Holiday Gift Giving Tips for Men: U.S. and European Men Reveal Top Brand Choices

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 11, 2006

What does the man on your Christmas list want this year? Chances are good that he'll enjoy something from Nike or Adidas if he's anything like the nearly 9,000 men polled on their favorite brands.

According to a survey of men in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and Poland conducted by international brand design firm, Dragon Rouge, of their favorite brands, men around the world think most highly of sportswear makers Nike and Adidas, followed by electronics manufacturers Sony and Nokia and apparel make Hugo Boss.

In the U.S., Ralph Lauren is also highly regarded (third after Nike and Adidas).

Here are highlights from the survey:

Favorite Brand by Country:

• U.S. - Nike named by almost 28% of respondents
• UK - Nike cited by almost 13%
• France - Nike named by over 5%
• Germany - Adidas and Sony tied with over 11% each
• Poland - Durex was named by over 13%, followed by Nike with almost 8%.

Favorite Brand by Category:

• Electronics - Sony was named the top electronic brand in all countries. Apple was #2 in the UK and France, but was barely mentioned in Germany, Poland, or even the U.S.
• Automobiles - U.S. men named Ford while UK men cited BMW, France named Audi and Germany chose BMW. (Note: men surveyed gave consistent high marks for German engineering, mentioning BMW and Mercedes in all markets and Audi in all but the U.S.)
• Beverages - Coca-Cola was named number one except in the U.S. where it was number two (12%) to Pepsi (18%) and tied for first place with Pepsi in Poland.
• Fashion - In the U.S., Nike (26%) and Ralph Lauren (22%) came out on top, while in the UK, Armani, Hugo Boss, Nike and Adidas each received about 9%, in France, Hugo Boss and Zara claimed 9%, in Germany Adidas slightly edged out (about 10%) Levis with just under 9%, and in Poland, Nike took the top spot with almost 12%.
• Body Care - For the U.S. it was Axe and Dove claiming 21% each; in the UK, Hugo Boss (16%) followed closely by Gillette (14%), in France, L'Oreal was named by almost 20%, in Germany Hugo Boss (20%) with Axe closely following with 17%, and in Poland Adidas was chosen with 21%.

According to Jonathan Asher, President, Dragon Rouge USA, "Our data revealed a great deal of consistency across markets. On an overall basis, men's brand preferences were similar for categories (i.e. sportswear), even if brands varied (Nike, Adidas). In some categories, the brand preference was overwhelmingly consistent as with Coca-Cola for beverages and Sony for electronics."

Background and Methodology of the Survey

Dragon Rouge, the world's leading independent global brand design firm, surveyed 8,750 men ages 18 - 55 in the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Poland. The survey was conducted electronically during the month of October 2006.

Follow up interviews to determine more detailed insights are currently being conducted and will be announced in January 2007.

Graphs are attached. A full survey report is available from Don Cirigliano at Dragon Rouge (212) 367-8800

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Dragon Rouge, LLC, (http://www.dragonrouge-usa.com) is a privately owned brand design firm with offices in New York, Paris, London, Warsaw and Hamburg.

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