
Headquarters: New York, NY
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Calvin Klein utilizes popular celebrities for its campaign. It also is savvy when it comes to the social sharing culture — its #MyCalvins campaign has successfully capitalized on that.
93. Axe
Headquarters: Unilever N.V. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Axe’s #KissForPeace campaign — and its corresponding ad — were right in line with Axe’s signature tone. It also engaged Axe’s consumers with the nonprofit organization, Peace One Day, and millennials love when a company supports a cause.
92. Subway
Headquarters: Milford, Connecticut
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Subway has long reigned supreme when it healthy fast food, but recently, Chipotle has dethroned the chain. The chain lost a lot of clout when Jared Fogle, the brand’s former spokesperson, was associated with child pornography.
91. Jeep
Headquarters: Auburn Hills, MI
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Jeep engaged with its consumers with its Endless Jeep Summer campaign, wherein Jeep owners submitted videos to Vine and Instagram.
90. Anthropologie
Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Anthropologie is Urban Outfitter’s finely curated and refined sister brand, so it makes sense that the brand chose to engage with its consumers via Pinterest, the social channel that’s all about curation, with its #PintoWin contest.
89. Publix
Headquarters: Lakeland, Florida
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Publix’s app has simplified shopping. An easier shopping experience is more crucial than ever, given the rise of grocery delivery services.
88. General Mills
Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: General Mills’ Fiber One brand has been nailing its marketing, with its funny ads, and its socially-driven contest like #FiberOneCheesecake, which gave users the opportunity to win cheesecake for an entire year.
87. ESPN
Headquarters: Bristol, Connecticut
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: ESPN’s Fantasy Football app engaged consumers and helped the network bring a popular past time into the next generation.
86. ACER
Headquarters: Taipei, Taiwain
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Acer’s tablets work in tandem with billboards, which allows consumers to interact with brands on a whole new level.
85. Wendy’s
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Place on last poll: 47
Why it’s hot: One of Wendy’s recent marketing campaigns was ultra-focused on millennials, with the young “Red” character in commercials and new items like pretzel cheeseburgers. Wendy’s has always emphasized being fresher than competitors, making every burger to-order and not freezing beef. In the era of Chipotle, this message resonates with millennials.
84. Trader Joe’s
Headquarters: Monrovia, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Millennials love Trader Joe’s. Organic food, unique products, and low prices make it a hot destination for millennials. It also boasts its own unique personality — be it the Hawaiian shirts or the pun-laden signs around the stores.
83. J. Crew
Headquarters: New York, NY
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Times have been tough for preppy mainstay J. Crew, as it appeared to stray from its roots with odd selections. But a fall collection and the spring/summer 2016 lineup looked generally promising. The brand continues to connect with millennial women, largely in part due to its Creative Director, Jenna Lyons. J. Crew’s “Very Personal Styling” also appeals to millennials, as does its somewhat-affordable wedding apparel.
82. Gucci
Headquarters: Florence, Italy
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Gucci engaged with millennial consumers with a campaign surrounding its classic loafer. The campaign included quizzes, a Pinterest board, and a #Gucci1953HorsebitLoafter hashtag, cementing the luxury brand as a participant in the social community with its own voice.
81. Costco
Headquarters: Issaquah, Washington
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Now that Costco has partnered with Google, it can serve cash-strapped millennials in urban cities who want to buy things in bulk, but perhaps don’t have the transportation to do so. It already boasts many great deals.
80. Rue 21
Headquarters: Warrendale, Pennsylvania
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: The brand has figured out a way to pull in shoppers. When rue21 launched its new ecommerce site, it held a “Shop & Win” contest. The contest involved a social sharing aspect as well as the promise of winning clothing.
79. Puma
Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: While Puma lags in comparison to competitors Nike and Adidas, it still has managed to engage a young audience — especially with its “Dance Dictionary” feature. Fortunately, Rihanna’s involvement with the brand is helping it tremendously.
78. Playstation
Headquarters: San Mateo, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Playstation has managed to take gaming to the next level with its Infamous: Second Son game — it features a character with the power to shock others, and yes, players can get shocked.
77. Nordstrom
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Nordstrom is the department store that’s managing to defy the odds. It recently announced plan to expand its lower-priced concept, Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom managed to capture and hold onto a young audience by adding Reddit to its social media roster.
76. Nissan
Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Perfecture, Japan
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Nissan’s “Open The Briefcase” campaign last year cemented it as a car company that’s fully engaged with its consumers, as it was orchestrated via mobile devices.
