100 Thieves, Arcadia & Axie Infinity make it to the Interbrand 2022 Breakthrough Brands Report

2022 Breakthrough Brands Report focused on the areas of innovation that will define the next decade – a new internet infrastructure, software solutions for the climate crisis, and high-growth challengers shaking up the healthcare system.

Interbrand launched its 2022 Breakthrough Brands Report with Web3, Climate Tech and boutique health brands set to go mainstream. The Breakthrough Brands Report reveals the 30 innovative brands that are set to disrupt the US market.

This is the 5th edition of the report. Previous years’ Breakthrough Brands have included Miro and Athletic Brewing (2021), A24 and Maven Clinic (2020), Square and Slack (2017), and Sweetgreen and Headspace (2016), all of which have seen exponential growth since being featured in Interbrand’s previous reports.

This year’s report is focused on the areas of innovation that will define the next decade – a new internet infrastructure, software solutions for the climate crisis, and high-growth challengers shaking up the healthcare system. The brands in these areas are arriving amid a paradigm shift – in research conducted by Interbrand and Vox Media, 58% of the US population believes private individuals like Elon Musk will have more impact on society over the next 10 years than scientists, politicians, or financial institutions.

Seth Rogan, Co-founder of Houseplant

Arcadia’s Community Solar Farm

Axie Infinity’s non-fungible token-based online video game

The brands included in this year’s report span a range of fast-growing industries, including celebrity-led cannabis brands (Houseplant and Monogram), women’s health (Tia and Kindbody), blockchain (Mythical Games, Bored Ape Yacht Club and MoonPay), and Climate Tech (Watershed, Arcadia and Pachama). More than 50% of 2022’s Breakthrough Brands have founders or C-suite members who are women or people of color.

Interbrand’s Breakthrough Brands 2022

The three emerging topics from this year’s Breakthrough Brands report are:

The next generation of the internet: As Web3 is coming of age, blockchain-based companies are moving into new avenues such as NFTs and decentralized autonomous organizations. Brands using blockchain technology are creating the foundation for a more decentralized internet. Polygon, Chainalysis and MoonPay are building the infrastructure to enable more consumers and businesses to use blockchain technologies.

Carbon measurement fueling accountability: The conversation around climate change is becoming more focused on measurable action for decarbonization and how we can become net-zero by 2050. Brands including Watershed, Planet Labs, and Doconomy are supporting businesses to reach their climate goals.

Rebuilding the healthcare industry: Decades of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in healthcare are being confronted by the brands that have recognized the benefits of targeting specific segments. Brands such as Folx Health, Thirty Madison, and Kindbody are reimagining the experience for different demographics that have previously been overlooked while driving accessibility and reducing costs.

Also read: Reddit and DoubleVerify partner up to provide third-party ad measurement tools

Ashish Mishra, MD, Interbrand Mumbai, said: “The future is here. The decade of possibility is seeing real action now. These Breakthrough Brands and more importantly the patterns in what they are making happen, are very useful to study for the rest of the world. Web 3 based solutions that solve real problems of the world. Climate issues that were famously all in the realm of blah now see entrepreneurs taking charge instead of relying on governments. Health care finding micro opportunities to answer its new-found primacy. With a few of Cannabis based solutions thrown in!”

Daniel Binns, CEO, Interbrand New York, said: “After another year with many uncertainties being faced by businesses, we see genuine hope in so many innovative brands emerging across a range of sectors. We’re expecting to see these brands continue to achieve impressive growth and become key disruptors within the US market.”

Interbrand partnered with Infegy Atlas, Vox Media, and Circus.

Interbrand’s Breakthrough Brands 2022:

100 Thieves - Esports hype brand
Arcadia - API-based energy measurement
Axie Infinity - Play-to-earn gaming
Boom Supersonic - Bringing back supersonic flight Bored Ape Yacht Club - Blockbuster NFT community Chainalysis - Blockchain compliance
Daring Foods - Plant-based chicken
Doconomy - Financially incentivized decarbonization Eat Just - High fidelity vegan eggs
Figment - Blockchain infrastructure and services
Folx Health - Healthcare for LGBTQIA+
Houseplant - Mid-century cannabis lifestyle products
JuneShine - Hard kombucha
Kindbody - End-to-end fertility care
Masterworks - Art investment platform
Monogram - Jay-Z’s cannabis brand
MoonPay - Payments infrastructure for crypto
Mythical Games - Blockchain-based gaming studio
Nomi Health - Streamlining healthcare operations
OpenSea - NFT marketplace
Pachama - Forest-centric carbon accounting
PARK - Social impact sports brand
Planet Labs - Satellite imaging to track climate change
Polygon - Ethereum scaling infrastructure
Thirty Madison - House of brands focused on chronic conditions
Tia - Holistic and digital-first women’s healthcare
Too Good To Go - Creating a circular food economy
Watershed - Holistic carbon measurement for businesses
Whatnot - Livestream auctions
YouthForia - TikTok approved clean beauty

Methodology

Interbrand’s 2022 Breakthrough Brands is the result of a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation of today’s most progressive and innovative brands. The list is composed of 30 brands that best exemplify our tenets of brand growth: understanding human truths, creating exceptional brand experiences, and delivering superior business results.

Our selection process involved analyzing over 300 brands gathered by both internal (across Interbrand Global offices) and external nominations (utilizing a submission form on our website and direct messages on our social media accounts). Candidates had to have a significant US presence and were selected based on their perceived disruption of cultural or category norms, ability to draw media attention, and financial growth. Inputs to the analytical model included: brand audits conducted by Interbrand analysts across disciplines, social media data gathered in partnership with Infegy Atlas (a social media listening company) as well as Relative Insight (digital footprint analysis tool), and key insights from Vox Media (a global independent media company) and the Circus (an insight and data consultancy).

To evaluate the “Brand Experiences” metric, audits were conducted by 30+ cross-discipline Interbrand staff, determining the brand’s ability to execute a holistic and innovative brand experience that includes visual and verbal identity, user interface design, buying experience, and more. Multi-sensory audits were shared with all voting members.

In addition to the Love and Trust metrics from the 2021 Breakthrough Brands report, we increased the number of “Human Truths” metrics to five by including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), Accessibility, and Sustainability this year. We partnered with Infegy Atlas to examine the combination of key performance indicators of companies and their year-over year comparison in the share of total volume and year-over-year growth. To deepen our understanding of customer shifts, we partnered with Vox Media and Circus to conduct a custom quantitative study which was in field in May 2022.