according to brand strategy and design firm Landor’s first-ever Australian Agile Brand Study, Brands need to stand for something but be prepared to adapt to change in order to be agile in today’s market.
The Global Agile Brand Study process is a result of a multi-phase approach, starting with analysis from Landor’s proprietary BrandAssetValuator (BAV), the world’s largest database of consumer brand perception data, to determine an initial list of brands.
High BAV brand strength scores show consistently better financial returns than market average over time, even during periods of financial instability.
Landor found that the strongest brands scored high on agility, the balance of two key drivers: leading (being up to date and visionary) and true (being authentic and best in class).
According to Landor’s executive director of strategy, Simon Bell, agility is the presents an interesting paradox for brands: “You can’t just be innovative in itself, you need to be true and authentic in your brand…brands need to remain true to what they stand for and never stand still.”
The study ranked brands by six characteristics of agility: principled, adaptive, responsible, multi-channel, global, and open. The 10 brands exemplify agility by consistently demonstrating these six traits in a range of market behaviors, from product development to advertising to customer interaction.
Each brand has mastered all six behaviors, but uses them in different measures, depending on their business, market, and target audiences.
The top ten Aussie brands for agility were:
- Dyson
- Samsung
- Toyota
- BBC
- Mastercard
- Telstra
- Commbank
- Dominos
Bell argued that CommBank was the most agile of Australia’s top banks: “it feels like a very forward brand, it is always trying to do something using new technology.”
Dominos, one of the stranger inclusions in the list, is included because it is consistently innovating in the company’s use of mobile apps and technology.
“It’s interesting to note what we call the ‘agility paradox.’ Top-rated brands that are both lucrative and loved need to stand for something, yet not stand still—it’s the battle between having consistent values and driving rapid change,” said Lois Jacobs, chief executive officer at Landor.
