WHY SIMPLICITY

Since 2009, a stock portfolio comprised of the publicly traded simplest brands in our Global Top Ten has outperformed the major indexes.

214%

How much a portfolio of the world's simplest brands has beaten the average global stock index since 2009

69%

The percentage of consumers who are more likely to recommend a brand because it provides simpler experiences and communications

63%

The percentage of consumers willing to pay more for simpler experiences

BRAND ON THE MOVE


Perennially simple

Aldi, Google and Lidl stay securely in the top three spots this year, demonstrating a stalwart commitment to keeping things simple for customers.

Consistently complex

Bupa and AXA remain in the bottom 10 again this year—for insurance companies, achieving simplicity certainly isn’t easy.

Featured Disrupter

Dollar Shave Club takes the top spot on our US disrupters list. It appears a high-quality product and hassle-free delivery gives this band a serious edge.

About face

Health and beauty product purveyor Sephora drops 29 spots in the Global Index. Maintaining simplicity can’t be just skin–deep.

Feeding frenzy

Perennial high-performer McDonald's is joined by Burger King and KFC in this year’ top ten, showing that quick service also means simple service.

Taking off

British Airways elevates an impressive 22 spots in this year’s Global Index to #46, while perennial low–flyer Ryan Air remains in the bottom 10.

SIMPLY SOCIAL

If branding is the sum of a customer's experience with an organization, then every touchpoint and channel is an opportunity to deliver a powerful brand experience.

As part of this year's Simplicity Index, we examined how consumers use social media platforms to perform five key tasks:

  • Connecting with friends, family and co-workers
  • Learn about brands, products and services
  • Staying up to date on the news
  • Engaging customer service
  • Finding sources of entertainment

We then uncovered how simple it was for them to accomplish these activities on each platform.

Why people use social

Respondents indicated that that connecting with friends and family is the primary motivator for using social, while engaging brands for customer service is last. Given how closely usage and simplicity track, if people find a given task is simple to perform via social media, they are then much more likely to use social media platforms to perform that task.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

For even more insights into the intersection of social media and simplicity, download the full report