Samsung tops Landor's first-ever Agile Brand report

Samsung took the top spot in the Landor Global Agile Brand Study, beating Apple, a company with a reputation for being an innovative leader in technology, which ranked sixth.Rounding out, the top five are Dyson, Google, Wikipedia, and Android. Three Alphabet brands made the list: Android (No. 2), Google (No. 4), and YouTube (No. 7). The final three in the top 10 were Microsoft, Ikea, and Disney.Brand strategy and design firm Landor released the results of its first-ever Global Agile Brand Study, which ranks global brands on their agility.According to Landor, brand agility is an indicator of brand strength and financial success. The six traits for brand agility as identified by Landor include being principled, adaptive, responsible, multichannel, global, and open.Nick Foley, president of Landor for the Southeast Asia Pacific and Japan region, pointed out that while a global, networked and dynamic economy offers many opportunities, it may leave businesses exposed to new forms of threat.However, if brands are willing to fundamentally reassess who they are, and what the consumer really needs, they can prosper - or better still invent entirely new products and services that deposition traditional competition.Foley said: "These agile brands have each proven to be highly adept at constantly innovating whilst holding true to a consistent brand promise. Each has successfully managed to control two key drivers, first of all they are leading which means they remain current and display vision.Secondly, they are true, which translates as maintaining authenticity and an innate desire to lead in their category or industry.”The 10 brands selected exemplify agility by consistently demonstrating these six traits in a range of market behaviors, from product development to advertising to customer interaction, according to the report. Each brand has reportedly mastered all six behaviors, but uses them in different measures, depending on their business, market, and target audiences.Here are the rankings and what the report says about these brands:1. SamsungThe technology company and producer of mobile phones leads the industry with new innovations such as the 3-D TV and curved TVs. Samsung also lives its mission to make the world a better place through technological innovation not only through TVs, computers, and smartphones, but also through applications.2. AndroidWhether designing operating systems or entering the wearable tech space, Android remains true to its tagline: Be together. Not the same. The company attracted a diverse group of users by allowing them to customize their Android experience to fit their own personal preferences.3. WikipediaAvailable in more than 291 languages and visited by more than 440 million users a month, it’s open to the extreme, with its users actually creating and monitoring the product.4. GoogleThis tech company, Alphabet’s second brand to make the list, leads the online search engine field, surpassing its competitors Bing and Yahoo. Google is also making a mark off the Internet with new products such as Google Glass and self-driving cars.5. DysonStarting out as one man trying to improve a vacuum cleaner, Dyson is now a global powerhouse with 1,000 engineers worldwide, boasting products synonymous with high quality, sleek modern design. The company also remains dedicated to innovation, pledging to invest one billion pounds to develop 100 new products over the next four years.6. AppleIt has set the standard in music, telecommunications, and the retail experience. Now it’s encouraging its consumers to embrace their creativity with its 'Shot on iPhone6' campaign.7 . YouTubeNaturally agile because it consists of user-generated content, the platform is now expanding into hosting content that YouTube originates and creates.8. MicrosoftBecause it’s able to adapt to consumer demands, this technology company has remained relevant and continues to lead the field despite product issues. When Windows 8 failed, Microsoft promised that Windows 9 would be an improvement. With negative reactions to Internet Explorer, the company announced it would discontinue the browser and develop a new one to compete with Chrome and Firefox.9. IkeaThis furniture and home décor giant offers different products and services depending on the region—larger furniture in the United States and cash-on-delivery payment in Russia. It introduced a new kitchen range, Metod, which can be customized to fit any space and has begun to sell solar paneling.10. DisneyThrough movies like Frozen and its many theme parks, Disney has remained committed to its brand promise of delivering magical family experiences. Now with new technology and apps such as the wearable MagicBand and the MyMagic+ app, consumers can create the ultimate Disney experience."For proof, you only need to think of what Airbnb has done to the hospitality industry or what Uber has achieved against the established taxi industry," Foley added.“Economic uncertainty, increased customer expectation, the fight for talent, disruptive technologies and game-changing market entrants are just some of the factors that make brand management an increasingly challenging business.”