Breakthrough brands of 2020
Innovation often happens magically when organisations (often small ones) question the very fabric of reality.
Interbrand have compiled a list of global brands that are challenging the categories they find themselves in and some of the cultural and societal norms that so often go totally unquestioned.
Innovation often happens magically when organisations (often small ones) question the very fabric of reality that a product or service is premised on.
This radical view is precisely what this list aims to highlight.
This year the honours go to small, niche film studios like A24...
...healthcare companies like Elvie, who are pioneering the redesign of devices and products specially created for new mothers...
...and similar to infamous fitness brand Peloton, Mirror promises to revolutionise the home-fitness market with a technology-device that looks like something out of Minority Report.
Interbrand's Breakthrough Brands 2020:
- A24: Indie studio darling
- Cadre: Digital stock market for alternative assets
- Canva: The Adobe disrupter
- Chime: Biggest digital bank
- Devoted: Individualized health plans
- Dosist: Innovative marijuana pen
- Elvie: Women's wellness for 21st Century
- Flexport: Logistics disruptor
- Ginkgo: Biology programmers
- Impossible Foods: Meat-alts for everyone
- Legalist: Tech-savvy small business advocate
- Loop: Sustainable circular service model
- Maven: Holistic care throughout every stage of the family journey
- Milk Makeup: Gen Z's cult makeup brand
- Mirror: Sleek solution for at-home fitness
- MSCHF: Postmodernist hype art brand
- Neon: Risk-takers and tastemakers in film
- Oatly: Mainstreaming oat milk
- Rivian: True utility all-electric vehicles
- Seedlip: First distilled non-alcoholic spirit
- Snowflake: Cloud data superhero
- StockX: The sneaker stock market
- Teachers Pay Teachers: Teacher knowledge exchange
- Teladoc: Pioneering telemedicine services
- The Action Network: Digital-native sports betting
- The Citizenry: Home goods for the responsible global citizens
- The Information: Exclusive Silicon Valley content
- The RealReal: Seamless, chic thrifting
- ThirdLove: Lingerie for every woman
- Turo: User-to-user car rentals
So what?
Just because a brand is labelled as a 'breakthrough' brand by a leading consulting think tank, doesn't mean that these businesses are in any way sustainable or hold any significant future prospect...for now.
But these are ideas that are pushing the boundaries of what is commercially-viable and desirable for consumers, now and in the possible future, that are always worthwhile to brows over to draw a little inspiration from.
For those who's minds are too rigid and binary and locked into their static, one-dimensional view of the world to see the wild relevance of these crazy ideas - simply ignore this post and go back to writing lines of code, or creating your formulas for spreadsheets.
This mad silliness is obviously not for you.
Go here to download the full report from Interbrand.