---
title: "BIC vs Faber-Castell: Which is searched more in New Zealand?"
description: "Is BIC or Faber-Castell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-faber-castell"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# BIC vs Faber-Castell: Which is searched more in New Zealand?

Is BIC or Faber-Castell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: BIC and Faber-Castell
- **Competitive set**: Pen brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **BIC Share of Search**: 31%
- **Faber-Castell Share of Search**: 31.5%

## Is BIC or Faber-Castell more popular in search?

- In September 2026, BIC and Faber-Castell were level in searches among pen brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 1.4K branded searches each, at 31% and 31.5% of the total.
- The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Faber-Castell took it in November 2025, BIC took it in March 2026, Faber-Castell took it in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand moved from 34.6% to 31%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2K to 1.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Faber-Castell’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand moved from 29.3% to 31.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 1.4K.

## Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, BIC was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Faber-Castell did not appear in any of the five answers.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| uni-ball | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Pilot | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| BIC | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| Pentel | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Zebra | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| Faber-Castell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about pen brands

- Asked ChatGPT "Which pen brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. uni-ball, 2. Zebra, 3. Pilot
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen brands in New Zealand?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Pentel, 4. Zebra, 5. BIC
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen brand in New Zealand for everyday writing?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. BIC, 4. Zebra, 5. Pentel
- Searched Google, AI Overview "pen brands": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pilot, 3. Pentel
- Searched Google, AI Overview "ballpoint pens nz": 1. BIC, 2. Pentel

Not named in any answer: Faber-Castell.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand pen brands in September 2026?

- In September 2026, Faber-Castell overtook BIC to become the leader among pen brands in New Zealand, with 31.5% of the searches.
- In September 2026, BIC gained share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand, from 29.3% to 31%.

## Month by month

| Month | BIC estimated searches | BIC Share of Search | BIC rank | Faber-Castell estimated searches | Faber-Castell Share of Search | Faber-Castell rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 1.2K | 34.6% | 1 | 1K | 29.3% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 1.1K | 31.1% | 2 | 1.3K | 36.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 1K | 29.9% | 2 | 1.5K | 44.6% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | 1.3K | 32.3% | 2 | 1.4K | 33.8% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | 950 | 26.5% | 2 | 1.1K | 29.8% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 1.4K | 32.9% | 1 | 1.1K | 26.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 1.5K | 36.8% | 1 | 1.3K | 31.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | 1.4K | 31.8% | 1 | 1.3K | 30.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | 1.2K | 32.2% | 1 | 1.1K | 29.8% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | 1.3K | 33.5% | 1 | 1.1K | 27.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | 1.4K | 29.3% | 1 | 1.3K | 28% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | 1.4K | 31% | 2 | 1.4K | 31.5% | 1 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and Faber-Castell’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **BIC**: Measured on the search terms “bic lighter”, “bic pen” and “bic pen clic”, summed into one figure.
- **Faber-Castell**: Measured on the search terms “faber castell”, “faber castell erasers”, “faber castell pen”, “faber castell polychromos” and “fabercastell”, summed into one figure.

- [BIC profile](/demand/nz/brands/bic)
- [Faber-Castell profile](/demand/nz/brands/faber-castell)
- [All pen brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is BIC or Faber-Castell more popular in search?

In September 2026, BIC and Faber-Castell were level in searches among pen brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 1.4K branded searches each, at 31% and 31.5% of the total.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "BIC vs Faber-Castell: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-faber-castell

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-faber-castell. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
