Companies Focused on Innovation and Essential Services Garner High Brand Esteem on 2023 FutureBrand Index

Apple has ranked at the top of the 2023 FutureBrand Index, a tech-heavy list highlighting the rise of AI as brands like Nvidia, ASML, and Intel moved further up the chart.

The FutureBrand Index 2023 Global Top 10

According to FutureBrand, forward-thinking companies that prioritize technological innovation around products and services essential to people’s lives reign supreme.

The data additionally suggests that the future of brands hinges on their ability to avoid the ‘Purpose Void’ – which FutureBrand describes as “a place where an ever more informed and enquiring public relegates organizations which fail to practice what they preach – and demonstrate genuine corporate purpose through tangible impact.”

For 2023 the most notable risers on the list – including Microsoft, Unilever, Nestlé and Amazon – “are known for their ability to fulfill more fundamental human needs amid increasing levels of global uncertainty caused by climate change, international conflicts, inflation and the rise of AI.

“In a world where safety and security are scarce, brands must become beacons of progressive responsibility and purpose-based action. They need to act as ‘trust lighthouses’ that can ease people’s concerns and shine a light on a better future,” said FutureBrand Global Chief Strategy Officer Jon Tipple.

“This is especially important as many customers, from business-to-business buyers to end consumers, want to interact with organisations that put forth products and services that can make a difference in our individual lives and the world in general”.

Tech rivals Apple (No. 1) and Samsung (No. 5) share the Top 5 with business-to-business companies posing the backbone of people’s everyday lives. CATL (No. 2) is enabling the future of transport with its EV batteries, while the microchips produced by TSMC (No. 4) power everything from smartphones to AI. Finally, NextEra Energy (No. 3) develops renewable energy solutions in a world teetering on the edge of a climate crisis.

“If in the past the world’s top brands were those promoting well-intentioned, but softer sentiment through warm words, today we observe brands which marry corporate purpose with real, positive impact climbing up the ranking” Tipple added.

“They deliver reliability at a time when trust is eroding in many areas of our society. With trust in government, media and other institutions declining, companies that practise what they preach have an opportunity to gain an increasingly meaningful role in people’s lives. Our survey respondents ranked the index’s top-performing companies high in areas such as having strong principles, acting ethically, having a clear sense of the future, and inspiring change for the better.”

The newly released index focuses on 100 companies with the largest global market capitalization, as determined by PwC. The index is based on research around brand perception and includes an in-depth survey of business professionals in 15 countries.

Notable FutureBrand Index insights

FutureBrand prepared the following summary of highlights

AI investment polishes brand halo: Actively investing in emerging technologies such as AI is an essential factor driving a company’s brand perceptions success. Leading AI software and chips supplier Nvidia ranks in No. 8, while ASML, which provides equipment chipmakers use to produce AI chips, came in No. 9. Other brands forging ahead in AI also jumped up the list, including Microsoft (No. 6) and Intel (No. 22).

Consumer brands make a comeback: Over the last two years, the FutureBrand Index has tracked B2B businesses as they have marched up the Top 100. But with economic and geopolitical uncertainty persisting into this year, consumer brands have leapt back up the list. Amazon (No. 16) jumped 15 places YoY, a sign that its inflation-proof pricing models and commitment to speed and convenience are more imperative than ever before. In addition, Unilever came in No. 18 – a rise of 13 places since it was last featured in the index in 2021, and Nestlé (No. 20) returns to the Top 20 for the first time since 2015.

Corporate responsibility efforts bolster brand ranking: Overall, companies that are known for trust, respect, resource management, and dedication to their mission ranked higher on the list. Companies that displayed a corporate conscience and responsible governance resonated strongly as seen by the performance of NextEra Energy and CATL.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Coca-Cola were deemed the most valuable companies in terms of the perception of their diversity, equity, inclusivity, belonging, and accessibility (DEIB) efforts. Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft and Google ranked as the companies when it comes to implementing more circular business models.

“The FutureBrand Index points towards a truth: in order to garner high brand esteem, companies must foster agility, spearhead innovation, and embrace an unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility,” said Lynne Field, Head of Strategy at FutureBrand North America.

“In this era of corporate mistrust and consumer polarisation, the companies that remain true to their mission and deliver what they promise will win in the hearts and minds of their stakeholders.”

Notable sectors’ key insights:

Consumer Discretionary:

Information Technology:

Consumer Staples:

Energy & Utilities:

Communications Services:

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