Siegel+Gale Launches Findings from the Sixth Annual Global Brand Simplicity Index™

ALDI Tops List as World’s Simplest Global Brand for Third Year Running, while Google Tops the List in the US

NEW YORK CITY, NY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015 – Global brand strategy, design, and experience firm Siegel+Gale (www.siegelgale.com) today announced the findings of the sixth annual Global Brand Simplicity Index™ (www.simplicityindex.com). Leading discount supermarket chain ALDI topped the list as the world’s simplest brand for the third year running, while Google dominated the US rankings. The study, based on an online survey of more than 12,000 respondents across eight countries, ranks 585 brands based on their perceived simplicity.

Some of the key findings from the report this year include:

• Simplicity pays: 63 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for simpler experiences.
• Simplicity gets shared: 69 percent of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand because it’s simple.
• Simplicity outperforms: Data from the past six years shows a stock portfolio comprised of the publicly traded simplest brands in the Global Top 10 outperforms the major indexes by 214 percent.

“The Global Brand Simplicity Index has shown year after year that the benefits of simplicity remain constant,” says Howard Belk, co-CEO and chief creative officer, at Siegel+Gale. “Brands that offer simpler customer experiences are rewarded with passionate customer loyalty, more innovative employees and greater revenue. In short, embracing simplicity improves the bottom line for brands and organizations.”

Brands can scale or plummet in the rankings based on a multitude of factors, including expansion of product offerings, or improved communications. Some brand rankings have remained consistent throughout the past six years, but other brands have fluctuated.Highlights from this year’s study include:

• ALDI, Google, and Lidl stay securely in the top three spots this year, demonstrating a stalwart commitment to keeping things simple for customers.
• Bupa and AXA remain in the bottom 10 again this year—for insurance companies, achieving simplicity certainly isn’t easy.
• Dollar Shave Club takes the top spot on the US disrupters list.
• Health and beauty product purveyor Sephora drops 29 spots in the Global Index. Maintaining simplicity can’t be just skin-deep.
• Perennial high-performer McDonald’s is joined by Burger King and KFC in this year’s top ten, showing that quick service also means simple service.
• British Airways elevates an impressive 22 spots in this year’s Global Index to #46, while perennial low-flyer Ryanair remains in the bottom 10.

Global Disrupters

For the second year running Siegel+Gale asked consumers in the US and UK to evaluate regionally relevant disrupters based on the simplicity of their products, services, interactions and communications. Disrupters are emerging brands that that are changing consumer expectations and reshaping industry category definitions.

What are disrupters doing to deliver simpler customer experiences?

• Empowering people: They side-step traditional industry protocols and shift power to consumers.
• Reimagining experiences: They turn underwhelming experiences into moments of delight.
• Removing friction: They identify pain points in everyday processes, and remove them.
• Saving time: They value people’s time by providing services to them where and when they need it most.
• Providing utility: They provide services that customers find useful.

“This year’s Global Brand Simplicity Index highlights a trend to watch—emerging companies built upon simplicity are incorporating it into everything they say and do, and in the process winning customer minds, hearts, and all-important wallets,” said David Srere, co-CEO and chief strategy officer, at Siegel+Gale. “Their more established competitors should take notice.”

Delivering Simplicity

As part of this year’s study, Siegel+Gale interviewed marketing leaders and founders of brands that have consistently performed well in the index, to understand why and how they provide simpler experiences—to both employees and customers. Through interviews with Google, Dunkin’ Donuts, Gannet, CVS Health, Zappos and Southwest Airlines, it’s apparent that weaving simplicity throughout brand experience is key to success.

Simply Social

This year Siegel+Gale introduced a new section in the report, which examines how consumers use social media platforms to perform certain tasks, and the implications for brands. They found brands should:

1. Entertain before they sell: The primary reason consumers use social media is to find new sources of entertainment.
2. Get noticed, but don’t disrupt: Ads that align to a social platform’s purpose are least disruptive to consumers.
3. Explore social customer service: Consumers find it effective (though only a small percentage are using it).

The 2015 Global Brand Simplicity Index™ Top 10 Brands

1. ALDI

2. Google

3. Lidl

4. Netflix

5. McDonald’s

6. Burger King

7. IKEA

8. YouTube

9. eBay

10. KFC

To explore the full report, go to: www.simplicityindex.com.

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About the 2015 Global Brand Simplicity Index

The Siegel+Gale Global Brand Simplicity Index is a report of global brand ratings, based on an online survey of more than 12,000 consumers in eight countries who are asked to evaluate perceived points of simplicity or complexity in consumer interactions with over 585 brands across 25 industries. Each brand is rated on elements of the simplicity methodology. Siegel+Gale defines simplicity as ease of understanding, transparency, caring, innovation and usefulness of communications as well as how complex and complicated typical interactions are in relation to industry peers. The data collected is used to generate two scores: An Industry Simplicity Score™ and a Brand Simplicity Score™. The Industry Simplicity Score rates each industry on its perceived simplicity. Industries are evaluated on their contribution to making life simpler or more complex, the pain of interactions with companies within the industry and how the industry’s communications rank in terms of ease of understanding, transparency/honesty, concern for customers, innovation/freshness and usefulness. The Brand Simplicity Score rates each brand on its perceived simplicity. It evaluates each brand on the simplicity/complexity of products, services, interactions and communications in relation to industry peers. The score takes into consideration the consistency of responses, the difference between user and non-user perceptions and the simplicity score for the brand’s industry. The annual research study was first conducted in 2010.

About Siegel+Gale

Siegel+Gale (www.siegelgale.com) is the simplicity company. We seek it, defend it and embrace it in everything we do to help brands reach their true potential. Simplicity is the centerpiece of the strategies we develop that reveal the unique truths of an organization, the engaging stories we create that connect brands with their audiences and the meaningful experiences we deliver that are both unexpectedly fresh and remarkably clear. Since 1969, Siegel+Gale has championed simplicity for leading corporations, nonprofits and government organizations worldwide. We have offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai, but we’re willing to fly just about anywhere. We’re also not alone. As part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., we have strong partners all around the world.

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Contact:

Molly Muldoon

Senior PR Manager, Siegel+Gale

[email protected]

1.212.453.0491