Top 10 brands a decade on: How Disney and Samsung outflanked Boeing and Volkswagen

Samsung, Apple, NIke, Disney and Indian conglomerate Reliance are among the leading brands in a new survey looking at long term brand performance. 

In its 10th anniversary, the FutureBrand Index 2024 looks beyond the episodic drama of year-on-year changes, to take a long term view of a decade in brand. 

The FutureBrand Index evaluates an organisation's performance based on brand. It reorders the PwC list of Top 100 Companies by market cap, assessing each organisation for brand strength by measuring against 18 key attributes focused on ‘experience’ and ‘purpose’.

Analysing 10 years’ worth of data and insight, this year’s Index reveals that the last decade has been a golden era for bands. 

'Significant strides in performance and consumer perception'

Jon Tipple, FutureBrand’s Chief Strategy Officer puts this down to being consistently consistent: “What we’re seeing is not a fluke, but the result of consistently smart brand stewardship. It’s a deliberate approach that places brand perception at the core of leadership priorities, transforming it into a strategic lever for long-term business success.”

The report found that on average, the leading brands have made significant strides in performance and consumer perception in the past decade, reflecting smoother, more reliable brand experiences for today’s consumers. 

Key areas like ‘consistency’ and ‘seamlessness’, two of the 18 attributes measured in the FBi, have seen notable growth.

The criteria of ‘seamlessness’ jumped from 22% in 2014 to 34% in 2024, while ‘consistency’ surged from 25% to 36%. Respect also saw a sharp rise, climbing from 22% to 34%, highlighting a stronger focus on customer satisfaction and well-being. 

However, the average 'personality' score has dropped from 36% in 2022 to 33% in 2024. Similarly, 'story' and 'attachment' experienced modest drops. This suggests that while brands have excelled in many areas, maintaining a unique and engaging narrative remains challenging. 

'Hitting the right notes'

Jon Tipple continues: “As strong as the overall brand gains have been over the last decade, maintaining a unique personality and compelling story is still a challenge. We are seeing that, in the pursuit of seamlessness and consistency, some brands have lost their unique distinctive voice. In the ongoing battle to stay top-of-mind in an increasingly fast-paced world, those brands that continue to evolve with creativity and purpose will set themselves apart in the next decade.

“It’s clear that excelling in just one area is no longer enough. To succeed, brands must deliver consistently on multiple attributes across purpose and experience. Lean too heavily into consistency, and you risk becoming mundane. Focus too much on individuality, and you may lack the operational delivery that today’s consumers expect. We know people want to connect emotionally with brands and with that comes a demand for companies that are genuine, forward-thinking, and impactful. The real key to long-term success lies in balance - hitting the right notes across the entire spectrum, or 18 attributes, of brand perception.” 

A cautionary tale

The Index also reveals that the organisations that have sustained investment and truly embodied their brand, delivering consistently and without compromise, have realised their vision and achieved future brand status, most notably Apple, Disney and Samsung.  Aligning strategic leadership with purpose and experience, these brands have achieved the twin successes of strengthening their appeal to consumers while attracting top talent. 

Conversely, the behaviour of once iconic brands like Boeing and Volkswagen, ranked highly in 2014 and now dropped out of the 2024 FBI altogether, is a cautionary tale: brands that fail to deliver on the core values they have built their business on face severe reputational damage and loss of consumer trust.

Finally, Tipple concludes “It is particularly fascinating to see how organisations have weathered the storms of the last decade from global economic downturn, and once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.

“What shines through is that brands with a clear, purpose-driven approach—those that stay true to their values even under pressure—are the ones that thrive. Brands that compromise on values, mission, innovation or otherwise face reputational damage.  The small, daily decisions that fail to align with your brand gradually accumulate and eventually leave it devalued and meaningless. The lesson for CMOs is simple: compromise your purpose, and you compromise your future."

A unique brand perception study, FutureBrand works with its global research partner, QRi to harness the viewpoint of informed professionals. Download the full report here. 

The story originally appeared on Campaign's sister publication Performance Marketing World.