Now in its tenth year, the FutureBrand Index analyses the brand strengths of the world’s most valuable companies. This year’s report, released this week, looks not only at what’s happening now, but what’s changed – and what hasn’t – since the project started in 2014.
Here are some insights that jumped out to us.
1. What doesn’t change is as important as what does
It’s easy to get fixated on the shiny and the new, but one of the most interesting angles of this year’s report is an acknowledgement that many things stay the same.
The report opens with this Jeff Bezos quote, “I very frequently get the question, ‘What’s going to change in the next ten years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question, ‘What’s not going to change in the next ten years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two, because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”
As FutureBrand CEO Nick Sykes remarks, “In an industry preoccupied with change, it’s sometimes worthwhile to pause and reflect on those things that remain unchanged: the universal and perennial behaviours that create a future brand.”
2. Samsung replaces Apple at the top
Tech giant Samsung topped this year’s table, moving up from number five in 2023. Last year’s number one, Apple, fell to third. The report praised Samsung’s ability to create “emotional connections, offering seamless and pleasurable experiences that resonate with consumers.”
Hermès was one of the big success stories of the last year, rising 39 places while its parent company, LVMH, dropped 17. Meanwhile Tesla, Meta, and IBM all fell sharply in this year’s index, dropping 31, 35 and 33 places respectively.
Nike has the biggest mismatch between its brand position (4th) and its market cap (98th), suggesting reports of its brand crisis may have been exaggerated.
3. The US is no longer the brand leader
In 2014, seven of the top ten brands were based in the US. This year, the US had just four of the top ten, with five from APAC and the Middle East.
“APAC and the Middle East are investing in brand, especially in a B2B setting, at levels that match the pace previously seen in just the US and Europe,” the report notes. “The good news: there is maturity in the space. The bad news: this is a much more competitive environment.”
4. People respect brands that just work
For all the glamour and emotional heft associated with big brands, there is huge value in creating things that just work. Attributes like seamlessness have leapt up in importance since the first index in 2014.
This is especially true in regards to digital products. One of this year’s big winners was Bank of America, which jumped 27 places. The report put that down to “significant improvements in the digital experience across the brand (the bank recently unified five apps into one), boosting the bank’s perception as an innovator.”
5. Both change and consistency can drive success
While LinkedIn commentators delight in setting up brand strategy binaries, the truth is that growth is often driven from one of two contradictory, but equally viable, impulses – consistency and adaptability.
“Adaptable brands pivot. They constantly evolve the role and relevance of their offer, whether responding to changing markets – or shaping them. Steady brands know what makes them meaningful and double down, time and time again.”
Both approaches work for different brands, although both also come with risks.
“Constant pivots can go awry, but course correction is easier when strong brand goodwill exists,” the report explains. “Steadier brands can be too cautious, missing opportunities, playing catch-up, or fading into the background.”
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