Approach
Unlocking growth opportunities with the brand at the center
Unlocking growth opportunities with the brand at the center
Brand has never been more important, but its role has changed dramatically. What used to be about creating differentiation is now about staying relevant in a context of constant change.
Business today in incredibly dynamic, challenging some of the most widely accepted constructs in branding.
Our approach combines the three fundamental and dynamic elements in any market – people, businesses and their interactions.
With this intelligence as our basis, we are able to set an ambition for business and build in flexibility, meaning you can stay true to your direction whilst responding to the market.
For the first time since the industrial revolution, people’s expectations are changing faster than the fastest businesses.
Customers are more informed, connected and demanding than ever before, as the result of a number of forces that are likely to continue to reshape the way categories evolve, businesses compete, and people choose. As a consequence, the way brands must be imagined, built and transformed.
01
The end of competitive advantage
The competitive environment is in perpetual motion… Attractive and lucrative opportunities are more visible to more players, and the resources to capitalize on these opportunities are often more available too.
02
Abundance of choice
Across all markets, choices are increasing exponentially. Even if customers know, trust, or even love a brand – exploring new options has never been cheaper and quicker. This creates an erosion of loyalty and increases the need for any brand to continuously address rapidly shifting needs and expectations.
03
Speed of adoption
The speed of innovation has increased significantly – but what has also risen exponentially is the rate at which innovation gets adopted. Ecosystems have the power to propogate and scale the adoption of new technologies to millions of customers at speeds never seen before.
04
Shorter feedback loops
Smart use of data and artificial intelligence have set the scene for what is, in many cases, a virtually instant and constant feedback loop between customer behavior and product innovation.
05
Inextricability of brand and business
A business, its brand and its leadership are increasingly inextricable. Transparency and reduced information asymmetry mean that brands are about what a business is and does, not just what it says; and businesses are about trust and relationships, not just delivery.
06
Shifting frames of reference
Consumers frames of reference are shifting. The expectation of Ubre’s immediacy, Spotify’s. cornucopia and Google’s simplicity ripples across every aspect of life and line of business, raising the threshold on what’s good enough.
07
From identity to leadership
As we face existential crises such as climate change, resource depletion and global conflict, brand leaders are at an inflection point – do they want to be seen as a part of the problem, or part of the solution? At a time of distrust towards institutions, government and even NGOs, societal leadership is now seen as a core function of business.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen and felt the forces of a new league in business – companies whose growth far surpasses all competition – with no signs of slowing down.
Utilizing more than 2.5 million data points collected over more than two decades, through our pioneering Best Global Brands study. we’ve observed that the world’s most successful companies start not with product, but with brand – as their critical growth asset and engine. The brand is a vehicle through which the business can address a range of different customer needs (or jobs to be done) – through an extended portfolio of differentiated products and services. These companies leverage the utility in their brand to drive exponential growth.
The leaders of these super brands understand how, where and when to deploy their brand as an asset against emerging customer needs, in a landscape of perpetual, constant change.
These high-growth / high-value companies aren’t contained by sectors, or silos, or swim lanes; they transcend traditional category thinking. Built on a foundation of exceptional products and strong and emotionally meaningful customer relationships, these companies move in multiple directions. They use the utility and equity in their brand to drive exponential growth in new spaces, whilst continuing to capitalize on existing incremental sector gains.
Put it a different way: What business is Amazon in? What does Disney do? How does Google really grow? Where next for Nike?
Over the past 50 years, Interbrand have led and observed several significant shifts in the role that brands play – in society, in culture, and in consumers lives. Brands are more important than ever before – however their role has changed dramatically.
First and foremost, successful brands are identifiers; drivers of choice and differentiation. The most progressive brands evolved over time to become providers of all round experiences – not just products or services. The digital revolution brought about the ‘Age of You’ – with the birth of ecosystems – branded spaces offering seamless experiences, fuelled by real time data. And today, as we face extreme turbulence and volatility, brands become Acts of Leadership – doing things right, and doing the right things.
The world’s most successful businesses understand how, where and when to leverage their brand across these dimensions to surpass expectation and captivate the market – unlocking new kinds of growth. In this regard, they understand their brand not just as a tool for communication – but as a tangible asset for growth.
At Interbrand, we help our clients to understand where their biggest opportunities exist within and across this complex and evolving landscape – providing not just a complete set of tools and services – but also understanding the Red Threads that pull each aspect together, to unlock new opportunity.
From static to dynamic
Brand building is not about defining what a business stands for, but diagnosing where it should be going next in a fast changing environment. That is why we design and deliver evolving roadmaps – not static frameworks.
From just where to go—to how to get there too
The real heart of a good strategy isn’t setting goals but determining how to achieve them. This is why we’ve moved from the static concept of positioning to the idea of a brand Trajectory – a clear route that leverages the brand’s unique advantages to create superior relevance.
From indefinite to timebound
Traditional brand constructs seem to exist in a vacuum – whilst in reality businesses think in terms of years, quarters and months. Interbrand Thinking & Making brings time into the equation. We help our clients work out where they want to be, by when – creating vision, drive and focus.
From vague to measurable
Conventional branding typically keeps some distance from measurable business goals – which inevitably risks making it abstract, cosmetic or scarcely influential. Our approach is anchored to one of more objective measures of commercial success. We set, measure and manage clear targets.
From communication to moves
We don’t only want to change what people see, but also what they feel, think, remember and do. Our teams of Interbrand Thinkers and Makers take brand building beyond guidelines, grids and layouts – to surpass and shift customer expectation with tangible Moves that shift expectations.
From identity to leadership
Over the past decades, the role of the world’s most valuable brands has shifted – from identifiers to assets, ecosystems to Acts of Leadership. We help our clients do things right by creating exceptional experiences – and to do the right thing through clear and uncompromising ethics.
Human Truths
What do people demand, now and next?
Deep human truths inspire change and drive relevance. We apply this perspective to uncover what’s happening in people’s lives and more importantly, what it means & what opportunity that creates.
Experiences
What Moves should we make, now and next?
Experience shapes change, influencing how people and culture behaves. Using the power of design, language and technology, we create experiences that make life better and create a new normal.
Economics
What results are we going to see, now and next?
Economics inspires change by creating confidence to seize marketplace opportunities. We bring quantitative and commercial logic to decision making—including Brand Strength Analysis, business case modelling and segmentation.
Naming & Identity
Do you need a new name or identity for your company, brand, product or service?
Portfolio Management
Do you need to optimize your portfolio of brands, products and services?
Strategy
Do you need your brand to reflect your new business strategy?
Brand Economics
Do you need to understand how to maximize the business performance of your brand?
Customer Experience
Do you need to improve the efficiency and impact of your customer experience?
Mergers, Acquisitions and Spin Offs
Do you need to merge or divest one of your companies and create a new brand?
Employee Programmes
Do you need to ensure your employees understand the role they play in delivering on your brand promise?
Climate & Sustainability
Do you want your brand to lead the climate debate and credibly leverage your sustainability credentials?
Integrity & Ethics
Do you want to ensure your purpose has real impact and that your business operates ethically and with integrity?
Digital Innovation
Do you need to build new digital products and services to deliver a better and more differentiated experience to your customers?