Paytm, Zomato are 'Breakthrough Brands', says Interbrand Breakthrough Brands Report 2016

The global brand consultancy firm Interbrand has released its Interbrand Breakthrough Brands Report 2016. Titled 'Future Growth', the Report has taken into account start-ups and brand-driven emerging companies which are 10 years old or younger, and have a unique business model or idea, as well as a strong brand.

The Report, which was launched on July 27 in partnership with Facebook, Ready Set Rocket, and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is meant to complement Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands Report, now in its 17th year.

The Interbrand Breakthrough Brands Report 2016 features two Indian start-ups - the food discovery platform Zomato in the Food and Beverage category, and the mobile commerce platform Paytm in the Growing Global: Breaking Borders category. Of the 200 brands nominated, 60 have been featured in the Report, grouped under various categories and sub-categories.

In order to identify a global list of 'Breakthrough Brands' across industries, the report-making process entailed seeking the opinion of an international collective of influencers who are passionate about finding, spotlighting, and fuelling emerging brands. The brands featured in the Report have been nominated by this network of chosen influencers, who are leaders in their fields, and who have demonstrated a discerning, forward-thinking perspective on the brand space.

The selection process involved a team of in-house analysts having researched each brand in detail, aggregating all available information about their histories, business models, media mentions, and growth. Taking this information as a whole, the analysts synthesised key themes and categories and placed the brands that best reflect each therein. The Report is designed to serve as a cross-section of future growth in the brand space and a curated collection of the most exciting new brands from around the globe.

The criteria and methodology involved the following parameters to be considered:

Age: Is the brand 10 years, or younger?

Change: Is the brand driving change by responding to a unique marketplace need, generating a new experience for consumers, disrupting an industry, adopting a new business model, or developing a new technology?

Growth: Is the brand demonstrating its ability to grow? Is it operating as a successful business? Is it stretching into new product or service categories? Is it stretching into new geographies? Is it attracting top talent?

Buzz: Is the brand grabbing attention and gaining momentum?

"While it is certainly true that exciting start-ups abound, Interbrand and its partners have decided to put the spotlight on those organisations that have strong business models and strong brands. From their earliest days, the 'Breakthrough Brands' have been focussed on managing their brands and delivering integrated experiences to their customers. We believe such efforts leave them well-poised to achieve significant growth in the months and years ahead," notes Jez Frampton, global CEO, Interbrand.

Ashish Mishra, managing director, Interbrand India, adds, "In this 'Age of You', brands are being used by people to design better experiences in their day-to-day lives. Conventional brands, therefore, must move to keep pace. The 'Breakthrough Brands' are born into the new cognitive era and are unencumbered. They can, therefore, create bespoke experiences as per people's needs and desires with a clear purpose to provide solutions through a sustainable business model."

According to Mishra, the task is not so much technology-based, but more solution-focussed. "All the regular tools of running a good business need to be put in place - a scalable resource plan with internal clarity, responsiveness, and governance models, external differentiation to ward off imitability, and consistency during scale up operations. The stronger the solution and its focus, the better will be the media buzz. These are the decisive promotional vehicles for today's 'Breakthrough Brands'," says Mishra.

Interbrand, a global brand agency, is part of the Omnicom Group Inc. which publishes the Best Global Brands ranking report.

View the full Report here