75. Dodge
Headquarters: Auburn Hills, Michigan
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: When Dodge partnered with “Anchorman” to produce an ad featuring the comically legendary Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), it cemented itself as a brand that communicated on the same level as many pop-culturally savvy millennials.
74. Toshiba
Headquarters: Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Toshiba partnered up with Intel and San Francisco ad agency Peira & O’Dell for its “Beauty Inside” campaign — a piece of branded content that featured six episodes about a character named Alex, who woke up as a different person everyday (including both celebrities…and regular people).
73. Sephora
Headquarters: Paris, France
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Sephora is the premiere destination for all things beauty. Its points and rewards system encourages brand loyalty; consumers keep coming back to obtain points to earn new products. Sephora’s app, Beauty Insider, features “Beauty Boards,” which allow shoppers to show off their best new looks. It also serves an inspiration board, in the same vein as Pinterest.
72. Netflix
Headquarters: Los Gatos, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: There’s a reason people say “Netflix and chill” and not “cable and chill!” Netflix’s original series such as “Orange Is The New Black” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” have turned it into a very influential vehicle in pop culture. It also partnered with popular site Gawker for a documentary club, wherein viewers were able to discuss a weekly program with other people.
71. JCPenney
Headquarters: Plano, Texas
Place on last poll: 18
Why it’s hot: JCPenney has been working to execute a turnaround by focusing on engaging consumers, like with its interactive charity game during the Oscars. JCPenney recently starting incorporating Sephora units into its larger stores.
70. Banana Republic
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Banana Republic partnered with the funny Instagram account #HotDudesReading — promoting First Book, a literacy program for children (and millennials love things with a good cause). Recently, Banana Republic has faced some troubles with fashion missteps and slipping sales.
69. Valve
Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington
Place last poll: 24
Why it’s hot: The video-game development company rose to prominence with its Half-Life franchise in 1998. The brand has a huge following on Facebook and frequently posts giveaways. Steam has also become the premiere gaming platform for many people.
68. Pizza Hut
Headquarters: Wichita, Kansas
Place last year: 21
Why it’s hot: Pizza Hut tested out movie-projector boxes in Hong Kong, proving that the brand is always looking to innovate. Pizza Huts wacky pizzas, like its Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza, certainly set sparks of intrigue (and maybe disgust) flying throughout social media and the Internet.
67. Marvel
Headquarters: New York, NY
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Marvel is obviously a huge power force in pop culture — its “Avengers” movies (amongst others) are smash hits, grossing billions of dollars worldwide. Marvel knows its movies generate tremendous hype, so it kept its “Avengers: Age of Ultron” trailer ‘locked’ until fans tweeted enough. Moosylvania notes that Marvel received an outrageous amount of tweets — an average of 8,100 tweets a minute worldwide — so it was obviously a successful campaign.
66. Michael Kors
Headquarters: New York, New York
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Michael Kors bags and watches are very popular with millennials, although a recent rise in ubiquity (along with rapid expansion) has threatened the brand‘s level of luxury. It may be too popular for its own good. Still, Moosylvania praises the brand for its memorable 2013 campaign, #WhatsInYourKors, which cemented the brand’s social voice.
65. Facebook
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Facebook is a primary vehicle for millennial communication. The “Look Back” campaign and the recent “memories” feature cater to millennials’ love for nostalgia — and better yet, they’re both focused on social sharing.
64. Bath & Body Works
Headquarters: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Bath & Body works was an icon in the late ’90s and early aughts (and a mainstay for holiday gifts). Bath & Body Works capitalized on millennials’ love for nostalgia by throwing back to its iconic older fragrances, such as Cucumber Melon and Juniper Breeze with its #FlashbackFragrance campaign.
63. Barnes & Noble
Headquarters: New York, NY
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Yes, these kids still read! And Barnes & Noble knows that. Barnes & Noble also capitalized on social media with its #BNGiftTip campaign, which helped consumers figure out what sort of items to buy for presents via the Internet.
62. AT&T
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: AT&T had its own mini-series on Snapchat called “Snapperhero” — and millennials love Snapchat. AT&T has encouraged its users to submit their own content for the campaign, too. Ultimately, all of it was shared on various social networks. AT&T proved it could communicate on the same level that millennials communicate on. AT&T also remains a popular phone service.
61. Verizon
Headquarters: New York, New York
Place on last poll: 27
Why it’s hot: Verizon is continuing to dominate the mobile space. The company also recently purchased AOL, showing it is interested in producing more content. The company has recently endeared millennials by making its data plan cheaper. The brand also had a campaign that encouraged young people to create mobile apps.
