Breakaway Brands of 2010
The latest findings from Landor's Breakaway Brands study
By Hayes Roth, Landor, 2010
| BRAND | GROWTH IN BRAND STRENGTH 2006-2009 |
| Clif Bar | 97% |
| Facebook | 85% |
| BlackBerry | 57% |
| LG | 55% |
| Nintendo | 51% |
| Google | 36% |
| Apple | 33% |
| iPod | 30% |
| Kraft Foods | 29% |
| Disney | 17% |
| Methodology: Landor studied approximately 2,500 brands in Young & Rubicam Brands' BrandAsset® Valuator's U.S. database, identifying those brands that exhibited the greatest increases in brand strength from 2006–2009. Growth in brand strength indicates how much the brand's raw strength score has risen over the past three years, expressed in percentage terms. www.landor.com |
| Download this chart (pdf, 162kb) |
Each year the stories behind the Top 10 most successful brands in Landor's annual Breakaway Brands® study, as featured at Forbes online, are as surprising as they are varied. This year's report proves no exception as it celebrates the revitalization of classic brands like Disney and Kraft Foods in concert with twenty-first-century icons such as BlackBerry and Clif Bar. Which begs the question: What do these brands have in common, and what did they do to earn their place among this year's Top 10 Breakaway Brands?
What follows are stories about brands-even historically successful ones-that dared to redefine categories and, in some cases, redefine themselves to ensure they stayed relevant and differentiated to their priority audiences. These organizations' dedication to their brands resulted in steady, substantive growth in brand strength over the past three years, as measured by BrandAsset® Valuator, the world's oldest and largest consumer database on brands. Each of these leaders can attribute their success to an ability to create or capitalize on significant social and market trends while remaining true to their core customer promise.
Back to basics: A return to simplicity and personal connections
When the future appears uncertain, people tend to gravitate toward what's truly important in life-the basics we believe will endure and sustain us. This year's Top 10 Breakaway Brands met our fundamental needs while making our increasingly complex lives easier and more enjoyable. Through the worst of a global financial crisis when our wallets were thinner and our psyches fearful of superfluous spending, these brands found their way into our lives and earned our respect and loyalty.
Brands that help us spend quality time, make joyful memories with family and friends, and otherwise connect us to each other are prevalent on the 2010 list. Maintaining health and happiness took precedence over flashiness and fashion-these are brands that served us, versus helping us show off. We embraced brands that felt honest and authentic with recognizable, relevant personalities. We sought comfort, and these brands assisted us in that quest.
About the Author
Hayes Roth is Landor's Chief Marketing Officer