There is nothing we love more than seeing brands break rules, challenge the status quo and be rewarded for it. And just when you think there wasn’t room for another industry to be disrupted, think again!

Interbrand’s AU + NZ Breakthrough Brands Report 2022 is here and if you needed the ammo to think outside your category norms, this one is for you! These brands are not only just surviving in the current climate, they are thriving! 💪

👾 Immutable – With a mission to “make digital worlds real” they are the fastest Australian company to reach unicorn status! They are at the forefront of facilitating the rise of pay-to-earn, Web3* gaming through the trading of non-fungible tokens (NFT’s). In a response to environmental concerns around crypto mining, they are also focusing on operating in a carbon neutral environment - a win-win!

* Web3 is the new, decentralised version of the internet where you can browse the internet without any intrusion into your privacy or control from third-party internet service providers e.g. Google of Facebook.

📮Sendle – Making parcels purposeful and removing the friction of physical delivery has taken this disruptor international. They are also the first delivery service to offer fully carbon neutral deliveries. Their sustainability mindset has seen them reap the rewards even after they hit their peak in lockdown.

🏡Mable – They provide a new way to receive flexible care with Australia’s largest support worker community. They speak and act like a category leader, offering both support workers and customers more freedom, control, and connection. They’ll tug on your heartstrings too, with stories about customers matching with support workers who share interests, like music, hiking, dance, and language.

🌲Unyoked – Self-described as a ‘nature company’, not just a brand, Unyoked is creating a movement. They have taken the tourism sector by storm with their unique business model. So much more than eco cabins, they’re selling the benefits of time in nature by encouraging customers to “start their own nature practice”, offering writers residency’s and sending musicians into the outdoors. And after spending far too much time indoors, this is a welcomed sigh of relief.

🚴UBCO – Tried and tested on New Zealand’s diverse landscape, UBCO is the world’s most accessible electric bike. With a clear vision to “power your purpose” they are agile and powerful enough to suit a variety of uses. Using a circular economy mindset, they are embracing a subscription model, putting the bikes to their best use, based on their condition.

A quick shout out to the ones to watch 👀

🩸Ovira – Finally, a sonic device that provides instant, drug-free period pain relief! But why stop there? They are also part of a cultural push to authentically educate the public about living with a uterus and speak frankly instead of avoiding traditionally taboo topics.

🚙Fellten – Focusing on vehicle conversion kits, Fellten is the largest electric vehicle (EV) conversion manufacturer in the world. They design, develop and manufacture bolt-in electric vehicle kits, disrupting the EV market by creating circular EV’s by enabling any car in the future to be converted.

💸Beem – A platform where you can pay for anything, using a mix of points, crypto and cash. Evolving and expanding beyond their traditional ‘transaction’ remit they’re moving from a digital wallet to a lifestyle brand.

Interbrand highlights the common theme amongst these game changers as: brands as acts of leadership. They not only solve problems for consumers but combine this with a meaningful purpose, acting with bold integrity and doing the right thing. They are authentic to a fault. They enable us to thrive in one way or another, by going past lip service or a tagline.

To keep up the momentum, and allow more local heroes to break through, brands (and their leaders), need the courage to think big and act authentically in the name of their principles.

After all, fortune favours brave brands 🔮

Read more about these challenger brands here, or if you are keen to read more about Interbrand’s Top Global Brands, check out our blog post here.

Sources:
* Interbrand AU + NZ Breakthrough Brands Report 2022