Ten years in the life of a brand: 2024

It was just a few weeks ago that we launched this year’s FutureBrand Index.

I wrote about the Index in my latest monthly newsletter . There I shared how you can play with the interactive tools. You can compare the top 100 . You can dive into detailed dashboards for all the top 100 brands . You can explore the key drivers by sector . And, you can even build a brand perception chart for your own brand .

Plus, I joined the Mumbrellacast for this quick dip into the data, take a listen .

3 lessons from 10 years of data (and 25 years of a career in branding)

Every year, the FutureBrand Index provides a natural point at which to reflect on how brands have been growing and evolving over the past 12 months.

This year feels a little different, however, and I can’t help but feel drawn by the opportunity to dive deeper into what is now a decade of data.

The report itself poses the questions, ‘What’s changed, what’s stayed the same?‘ and even a cursory glance reveals the degree to which ‘Consistency’ pays dividends.

Dig a little deeper and we can draw out insights into Trust, Storytelling, Purpose, Sustainability, Loyalty, Adaptability and so much more. In fact, please feel free to ask if you're interested to learn more – after all, the data is there to be used.

But I still can’t help but feel there are even bigger lessons to be learned, not simply brand-by-brand but for the practice of branding at large.

3 lessons.

Inspired by 10 years of data.

And informed by 25 years of a career in branding.

Here goes.

#1. Let’s keep it simple.

Let me start with a simple question: what is a brand?

With every year that passes, the answer seems to become more complex as brand and marketing practitioners add all manner of bells and whistles. When in fact the matter ought to be reductive, a clarifying distillation of everything we know.

Truth be told, the answer ought to be as simple as the question.

Your brand is what your business is known for, by way of what it says and does, for better or for worse.

I say that because brand attributes like 'Consistency' and 'Seamlessness' are the ones that have seen the most significant gains as we look back over a decade of data from the FutureBrand Index – Seamlessness having jumped from 22% in 2014 to 34% in 2024, and Consistency from 25% to 36%.

In plain language, does your brand meet your customers’ needs at every interaction? And, do those interactions add up to a consistent experience for your customers?

These dynamics can only be achieved by building the brand beyond the marketing department. By default, therefore, the brands with the strongest perceptions demonstrate a deeper understanding of the role and value of branding at the highest levels of business. What's more, they appreciate that if their brand is to reach their customers' hearts and minds, it must work as a tool in the hands of every employee.

Practically speaking, that means keeping things simple and using language every employee can understand.

For some people, they conflate complexity with expertise.

While I might be drawn to debate the point, it's pointless.

For me, simplicity equates to engagement.

Your whole organisation engaged with your brand, more or less, as per their roles and functions, both marketers and non-marketers alike.

That's the bigger picture, quite literally.

A decade of data has shown that 'keep it simple, stupid' is the most productive way to help your organisation adopt your brand, quick smart.

#2. We should be specific.

When did logos become brand identities?

When did advertising campaigns become brand platforms?

Over time, brand and marketing terms have become inflated, only adding to the complexity above by piling confusion on top.

Terms like ‘purpose’ have acquired such a breadth of application as to have become stretched paper-thin and at risk of losing their depth of meaning or significance.

Keeping things simple is aided by being specific.

That's not to fall into the trap of a brand management approach that is overly simplistic. On the contrary, brands come with nuance and dimension – in fact, the FutureBrand Index breaks a brand down into as many as 18 specific dimensions.

Consequently, a flaw in your brand's purpose may be attributable to any one of 9 purpose-related dimensions. A lack of ‘Distinctiveness’? Or, feeling that your brand is not ‘Dependable’? Or even, a nagging doubt about its ‘Authenticity’?

I’m all for people doing something for the love of it, but an amateur level of knowledge risks the brand strategy turning into a customer lottery.

The more specific the diagnosis of the brand challenge, the more likely the brand strategy will be a shared success.?

#3. Make it tangible.

A brand is very tangible.

You can eat it, drink it. Drive in it, fly in it. Wear it, sleep in it. And so much more.

However, the brief history of brand has often positioned its value as an intangible asset. Which might sound smart, but it isn’t. Given a choice, it’s a difficult position from which to communicate the value on offer, let along demonstrate it.

But that’s how branding has been presented and perceived. I daresay brand and marketing practitioners felt the need to overcompensate for the intangible factor by creating financial valuations, albeit with limited use cases. Unless you’re buying or selling a business and the associated brand, what’s the point of a valuation?

We need to bring it back to why brand matters: to drive competitive advantage.

When you strengthen the connection between your brand’s purpose and the everyday experience, your brand gives your business a measurable competitive advantage.

Without a clear purpose, your brand will be indistinguishable, and your business will simply blend right into the background.

Without an aligned experience, your brand will be invisible, and you’ll rue the day your business became a hidden gem .

But with competitive advantage comes the reward that customers choose to ‘buy from’ you, and employees choose to ‘work for’ you, not your competitors.

Don’t let your brand be intangible, transform your strategy into reality.

Keep it simple. Be specific. Make it real.

I hope you enjoyed reading this deep dive into the FutureBrand Index and what we can learn from a decade of data. If you’re interested in learning more, the data is there to be used so feel free to ask, we’re always happy to add value where we can.