Brands that are more attractive and available to more people this year than last will grow, regardless of whatever else is going on in the world.

Two brands that have consistently delivered growth by attracting more and more people to buy them every year are Dove and Nivea – two of only four brands to grow their reach in all eight editions of our annual Brand Footprint publication.

As a part of the business that investigates over time the methods (and the people) that have caused markets, categories, and brands to grow or decline, we tend to concentrate on the effectiveness of trade marketing initiatives – the short term.

However, we wanted to highlight these two brands’ underlying positioning – the vital longer-term view – and how important the advertising has been in creating the necessary conditions to develop and execute the successful trade initiatives.