Growth has taken on a new form in the Age of You. As new dynamics emerge and change
the shape of business by the minute, it demands new ways for organizations to harness
and channel that change.
But the world’s leading brands aren’t waiting for change to happen—they’re acting rather
than reacting, growing rather than maintaining, and mastering Growth in a Changing World.
With so many directions to grow in, fexibility and adaptability are key. Businesses must
be ready to change their trajectories along with people and markets: embracing emerging
technologies, leaping engagement barriers, and rethinking their growth strategies—
breaking things down to start them up again. They must be be ready to grow, change,
and grow all over again.
To meet these challenges, organizations need to make brands the center of gravity—the
closer you get, the faster you grow.
Brands are what connects businesses to people inside and out, creating real proximity
by understanding what people want and what they believe in. Brands are what personalize
technology so that it becomes a means for authentic engagement and unforgettable
experiences. Brands are the constancy that accelerates business growth—moving at the
speed of life, refecting how people want to grow, growing along with them, and standing out
in a shifting landscape.
Brands are
the constancy
that accelerate
business growth.
Grow.
Change.
Grow.Growth is fundamental to life. It is an
inherent part of being human. So is change.
Over the last two decades, our lives
have been transformed in remarkable
new ways. These shifts in behavior,
expectations, and experiences provide
incredible opportunities for business
growth, but keeping up with them poses
new challenges. One of the most critical
ways to turn change into growth is by
building and constantly developing a
strong brand.
Brands are how we form opinions and
fnd meaning in a business. They embody
purpose and values, help human beings
understand a business on a deeper level,
and ensure businesses act in line with
people’s expectations. Consumers use
this understanding to make better choices,
demonstrate loyalty, and determine value.
Brands are a human construct, and are at
the heart of any successful business.
This is as true internally as it is externally.
Brands start with humans on the inside
and are ultimately delivered to humans on
the outside, using technology as a primary
means of interaction and a powerful platform
for engagement. At a time when speed to
market, customer centricity, and cultural
alignment are more important than ever,
brands are the key to change, and to growth.
Purpose that moves people
If brands start and end with people, it’s
important to acknowledge a signifcant
generational shift in the way people interact
with, and what they demand from, brands.
Both as employees and customers,
younger generations have very different
views about the brands they choose. They
expect a brand’s purpose and values to
align with them, and their desires for better
communities and a better world.
Jez Frampton
Global CEO, Interbrand
Growth in a
changing world
60% of millennials
seek employers with
a clear purpose.66% of consumers
claim to be willing
to pay more for
products from more
socially responsible
companies.4
It’s important to be clear about the nature
of purpose. It’s the organization’s reason
for existing: its most fundamental beliefs
and highest-order aims. It isn’t just
about repackaging a Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) strategy. Brands with
strong sense of purpose draw people in,
aligning people inside the organization
while driving momentum outside of it.
Breaking silos within the organization by
freeing up communication across the
business helps organizations operate
at the speed of life. A strong, clear
brand purpose helps a business change
successfully by ensuring everyone moves
in the same direction at the same speed.
Technology that
accelerates growth
The acceleration of technology impacts
every part of a business. From automated
production to self-driving delivery vehicles,
from programmatic media buying to the
rise of AI in shaping customer interactions.
And new models are emerging that help
companies understand how and where to
invest to ensure brand-driven business profts.
More importantly, technology is changing
people’s behaviors and expectations faster
than we can create and innovate. So how
do brands play into this evolving dynamic
as the gap between desire and fulfllment
diminishes This is where technology plays
a pivotal role. It can be used to create a
detailed image of customers, bringing
brands closer to people every day. When
technology is fully integrated with the brand,
it can shrink the desire-fulfllment gap, fast.
The challenge is creating a truly branded
experience. While technology offers
proximity, engagement is not a given. Merely
implementing the latest technology without
the brand as a flter misses the opportunity
to create a powerful bond between people
and business.
And while innovation is crucial, it doesn’t
necessarily put a business ahead in the
market—it may simply keep it on par. Any
company, from digital native to established
organization, that puts technology frst and
brand second isn’t likely to sustain growth.
While people may enjoy the experience,
they aren’t necessarily connecting with the
company on the deeper level that contributes
to building long-term loyalty. Brands humanize
technology, making it meaningful by yielding
experiences that create lasting value.
Brands are the synergy
between people,
technology, and business
Since brands are the mechanism by which
people relate to businesses, they play a
powerful role in creating deep and valuable
connections to the businesses via technology.
Placing the brand at the center of the
business agenda smooths the tension
between technology and people, giving rise
to a new type of synergy that’s essential to all
sides of the business: on the inside, brands
align culture and capabilities for growth,
directing innovation and resource allocation;
on the outside, brands provide a platform to
deliver a unique and valued experience that
refects not just what people want, but what
they believe in.
For Best Global Brands 2015, we highlighted
the coming wave of personalized technology
marked by The Age of You. In this age, we
operate for the individual, using data and
technology to offer products and services,
communication, environments—in fact,
the entire customer experience—tailored
to individual needs. The next great challenge
for brands is the ability to automate these
complex moving parts, without losing the
personality and humanity that’s characteristic
of the greatest brands.
84% of executives
believe a shared
purpose contributes
to successful change
and transformation.5
In conclusion
The only constant is change, and we
are living in one of the most exciting
periods of change since the Industrial
Revolution. The changes we are observing
are societal, attitudinal, technological,
economic, industrial, and impact every
aspect of commerce and life. Within this
ever-shifting context, growth becomes
ever more challenging. Businesses need
a medium that clearly communicates
purpose and energizes cultures, a
platform upon which to create engaging
and unique experiences, a means to stay
relevant, meaningful, and valued. In this
changing world, businesses need brands
more than ever.
B
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s
in
e
s
s
G
ro
w
th
People
Brand
Technology
Brands: are a business strategy brought
to life, and are the primary means for
differentiation and growth.
People: brands are about people and
how they connect to the purpose of a
business.
Technology: helps accelerate growth
and customer proximity, but only
through brands can it deliver meaningful
engagement.
The closer to brands,
the greater the growth2So, for future Growth in a Changing World:
1 Deloitte 2015 - Unlocking Millennial Talent
2 Nielsen 2015 - The Sustainability Imperative
3 Harvard Business Review 2015 - The Business Case for Purpose
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