Relentlessly Relevant Brands 2023
Brand Relevance Insights
Brand Relevance
Matters More Than Ever.
Relevance is critical to building loyalty and winning consumers, but to truly be successful in a world where brands matter more than ever, brands need to become relentlessly relevant. We surveyed more than 11,500 U.S. consumers to find out which brands are the most indispensable to their lives.
01
Most Relevant
Brands Over Time
With COVID-19 disrupting people’s lives in innumerable ways, only these nine brands have maintained relentless relevance with consumers throughout the pandemic. Of those, only two–Apple and KitchenAid–have been able to do so continuously since Prophet launched our first report in 2016.
Android: Understated. Yet Always There.
Android isn't a brand people see very often. But every time millions of consumers tap their phones, shake their smartwatch or fire up a tablet, they know Android is there. Consumers say the brand is always inspiring, finding new ways to make itself useful, on their own terms.
Apple: Never-ending Newness
Once again, Apple rules in relevance. People love its intelligence, and say it is modern and in touch. Its innovations thrill them: It continues to reign as the No. 1 brand that is "always finding new ways to meet my needs."
Bose: High-Fidelity Hero
Bose has held on to top-tier relevance throughout the pandemic, helping people shut out the world and let music in. And along with its strong appeal for specs-driven audiophiles, it's a surprisingly emotional brand. This year, it spiked in new ways of engaging with consumers, pushing the status quo.
Google: Essential Tech
In a world where Big Tech can seem semi-sinister, Google consistently reboots its "Hey Google" charm with constant improvements to search, maps, shopping, workspace, and many more. Its score for engaging in new and creative ways rose 20%. And in the coveted "I can't imagine my life without it" realm, Google takes first place.
KitchenAid: Culinary Magic-Maker
KitchenAid speaks to the world's domestic dynamos. Whether they’re managing emulsifications or finetuning dishwasher cycles, this brand answers every engineering demand, while also integrating appealing design. Dependable and consistent, these reliable appliances make life easier for performance-driven cooks, from hand-held mixers to high-end ranges.
Peloton: Feel-Better Cardio
While the connected fitness company has had a rough ride in the past years, it has built a nearly unshakable bond with fans. They rely on it for more than sweat sessions: They say it inspires and connects with them emotionally, and its varied content helps them push the status quo.
Spotify: Just-for-me Music
Whether breaking records with new album releases or charming us with it's annual "Wrapped" campaign, Spotify earns its relevance by constantly expanding its content all while making the listening experience effortless. It's a heart brand, too, with many of its 489 million listeners saying it connects with them emotionally.
Toyota: Reliable Road Tripper
Even as manufacturing hiccups shook up the automotive industry, Toyota soars on measures of trust and dependability. As gas prices rose, fuel efficiency and environmentally friendly engines grew increasingly relevant, it made consumers even more likely to describe it as a brand they can count on.
USAA: Serving Those in Service
Car insurance and banking meet essential needs in people's lives, and this brand consistently wins the category. In part, that’s due to the company's consistency, dependability, and tech prowess. But service members value its commitment to military families and the way it lives up to its promises.
02
Why Relevance
Matters
While consumers crave relevance more than ever, brands travel different paths to create that connection. Some appeal primarily to people's heads, with practical benefits. Others win by speaking to hearts, building emotional bonds. This year insights include a notable tilt toward the heart. In this post-pandemic world, people want more than essential services and functions. Brands that scored big on pandemic pragmatism are now losing ground to those making deeper emotional connections.
201%
90%
13%
201%
Top 50 relevant brand
performance over S&P 500
in past 5 years
performance over S&P 500
in past 5 years
90%
of brands increased relevance
13%
increase in the average
relevance across all brands
relevance across all brands
Indispensable All-Stars
Pulling Our Heartstrings
Head-First Appeal
Indispensable All-Stars
The most relentlessly relevant brands speak to the head and the heart. These brands find ways to tap into the human side of relevance. Elite performers deliver on the functional needs, while also connecting with consumers on an emotional level. They win respect and appreciation for all the practical functions they serve. But they also delight us and spark joy. It’s hard to do consistently. Apple is peerless- consistently leading the pack since 2016. Only one other brand–KitchenAid–has made the top decile of our Index each year.
