People crave simpler brands, Siegel+Gale study reveals

Consumers crave simpler brands and are more willing to pay a premium for simpler experiences, the ninth edition of World’s Simplest Brands study, published by global brand strategy agency, Siegel+Gale, reveals.

World’s Simplest Brands ranks the leading brands on simplicity, asking more than 15,000 people across nine countries which brands and industries provide the simplest experiences.

The brands that did best in both the global and national categories tended to be those that consumers relied upon most during the pandemic. With isolation, consumers tended to shift their focus inwards, using shopping services and internet searches to bring everything to their front doors. Google, in fact, led this year’s rankings, followed by Netflix, German grocery chain, Lidl, Youtube and another Germany grocery chain, Aldi.

“The pandemic has made life harder, and World’s Simplest Brands found that people want transparent, direct, simple experiences that make their lives easier. The brands that topped this list simplified not only the consumption experience; they simplified the human experience,” says Howard Belk, co-CEO and CCO of Siegel+Gale.

The study found that 76% of people are more likely to recommend a brand that delivers simple experiences, compared to 64% in 2018, with 57% willing to pay more for simpler experiences.

“Brands throughout the world have long competed for a variety of superlatives. The rare few can count simplicity as an accolade. Now is the time for all brands and CMOs to re-examine their commitment to simplicity,” says Margaret Molloy, CMO at Siegel+Gale.

The report also showed that respondents’ answers to the question ‘has your life grown more complex during Covid-19?’ varied according to demographic and income. In the 18–34 demographic, 55% of people said their life was more complicated, whilst on the other end of the spectrum, 37% of 55–64-year-olds said life became more complex.

The income variable showed there was a divide between people who could afford to work from home, and those who either lost their jobs or were required to report to work in a challenging environment. Over half of the people interviewed that earn under $70,000 in annual income said that life had grown more complex. The numbers are inverted for people earning over $100,000 in annual income, with 51% of those surveyed saying life had become simpler for them.