It’s official! Parmigiano Reggiano®
is the most loved food brand in Italy!

WE’RE VERY PROUD THAT IN THE TALKWALKER ‘LOVE BRANDS’ STUDY CONDUCTED IN 2020, PARMIGIANO REGGIANO WAS RANKED IN ITALY AS THE MOST LOVED BRAND IN THE FOOD CATEGORY AND SECOND MOST LOVED BRAND OVERALL, AFTER ARMANI!

Talkwalker is a multinational leader in social listening and analytics. The company conducts an annual research study, “Love Brands”, designed to measure the emotional connection between brands and consumers. According to their 2020 findings, in Italy Parmigiano Reggiano was ranked as the No. 1 brand in the food category, and placed second overall after Armani, beating an impressive list that includes Ducati, Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, Pirelli, Lega Serie A, Barilla, and Fila.

How do you measure brand love?

Talkwalker’s research included an evaluation of 1228 brands in 30 different sectors, scoring each brand based on the engagement rate and positive feelings on social media and in news stories. Also measured were the percentage of mentions related to the concept of joy, and the percentage of mentions related to the concept of love. According to Talkwalker, “We compared brands across social media, news, blogs, forums, and more, to identify the brands that people engaged with, that people criticized less, that people had a joyful connection with, and that people simply said they loved”. The ultimate goal isn’t about measuring popularity, instead the study’s goal is to measure which brands establish a real and meaningful connection with consumers.

There is no question about it: Italians love Parmigiano Reggiano.

Talkwalker’s methodology uses the following four metrics to arrive at the Most Loved Brands Index:
FAVORABILITY SCORE
TRUST SCORE
COMMUNITY IMPACT SCORE
NET PROMOTER SCORE
Parmigiano Reggiano ranking was based on the number of consumers who mentioned their high level of satisfaction with the cheese, and also expressed that they trust Parmigiano Reggiano because they believe the brand will consistently deliver the quality taste and experience that they expect from the product. Additionally, consumers said that Parmigiano Reggiano positively impacts local communities – likely a byproduct of the PDO regulations, which require that every component of the cheese-making process must be sourced in the region of origin, therefore supporting local industries. As a result of these factors, they are very likely to recommend the product to their friends.

Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, was genuinely delighted to hear about the Talkwalker study.

Everyone at the Consortium is thrilled about the ranking!

The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium is the organization tasked with protecting and building the brand of this 1000-year-old cheese. So, being singled out as the most loved food brand in Italy means that the Consortium is doing a great job in nurturing and growing the brand’s positive relationship with consumers – which is a huge accomplishment, especially during such a challenging year. Let’s not forget that in 2020 Italy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet Parmigiano Reggiano significantly outperformed the industry, proving itself to be a true brand champion. To emphasize this point, Nicola Bertinelli, the President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium pointed out that “consumers forced to give up out-of-home meals for several months have shown their preferences very clearly”. In other words, Italian consumers made it clear that they LOVE Parmigiano Reggiano – and everyone at the Consortium is truly humbled by the honor.