THE BRANDS FROM HELL

Londoners opening today's free copy of Metro (sadly, still not available online) were treated to a list of 50 "Brands from Hell", compiled by Marketing magazine.

The "Top Ten" most hated brands are as follows:

1. POT NOODLE (possibly top because most people surveyed are women, who are less dependent on instant meals and food substitutes than their male counterparts)

2. QVC (acronym for "quality, value, convenience", a low-price chain of shops)

3. SUNNY D (the luminous drink formerly known as SUNNY DELIGHT)

4. McDONALD'S ($100 million profit slump, following adverse publicity for its killer foods and the warm reception given to the critically acclaimed film Super Size Me)

5. MANCHESTER UNITED (whose sponsor, VODAFONE, is listed at no. 31; now that's a message ...)

6. NOVON (er, there seem to be a few Novons around and they're all different)

7. LIDL (more cheap shopping)

8. TINY (low-cost PCs)

9. SNACK-A-JACKS (as the name suggests, a snackable comestible)

10. THE SUN (a sensationalist downmarket newspaper)

The IPKat notes that, despite the fact that they are hated and despised by so many consumers, all of these brands are extremely successful, commercially. Some brands must of necessity be hated. For example, if you are a Manchester United supporter, you'll love that brand, but you'll probably be nursing a hostile feeling towards it if you support another football team. Others appear to be the result of a sort of self-loathing: people don't like to feel they have to shop for bargains, so they go to Lidl or QVC but lose their self-respect; some of this loss, by transference, affects the brands they patronise. This may be because branding is about choice but an economy-shopper's purchases are determined by need, not choice.