Teen Vogue and Goldman Sachs Introduce 2013 Brand Affinity Index Research Findings

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to understand which brands are making the biggest impact with millennials today, Teen Vogue—the leading monitor of millennial fashion and beauty enthusiasts in America—has partnered with Goldman Sachs' Apparel and Accessories Global Investment Research Group to create the 2013 Teen Vogue/Goldman Sachs Brand Affinity Index.

THE SURVEY
Nicknamed the "Love List," this landmark piece of research ranks 363 millennial fashion, retail, and beauty brands from a three-pronged perspective, incorporating teens' awareness of the brand, favorability for the brand, and word-of-mouth around the brand.

The Composite Index Score is comprised of equally weighted percentages across three questions fielded to the respondent base:

• Awareness: "Are you familiar with this brand?"
• Favorability: "Do you/would you feel great wearing this brand?"
• Word of mouth: "Is this a brand you like to talk about with others (either in person, by phone, or through social media?)"

THE TOP 20 BRANDS
In an effort to differentiate between millennial brands currently embraced by the establishment and rising brands considered by influential teens, the survey was conducted among two distinct samples: A national sample of 1,914 females 13-29 reflects preferences among "mass" millennials; a Teen Vogue It girl reader panel sample of 1,234 respondents reveals the brands that have been adopted by fashion-savvy influentials.

The Top 20 "Love List" brands ranked by It Girls Composite Scores are:

BRANDS TO WATCH
Influential millennials are bellwether consumers—they are first-to-market, first-to-adopt, and first-to-share. Their behaviors build momentum for brands to reach the next strata of shoppers. To identify "Brands Rising"—those that have breakthrough potential with secondary adopters and ultimately a mass audience—a sample was configured based on the following criteria:

Highest differential in awareness between Teen Vogue It girls and National Sample
AND
High Teen Vogue It girl favorability (+1 standard deviation above the mean)
AND
High Teen Vogue It girl word of mouth (=1 standard deviation above the mean)

BRANDS RISING: THE TOP 20

Bolded brands do not appear in the Top 50 Composite Score Index and merit special attention as up-and-coming brands among millennials.

About Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue—a Condé Nast publication, a division of Advance Publications, which operates in 25 countries—is the number one source of fashion and beauty news for style-conscious teens and 20-somethings everywhere. In the United States, Condé Nast publishes 18 consumer magazines, two trade publications, and 27 websites that garner international acclaim and unparalleled consumer engagement. The Teen Vogue brand brings the sophistication and authority of Vogue to a new generation of savvy young women who desire to be on the cutting edge of fashion, beauty, and culture. Launched in February 2003, Teen Vogue publishes ten issues a year and has a circulation of more than 1 million readers.

About The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

To obtain a copy of the study with more detail on the top 20 brands by specific categories of fashion, retail, beauty and luxury and/or to request an interview, please contact Erin Kaplan ([email protected]), 212.286.2479.

SOURCE Teen Vogue