Siegel+Gale Launches ‘World’s Simplest Brands’ Tenth Edition

Siegel+Gale, the global brand experience firm - known as The Simplicity Company - has today announced its World's Simplest Brands Tenth Edition (WSBX). WSBX ranks the leading brands on simplicity, asking more than 15,000 people across nine countries which brands and industries provide the simplest experiences.

According to the research, 64% of people are willing to pay more for simpler brand experiences, and 78% of people are more likely to recommend a brand for its simpler experiences and communications.

Brand complexity costs, resulting in $780 billion of total annual unrealised revenue among the global brands surveyed. Furthermore, since 2009, the publicly traded simplest brands consistently outperform the average global stock index by 1,600%. 

WSBX results in the United Kingdom indicate that, since the covid-19 pandemic, consumers prioritise brands that deliver on the promise of simplicity, both in the experience of the brand and the simplification or streamlining of services the brand provides.

Top 10 World’s Simplest Brands: Global and UK

From where they shop to the way they communicate, people put a premium on experiences that are easy to understand; transparent and honest; caring for and meeting their needs; innovative and fresh; and useful. In short, simple.

Philip Davies, Siegel+Gale EMEA president, “This year’s survey again goes to show that from finance to fashion to food, those that are prepared to go the extra mile and remove complexity and friction from how their brands are consumed and experienced, simplicity is their secret weapon. As perennial performers in the survey, both Lidl and Aldi do simplicity well, without being basic. Stock is available. Sale items are on the shelves - not just in adverts. And the utilitarian store environments scream ‘We’re not splashing on our stores; we’re lowering your prices’. Also, both do ‘little’ surprises routinely, especially at holiday times, like super cheap laptops, that people just don’t expect.”

Additional key learnings:

• Consumers perceive brands' DEI and ESG communications as complex: Understanding maxes out at 37% and 42%, respectively.
• Industry scores signal continued desire to shake isolation: Restaurant, hotel, and travel booking industries had significant rises globally
• Post-covid streaming takes a hit: Several streaming/video-on-demand brands (e.g., Netflix, Disney+, Hulu,) have fallen in rankings given new account sharing restrictions for users as well as increasing options for providers.
• X (Twitter) is most complex: Social media brands have fallen in rankings both globally and domestically and Twitter now ranks as the most complex brand in the US.

Ben Osborne, head of insights at Siegel+Gale EMEA, comments, “Despite recent negative press, Royal Mail is in the top 10 of our data due to its strong brand recognition – it’s instantly identifiable, and clearly understood, even to non-users. Ultimately, Royal Mail’s consistency as a brand, even during turbulent times, has earned its spot as a frontrunner.”

Since the first edition of World’s Simplest Brands was released in 2010 there has been a considerable shift in how consumers perceive simplicity. Whilst mainstream supermarkets Asda and Sainsburys once topped the leader board, it is now the brands that offer the best value for money that are perceived as the World’s Simplest.

To browse the full rankings by country and industry, visit here.