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Does charity brand love differ by region?

Oli Fenton Associate Director 20/07/2020

While Macmillan tops the table overall, are there regional variations in the charities sparking an emotional connection?

UNICEF – a charity without stores – has a love score seven percentage points higher in London than the rest of UK.

Savanta’s  Top 100 Most Loved Charities Brands report (based on BrandVue Charities data) looks at how improving brand love also increases overall support for a charity – as well as outlining which factors are key for driving love.

The report focuses on figures for the UK as whole but what are the regional trends when it comes to charity brand love?

London vs. the rest of the UK

Like the private and public sectors, the third sector displays big differences in behaviour when comparing London with the rest of the UK. These differences, in relation to brand love, are twofold:

  • Charities lower down the league table are more loved in London

While physical availability (i.e. stores) has contributed to this result, it is not the sole reason behind it.

Crisis, a charity with second-hand shops that is more popular among London millennials than some high street brands, is loved by one in 10 Londoners, as opposed to one in 20 in the rest of the UK. But UNICEF – a charity without stores – has a love score seven percentage points higher in London than the rest of UK.

What could be contributing to this?

The example of Muslim Aid might shed some light. With a love score 5% higher in London than the national average, this could be indicative of the multicultural nature of the capital. There is no magic being applied here, just charities with initiatives that resonate with the London audience.

  • Charities in the top 10 most love brands are more loved in the rest of the UK.

The top three most loved brands have higher love scores in the rest of the UK than London. Being loved by Londoners might seem like the be all and end all, but it’s the rest of the UK that decides who the market leaders are.

What are the brand love highlights across the rest of the UK?

The South

Great Ormond Street Hospital has a love score 2% higher than average in the South outside London. This indicates local familiarity in two ways:  appreciation for a charity based in their nearest large city and also for a charity that protects and nurtures wildlife (reflecting their non-urban residence).

If your charity performs well nationally – it performs well in the non-London south. The South is the region with the lowest deviation from the national average; the most regionally important / or unimportant brands are only 2% points above / below their national score.

The Midlands

People in the Midlands have a particular attachment to animal charities.

The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) has a love score 4% higher in the Midlands than average and, in terms of regional stand outs, they are followed by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, who have a love score 2% higher.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) also features slightly higher in the Midlands region, although Londoners have matched their love score of 11%. However, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home under-index in the Midlands – it seems that animals matter so long as there is regional relevance.

The North

Marie Curie Cancer Care performs strongly in the North.

Almost a quarter (23%) of northerners love this charity. This is 4% higher than the national average and 10% higher than Londoners. This is the starkest regional difference in our brand love results and is something the charity could consider taking advantage of.

The appreciation for cancer charities in the North persists for other brands too with Macmillan Cancer Support’s brand love score 2% points higher in the North than the national average.

Conclusion

The regional differences in brand love no doubt become starker the more granular you get and with BrandVue Charities it’s possible to explore even further.

These differences are not solely due to the physical proximity of a charity; there are also regional trends in what causes and goals makes a charity relevant. But what makes a ‘love-me-do’ different from a ‘love-me-not’? To find out, download the full Top 100 Most Loved Charities report.

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