Both brands earn the highest praise. Consumers say they make better products than competitors, even at high price points. They are dependable, trustworthy, and consistent, giving people what they expect. But they're equally as inspired by innovations they didn't expect, with new experiences and engagements that delight them.
Pulling Our Heartstrings
Brands that speak more to consumers' hearts are seeing a resurgence as consumers push past the pandemic era and look to redefine what matters most in their lives. For the first time since 2019, consumers are seeking brands that offer an emotional connection rather than functional benefits. While dependability and trust remain important, people are looking for new ways to change, grow and discover.
Today’s consumers are prioritizing health, wellness and self-care in new ways, and heart brands are their fiercest allies. Peloton, CrossFit, Calm App, and Noom are all top performers. Each of them–along with Fitbit–score highly on the "makes me feel inspired" measure. YouTube also offers encouragement, whether it's advice on changing spark plugs or a laugh from a comedy clip.
Head-First Appeal
Brands that most appeal to consumers' heads aren't just practical, sensible, or functional. They are all those things–performed with ninja-like precision. Take TurboTax, a brand many people interact with just one day a year. But that day matters and this software brand has consistently excelled at "meets an important need in my life." Afterpay wins through consistency, trustworthiness and–in a shaky economy–easy access to deferred payments. And Honda continues to impress with its promise of performance and fuel efficiency taking on new meaning in automotive turmoil.
But for consumers who love to do their homework, knowing a brand makes better products than its competitors is a critical element, fueling commitment to brands as diverse as Ritz-Carlton, Band-Aid, Clorox and LEGO.
Want to build your brand’s relevance?
Download the report to see how Prophet’s brand engine model
can help reimagine your brand, creating relentless relevance
and uncommon growth.
Download the report to see how Prophet’s brand engine model
can help reimagine your brand, creating relentless relevance
and uncommon growth.
"
For more than 100 years, KitchenAid has celebrated the kitchen as a place of energy and creativity. By blending innovative technology, enduring quality, and timeless design, we continue to focus on making products that enable consumers to do more while creating memorable experiences.
— Chad Ries, Global Brand Director, KitchenAid
03
Methodology
In a fast-changing world, brand relevance matters more than ever. Some brands excel by speaking to people’s hearts, making magic with a dazzling ability to sinpure and connect. Others are practical allies, building relevance through their ability to solve problems, eliminate frustrations and make life easier. And some brands have achieved both. Intelligent and inspired, they’re the names people can’t live without.
11500+
257
26
11500+
Consumers
257
Brands
26
Industries
How were the included brands selected?
We select consumer brands in 26 categories, chosen because they represent significant proportions of household spending and/or time. Within those categories, we selected about 85% of brands on the basis of revenue size and/or recent growth. We selected the remaining 15% on market entry criteria, such as disruption potential or momentum (particularly for private companies). This ensures the set of brands tested are objective in their selection and representative across the country.
What was the primary research objective?
To understand how winning brands establish themselves as relentlessly relevant, from the perspective of customers.
How many brands did consumers evaluate?
In total, people rated 257 brands. We exclude brands in the alcohol, tobacco and firearms categories, as well as companies engaged solely or primarily in business-to-business (B2B) categories.
What does it mean for a brand to be relentlessly relevant?
Relevance encompasses all the elements required for a strong brand and healthy bottom line, including high demand, strong appeal and products and services that add value to a customer’s life. The most relentlessly relevant brands make exceptional connections with the head and heart of modern consumers.
To what extent does this build on David Aaker’s IP?
To a significant extent. Of all the characteristics of a brand, the one that is most necessary for its success is relevance. David Aaker's core point, that brands must create and dominate new subcategories, is central to the idea of relevance. Thus, it is a key aspect of Prophet’s definition of a relevant brand.
"
At Chewy, we believe no one should ever pet parent alone. Our focus is to support pet-parents to take on every moment with confidence and optimism, so their pets can be happy and healthy. We understand their needs, have a rich depth of pet care knowledge, and provide the most complete assortment of products and services. Because we know they’re not just pets. They’re more.
— Nicole Grasso, Director, Brand Strategy, Chewy
04