Wunderman Thompson launched Inspiring Growth, a new global brand study

Wunderman Thompson launched Inspiring Growth – a first-of-its-kind study that reveals why brands need to be inspirational, how inspiration drives growth and what brands can do to inspire their customers

The rigorous three-phased study involved academic research, a proprietary BrandZ™ data set studying over 33,000 brands in 183 categories across 45 markets over the past six years and a survey of 4,000 respondents, to identify the qualities a brand must embody, the stories it should tell and the experiences it can design in order to inspire people.

It finds that while brands may be inspiring, they are not doing enough. Customers want brands to be inspirational (72%), but only 53% experience brand inspiration, presenting a significant ‘inspiration gap’ that offers major growth opportunities for brands.

The study reveals two ways in which inspiration can drive brand growth; growing market share faster and charging a premium for products and services. Inspiration predicts 63% of a brand’s ability to drive demand, 52% of brands’ ability to command higher prices, and 48% of brands’ ability to convert customers at the point of purchase.

Growth is not just determined by whether people think of brands or their value, but also by what they think of them. While awareness is always an important goal, the study proves that inspiration is a far better predictor of growth and ultimately, the next stage of the marketing evolution.

Mel Edwards, Global CEO, Wunderman Thompson, said:

“The launch of the study comes at a hugely significant time. Our mission is to inspire growth for ambitious brands, it’s at the heart of our business and this could not be more relevant today. Brands face immense challenges to grow amongst the economic downturn effects of the pandemic. However, amongst a backdrop of uncertainty, our Inspiring Growth study unearths the power of inspiration as a strategy for growth, presenting a significant opportunity for brands that perhaps was once overlooked.”

As part of the study, Wunderman Thompson developed a proprietary diagnostic tool, the Inspire Score, that ranks the top 100 inspiring brands in the world today, as well as the top brands in more than 45 markets globally. Each year this ranking will be updated to track and analyse the brands that are best at inspiring their customers. This year, Amazon leads, motivating millions of people across the world to think differently as they discover and experience new products and services. Followed by Samsung and Apple respectively, both successful at connecting people to new things and elevating people’s lives to be better. 

Richard Dunn, EMEA Chief Strategy Officer and co-creator of Inspiring Growth, Wunderman Thompson said:

“The Inspire Score has proven to be an excellent predictor of growth and while small brands have a lot to gain from growing theirs, big brands have a lot to lose from letting theirs fall. In today’s volatile climate, the study proves that brands can ignite change, making people see new possibilities and compelling them to act on new ideas and perspectives, creating experiences that resonate with a person’s values and motivating people to reach their personal goals. As a result, consumers adopt new behaviours that make them feel good about themselves.”

Key insights from the report include:

• A brand’s category has a strong effect on inspiration, with technology brands performing extremely well and financials under-represented.
• There is a significant difference between categories and regions. Brazilians are most inspired by brands; while people in the United Kingdom, are the least.
• Brands have been most successful at being Motivating, helping them “discover new things” and “bring new ideas/suggestions.”
• Between categories, brands inspire in different ways. Technology brands tend to inspire by broadening horizons. Retail brands score relatively high on helping people discover new things, while personal care brands do well in creating inspirational experiences.
• Consumers in China and Brazil are more likely to experience a shift in behaviour or attitude as a result of brand inspiration.
• Mission and brand behaviour are important sources of inspiration.

WT Inspire is a global research initiative that uncovers a never-before-identified connection between brand growth and human inspiration. Putting inspiration at the heart of everything we do, we have designed a suite of services rooted in consumer data that empowers brands to inspire customers to react in new ways, and in turn build better business.