60. Mountain Dew
Headquarters: Purchase, New York
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Mountain Dew has capitalized on the way many millennials communicate — via Snapchat. It announced its new flavors via the social media service. The brand also told a live story via Snapchat when it launched its new Kickstar beverage, causing Fast Company to sing its praises. “Mountain Dew is a brand that is constantly engaging with young consumers,” the website wrote.
59. Kroger
Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Kroger’s loyalty cards track what shoppers buy — so that Kroger’s shoppers don’t just receive random rewards, but rather, rewards that cater to their specific shopping needs. Kroger has been taking many steps to advance its in-store (and delivery) technology.
58. Kraft
Headquarters: Northfield, Illinois
Place on last poll: 40
Why it’s hot: Kraft scored big points with millennials this year when it announced that starting in 2016, its original Macaroni & Cheese will get its color from natural spices like paprika instead of from artificial additives Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Kraft’s latest ads have also appealed to millennials, Moosylvania explains, since they look more like GIFs — something millennials love.
57. Gamestop
Headquarters: Grapevine, Texas
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: GameStop knows how to cater to its customers. It uses mobile data to help it figure out which games to stock in particular regions. GameStop has avoided the fate of becoming the next ill-fated Blockbuster, by stocking more than just games, featuring downloadable content, and making GameStop not just a store, but a social destination for game-loving shoppers.
56. Chipotle
Headquarters: Denver, Colorado
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: It’s no secret — millennials are obsessed with fast casual behemoth Chipotle. Its focus on eliminating GMOs and sustainable ingredients has helped it unseat Subway as the ultimate healthy place to eat. The company is also quirky — Moosylvania points to its haiku contest, wherein consumers could write love haikus to their beloved burritos for the chances to win prizes.
55. Chick-fil-A
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Place on last poll:
Why it’s hot: Chick-fil-A has a cult following, no doubt. Its zealots showed their devotion when they had the opportunity to dress like cows to win free food. Chick-fil-A remains a favorite destination for millennials because the food is fresh…and good.
54. Whole Foods
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Place on last poll:
Why it’s hot: Whole Foods is known for selling fresh, organic food, and for suggesting healthy recipes to consumers. It has engaged consumers on its social networks by encouraging them to share their own food photos.
53. Ebay
Headquarters: San Jose, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Even though reselling clothes is becoming the hottest new thing in retail — and many startups are aiming to disrupt the space — eBay remains the primary place for reselling items on the Internet. eBay has also showed off its cultural colors when it suggested that artists use the hashtag #eBayArtforAll to share their own personal inspirations.
52. Asus
Headquarters: Taipei, Taiwan
Place on last poll: 50
Why it’s hot: This Taiwanese company is a huge PC vendor. The brand is making headlines for its inexpensive Android smartphone and ZenWatch. The brand also plays on popular memes (for example, birds with arms), and has optimized its Internet friendly content, including games and videos. But as more consumers turn to Android, Asus could be challenged.
51. Taco Bell
Headquarters: Irvine, California
Place on last poll: Taco Bell
Why it’s hot: Taco Bell remains wildly popular. It’s #breakfastdefects campaign helped the brand create its own unique, Internet-friendly culture surrounding its breakfast lineup. Taco Bell also rewards fans by giving away free food with occasional contests.
50. Dr. Pepper
Headquarters: Plano, Texas
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Dr. Pepper not only has a cult following, but it also has taken steps to lure in millennial consumers. It partnered with Spike TV’s popular show, “Lip Sync Battle” to set up a lip sync booth in Times Square. Some people were selected to have their videos air on the television show.
49. Dove
Headquarters: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Place last year: 26
Why it’s hot: Dove, which is owned by Unilever, has been succeeding with its “real beauty” campaigns, which emphasizes natural looks over the typically airbrushed ads, resonate well with millennials. The brand’s “Self Esteem” Snapchat campaign, in which girls could Snapchat their insecurities and receive a positive response, highlighted the brand’s ethos.
48. HTC
Headquarters: Xindian District, New Taipei, Taiwan
Place on last poll:
Why it’s hot: HTC made its consumers stars in Times Square — the company encouraged consumers to share their most gorgeous photos for a chance to be shared on a massive billboard in the iconic New York City enclave.
47. Hershey’s
Headquarters: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Plac last poll: 37
Why it’s hot: Hershey’s has dropped artificial colorings from its chocolate. “We are committed to making our products using ingredients that are simple and easy-to-understand, like fresh milk from local farms, roasted California almonds, cocoa beans and sugar – ingredients you recognize, know and trust,” the company said in a news release.
