However difficult the “love measurement” may seem, the U.S. opinion research consultancy APCO Insight has spent 10 years to prove the fact: love is measurable indeed. Using a sophisticated methodology called Emotional Linking, the company surveyed more than 70,000 people across 15 international markets to find out what brands we love most and why.

The ranking is based on eight emotional states that are critical to a brand: understanding, approachability, relevance, admiration, curiosity, identification, empowerment and pride.

The Walt Disney Company, which is perceived as the most understandable brand, has topped the ranking, followed by the tech companies Yahoo and Google, which are most love for their relevance. Retail brands, such as Whole Foods, Auchan and Amazon, perform well on approachability and less well on pride. The food and beverage brands, vice versa, perform well on pride, however lack curiosity and empowerment, the study finds.

«The best brands are those that build a strong, enduring emotional attachment with consumers,» said Bryan Dumont, president, APCO Insight. «In addition to acting as a highly predictive tool for consumers’ purchase choices, the Emotional Linking model has proven to be an excellent way to help companies retool their campaigns to build stronger emotional attachments between their key audiences and their brands.»

In total, more than 600 brands were surveyed and only 100 best of them got in the ranking.