Interbrand launches 2023 Breakthrough Brands Report revealing the emerging brands disrupting the global market

New York, US, 27th June 2023 – Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy, has launched its 2023 Breakthrough Brands Report—with the metaverse, AI, and sustainable tech brands leading the way in disrupting the global market, shifting our understanding of the world, and shaping consumer behavior.

In partnership with Vox Media, Interbrand’s influential Breakthrough Brands Report reveals the 30 most innovative brands that are breaking through a crowded landscape and building bold identities rooted in a clear vision. The top 12 names, in particular, are making iconic moves to become the next generation of legacy brands.

Interband has identified an additional 18 brands which represent the emerging trends across evolving beauty & wellness, merging sustainability & style, shaping new tastes around food, and brands that are bringing a next-gen approach.

This year’s report has grouped brands into ‘Arenas,’ each of which outlines the core human needs and cultural shifts brands are equipped to deliver against. Today’s brands have infinite potential to expand and evolve—they no longer fit into just one category or industry.

The brands in this year’s report include OpenAI, which gained 1 million users in just five days via ChatGPT; Neko Health, an affordable health-tech experience from Spotify founder Daniel Ek; Zepeto, Asia’s largest metaverse platform; Betterhalf, a matrimony app used by 100 million professionals in India; and Fishwife, a chic canned fish brand.

This is the 6th edition of the report, which in previous years has successfully predicted challenger brands set to become famous names and achieve impressive growth, including Mythical Games (2022), Athletic Brewing (2021), Maven Clinic (2020), Slack (2017), and Headspace (2016).

For the second consecutive year, more than 50% of 2023’s Breakthrough Brands have founders or C-suite members who are women or people of color.

The three emerging trends from this year’s Breakthrough Brands report are:

• Brands have sharper identities: Brands need to know who they are and have a clear stance on their purpose. Brands including Fishwife and CAKE have maintained a clear set of convictions and beliefs from the outset to create a strong brand.
• Brands are looking to engage with customers in the new world of AI and the metaverse: Brands such as Obsess and Zepeto are experimenting with new and exciting ways to connect with consumers online. Interbrand’s research with Vox Media found that when an AI tool is paired with a specific objective, such as eating well, interest increases dramatically.
• Brands are working in new ways to differentiate themselves in a crowded market: The world has become overpopulated with brands, making it difficult to break through. To become a differentiator in a saturated market, brands need to bring something new to the table. Brands such as OpenAI and Eight Sleep are providing consumers with offerings that reshape the way we live.

Daniel Binns, Global Chief Growth Officer and CEO, Interbrand New York, said: “This year’s analysis of brands represents what’s happening in society and culture today. Most industries are becoming crowded, with a multitude of brands providing similar things. Brands making bold moves to stand out have the best chance of being successful.”

Neha Singh, Founder and CEO at Obsess said: “Brands are recognizing the power of 3D, virtual environments to create more immersive and engaging shopping experiences. Obsess has created more than 200 virtual stores, and — in doing so — we’ve completely disrupted the digital commerce industry. It’s an honor to be named by Interbrand as one of the Breakthrough Brands challenging the global market. As virtual stores become a mainstream way for brands to form deeper connections with consumers, the next few years will be pivotal for the retail industry to adapt.”

Alex Zatarain, Co-Founder at Eight Sleep said: “We’re honored to be recognized as one of Interbrand’s 2023 Breakthrough Brands. At Eight Sleep, our goal is to help people achieve sleep fitness by using technology to sleep well every night, so they can get more out of their days. We have big plans for the future and look forward to following in the footsteps of the impressive Breakthrough Brands alumni that have become household names.”

The full report can be downloaded here.

Interbrand’s 2023 Breakthrough Brands:

OpenAI – AI researchers behind the world’s most talked-about chatbot

Zepeto – avatar-based metaverse platform

Eight Sleep – pioneer of smart sleep

CAKE – high-performance electric motorbikes

HiPhi – premium electric vehicles

KidSuper – of-the-moment creative studio

Fishwife – ethically-sourced tinned seafood

Bilt – rewards platform for renters

Betterhalf – fastest-growing matrimony app

Obsess – immersive ecommerce developer

Neko Health – body scanning health tech

Sila Nanotechnologies – battery materials provider

Acid League – gut-friendly gastronomy

Augustinus Bader – luxury skincare formula

Blank Street – affordable, convenient coffee-to-go

Candela – next-gen electric boats

Caraway – colorful non-toxic cookware

Chopova Lowena – modern luxury that’s sustainable and gender-neutral

Crumbl Cookies – cookies for the cookie-obsessed

DRESSX – digital fashion brand

Fisker – EVs for a cleaner future

Fly by Jing – sauces that blend East and West

Jolie Skin Co – the world’s best shower filter

Maude – sophisticated take on sexual wellness

Ono – environmentally friendly urban logistics vehicles

Our Place – kitchen cookware’s future design icons

Season Eqpt – inclusive snowboard and ski equipment

Slutty Vegan – refreshingly bold vegan chain

Talea – beer and taprooms with a woman’s touch

Topicals – skincare brand that also supports mental health

Methodology

How we chose the brands

We’ve assembled a short list of brands that are still relatively young, have proven successful, and, in their own way, are standing out.

Given a seemingly infinite number of names from which we could choose, we focused on creating a mix of brands that would be the most compelling to a US audience – even if they’re not yet available stateside.

Criteria:

• Was founded or launched within last 7 years
• Is revenue-generating in its respective marketplace
• Is NOT a spin-off of an existing brand
• Exemplifies one or more of Interbrand’s brand growth tenets: built on a Human Truth, creates an exceptional Brand Experience, delivers superior Economics

All funding data is sourced publicly through Crunchbase

How we organized them: Arenas

Categories are dead.

Today’s brands have infinite potential to expand and evolve. As a result, we’ve moved away from organizing brands according to the narrow lens of category or industry.

Instead, we organize brands according to Arenas: the core human needs and desires they are equipped to deliver against. A brand can play in multiple Arenas at once. In the report, you’ll find each Breakthrough Brand aligned with the one Arena that best captures, in our point of view, the human motivation behind it.