46. BMW
Headquarters: Munich, Germany
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: BMW served as an official sponsor of the United States Olympics team in 2014, and the automobile company sponsored social campaigns with incentives for consumers, like its #BMWborntoslide campaign, wherein consumers who photographed themselves sliding could a win a trip to Utah to ride in a real bobsled.
45. Ralph Lauren
Headquarters: New York, New York
Place on last poll: 30
Why it’s hot: Ralph Lauren’s brand is available at more than 11,000 stores worldwide. The brand has become more active on social media and hired Sports Illustrated cover model Hannah Davis to model its resort collection. The brand also encouraged consumers to be a part of its “Project Warehouse” campaign last year, which Moosylvania says created an emotional connection between the brand and its consumers.
44. Kellogg’s
Headquarters: Battle Creek, Michigan
Place on last poll: 39
Why it’s hot: Cereal sales might be declining, but the company has mastered digital campaigns, which certainly appeals to millennials.
43. Coach
Headquarters: New York, NY
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Coach’s social media activity and campaigns have made the luxury brand accessible to younger shoppers who don’t have as much money. But, Coach’s ubiquity and accessibility have hurt the brand’s reputation as a luxury retailer, so the brand has been focusing on toning down its promotions to help it become more exclusive again.
42. Honda
Headquarters: Hamamatsu, Japan
Place on last poll: 31
Why it’s hot: Honda’s fuel-efficient, compact cars appeal to millennials. But most importantly, the company’s YouTube campaigns for Honda Fit excited millennials. Honda has partnered with major companies such as iHeartRadio, Live Nation, and REVOLT for its YouTube channel.
41. Chevrolet
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
Place on last poll: 23
Why it’s hot: Chevy’s compact, Trax SUV is a hit with urban millennials. The brand’s emoji-themed campaigns also appeal to millennials, who communicate that way.
40. Best Buy
Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Place on last poll: 28
Why it’s hot: Best Buy has been successfully growing sales and revenue through its television business. Executives at Best Buy have made it clear that 4K Ultra High Definition televisions are the future of the business. Last year, the brand appealed to consumers during the holiday season by encouraging them to post what they wanted online with a #hintingseason hashtag.
39. Macy’s
Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
Place on last poll: 16
Why it’s hot: Millennials are spending less money on clothes, which is bad news for Macy’s. In order to attract younger shoppers, the brand has been investing in trendier clothing lines and other categories like home goods and cosmetics. But Macy’s has been also focusing on its social campaign, like its #MacysLoveMoms. For every photo memory or tweet shared, the company donated $3 to a charity.
38. Express
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Express rewards shoppers by not just using their store credit cards, but by getting involved with Express in other ways, too — like retweeting its tweets and singing up for its text message alerts. For every 2,500 points, shoppers earn $10. This helps Express ensure customer loyalty.
37. Aeropostale
Headquarters: New York, New York
Place on last poll: 46
Why it’s hot: Despite falling out of favor with the teen set, Aeropostale still maintains some loyalty with the 20-somethings who wore it in high school. The brand’s status, however, is falling fast as young people increasingly move away from logos. The brand has appealed to millennials by incorporating YouTube personality Bethany Mota into its marketing and fashion plans.
36. Hewlett-Packard
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Place on last poll: 35
Why it’s hot: Young consumers love Hewlett-Packard’s relatively inexpensive laptops. Still, they remained threatened by Apple’s dominance in the industry.
35. Gap
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Although Gap’s “Dress Normal” campaign generally misfired, it succeeded on some points. Moosylvania points to tis “Play Your Stripes” game in collaboration with Blood Orange, where people could ‘play’ the stripes on their clothes to create music.
34. Frito Lay
Headquarters: Plano, Texas
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Lay’s won big with its Do Us A Flavor contest. People who shared their digitally designed flavors online were eligible to win bags of their designed chips — and some even got to have their flavors nationally produced. (Business Insider went ahead and tested some of these wacky flavors).
33. Toyota
Headquarters: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Toyota has teamed up with YouTube stars like Rhett & Link for campaigns, proving it knows how to cater to its audiences. Moosylvania also highlights its 2014 #CarsThatFeel campaign, which incorporated LED lights into Priuses for the 2014 Vivid Light Festival in Sydney Harbor. The cars had ‘personalities’ and ‘feelings’ and interacted with people, which is certainly intriguing.
32. McDonald’s
Headquarters: Oak Brook, Illinois
Place on last poll: 17
Why it’s hot: The brand has been introducing more fresh ingredients and customizable burgers to compete with fast casual brands. It’s #PayWithLovin campaign also appealed to millennials.
31. H&M
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: H&M knows what its consumers want. Moosylvania points to the racy campaign where shoppers could choose how David Beckham would appear in one of its ads — with or without clothes (he was wearing briefs, of course!). H&M has also managed to lure many sartorially minded shoppers with its high-profile collaborations.
30. Under Armour
Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland
Place on last poll: 45
Why it’s hot: Under Armour has exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to signing famous athletes like Stephen Curry and smart marketing of its performance-wear. The brand is rapidly catching up to competitors Lululemon and Nike, especially as it incorporates more technologically-focused apparel into its lineup.
29. Levi’s
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Levi’s has benefited from young consumers’ tendency to wear denim and casual clothing to work. But now, many millennials are abandoning denim entirely, choosing to wear athletic attire instead. To combat this problem, Levi’s has been designing jeans that are stretchy and more form-fitting in nature, to put them in line with athleisure-style apparel.
28. Dell
Headquarters: Round Rock, Texas
Place last poll: 15
Why it’s hot: Dell is another company benefiting from millennials’ reliance on technology. The company’s laptop and desktop computers are especially popular with the young set. But most crucially, Moosylvania explains that Dell really appealed to millennials by sending YouTube celebrities Smosh on a road trip, chronicling it all with a Dell Venue 8 Tablet.
27. Vans
Headquarters: Cypress, California
Place on last poll: 25
Why it’s hot: Vans started out selling skater shoes, but has since gone mainstream. The company has benefited from athletic footwear becoming more fashionable than dress shoes.
26. Hollister
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Hollister signifies a beachy lifestyle. The company owned that attitude by renting a beach house in California in summer 2014, tapping top artists to perform. The brand had stylists give consumers advice online, too. The brand proved that it was in touch with its consumers favorite celebrities while also engaging in a conversation with its shoppers.
25. Victoria’s Secret
Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Place on last poll: 38
Why it’s hot: Victoria’s Secret is the undisputed leader of the lingerie market, controlling 35% of share. The company’s marketing strategy, which includes its famous Angels, is seen as one of the best in the business.
24. Kohl’s
Headquarters: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Kohl’s rewards program ensures customer loyalty without needing a store credit card. In fact, customers can earn points by doing the simplest activity such as pinning images on Pinterest. Kohl’s lower prices can also lure millennials.
22. Hot Topic
Headquarters: Industry, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Hot Topic is more than just a destination for clothing for millennials — it’s become an entire lifestyle, with its focus on the music industry and pop culture. The store even sponsors shows.
23. Old Navy
Headquarters: San Francisco
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Old Navy’s digital campaigns have been massive hits — Moosylvania points to its 2014 Christmastime Vine campaign, but the company’s “#Unlimited” viral video, which has over 12 million views on YouTube. The company has also delivered quirky spots starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Old Navy understands how to market content to the Internet generation.
21. Disney
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: Moosylvania points out Disney’s unique campaign “Disney Side,” wherein shoppers would walk by a billboard a the Westfield Sunrise Center in Massapequa and see iconic Disney characters. This was a huge social media hit.
20. LG Corporation
Headquarters: Busan, South Korea
Place on last poll: 48
Why it’s hot: LG’s funny #MomConfessions campaign proved the LG knew how to cater to millennials — through humor and social media.
19. Ford
Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan
Place on last poll: 19
Why it’s hot: Ford is repositioning its brand to seem more luxury and compete with auto-makers like BMW and Mercedes with the launch of the new Vignale brand. The new line of compact sedans could resonate with millennials, who prefer smaller cars then their parents’. Ford has also embraced social media with Instagram contests.
18. Converse
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Place on last poll: 20
Why it’s hot: Converse has seen sales boom as more millennials wear sneakers to work and other occasions. Athletic apparel and footwear is set to outperform the industry for the next five years, according to Morgan Stanley. Converse’s “Made By You” campaign allowed consumers to show off their unique attributes and lives — using Converse as a vehicle for it all.
17. American Eagle
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Place on last poll: N/A
Why it’s hot: American Eagle has managed to avoid the fate of many of its competitors by not falling victim to the low sale prices utilized by many fast fashion stalwarts. Most crucially, American Eagle has won the heart of millennial females with Aerie, its lingerie subset, which proudly boasts Photoshop-free ads. Since nixing Photoshop, sales have soared.
16. Starbucks
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Place on last poll: 22
Why it’s hot: Starbucks has been expanding its menu to include more food options such as sandwiches and salads — and even wine at some locations. It has also added drive-thrus to many locations. Additionally, it allows consumers to have a say in its products — like when it had consumers vote on new frappuccino flavors in the summer, granting the winning beverage a lower price, Moosylvania notes.
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