The best breakthrough brands of 2023

Interbrand, the world's leading brand consultancy, has launched its 2023 Breakthrough Brands report which names the top 30 innovative brands that are emerging to disrupt the global landscape. The report includes OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, Neko Health, an AI health scanning concept from Spotify's co-founder, Fishwife, an elevated take on tinned fish, and Betterhalf, an Indian matrimony app.

Andrew Miller, Chief Growth Officer at Interbrand, decided to put a microscope on the report and underline some of this year's Breakthrough Brands and how such bold startups have been able to break through such a crowded marketplace.

In an era when the global brand landscape is more crowded than ever, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for brands to break through. New brands need to stand apart from both established players and other startups vying for position. Interbrand’s annual Breakthrough Brands report highlights those we believe are on a trajectory to become major players.

Now in our sixth edition, some of our past Breakthrough Brands winners have become big names at a rapid rate. First-edition Breakthrough Brand, Headspace, launched ahead of massive growth in the mental health and wellness space, growing from $40m in funding in 2016 to $216m today. Among other Breakthrough Brands alumni is Slack, a leading coworking hub for teams and networking. Following its boom during the COVID-19 pandemic, Slack was acquired for $27.7bn by Salesforce in 2021.

With the Women’s World Cup in full swing, a worthy mention goes to alcohol-free craft beer Athletic Brewing, a 2021 Breakthrough Brand. Manchester City and England Squad goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck has been named the brand’s new ambassador. As part of this partnership, Athletic Brewing has committed to donating 100% of profits from its newest release to Women in Sport, a charity that supports women and girls in sport in the UK. By the end of 2022, Athletic Brewing made up almost half of all non-alcoholic craft beer sales in the US.

In the 2023 Breakthrough Brands edition, we shared 30 brands that are challenging norms and poised for success. These brands not only know who their customers are – one of the fundamental rules of branding – but they also know their brand. Being able to articulate their brand’s mission, convictions and capabilities allow them to make iconic moves that set them apart from the competition.

Arena Thinking

We believe that the most powerful brands have vast potential to expand, leaping far beyond the narrow limits of their industry. They don’t think in terms of traditional sectors; they instead focus on the core human needs they serve – from taste to movement to self-expression – connecting with consumers more broadly. We categorise these needs as Arenas, Interbrand’s powerful engine behind exponential brand growth. In the report we aligned each winner to the Arena at its core. By starting with an authentic mission, these businesses have created a brand which will allow them to grow into multiple Arenas.

As society and culture changes – through new modes of purchasing in the metaverse (Obsess), learning through AI (OpenAI), electric mobility (CAKE, HiPhi) or disruptive financing (Bilt) – Breakthrough Brands rise to meet these new consumer needs with distinctive identities and clearly defined missions.

Three Standout 2023 Breakthrough Brands

At the Breakthrough Brands’ launch event held in New York, it was my privilege to interview three founders from this year’s report – all female CEOs of their respective companies. Notably, over 50% of this year’s Breakthrough Brands have female or POC individuals among their top executives. One thing that struck me during the panel discussion was that each founder has a strong personal story as to why they created their company. Their stories were genuine and powerful, and this resonates through how each brand is expressed.

Sauces that Blend East and West

Jing Gao is the founder of Fly By Jing, a Taste Arena powerhouse (this Arena encompasses brands that help consumers discover new flavours and nourish themselves), who is redefining what it means to be a Chinese food brand while bringing bold flavours to a wider audience.

Gao founded Fly by Jing in 2018 after she’d been inspired by the rich flavours of her hometown Chengdu, and wanted to share these tastes with the unfamiliar American audience. But there is a story behind the story – one of finding her voice and identity, and the struggle to persuade investors that there was value in premium quality Chinese condiments being sold at a premium price.

Startup founders and CEOs must be dedicated and hardworking, but combining this with a true passion and belief allows some brands to rise to the top. This passion was Fly by Jing’s fuel – originally a kick-starter and only DTC, its products are now available in more than 4,000 stores and the company is seeing triple digit growth year on year.

Immersive E-Commerce Explosion

Neha Singh, founder and CEO of Obsess, an experiential e-commerce platform that slots into the Explore Arena – an Arena that includes brands that help consumers discover new places – has a unique success story. Singh’s background in engineering at Google and product strategy at Vogue makes for an intriguing combination of roles that drove her to start her own company, Obsess.

The name came from staff at Vogue who would commonly say they were “obsessed” with something. She loved their enthusiasm, and knew it was the right name for her company.  She saw that brands and retailers alike were having a difficult time translating the interactive experience of physical stores into digital environments. The limitations of e-commerce meant the result was often formulaic and monotonous.

Like Gao, Singh had similar hurdles to combat. Being a POC and female made it harder to secure investors for her company despite her rich experience and vision. But perseverance has its rewards, with Obsess now featuring over 200 virtual storefronts with brand partners from the likes of Prada, Dior and Ralph Lauren to NBC Universal and J&J.

Craft Beer, Reimagined

For those living in Brooklyn, Talea is a regular name in the craft beer space. With beers available across mass retailers and their taprooms, this Taste brand has quickly become a community favourite. Leanne Darland and Tara Hankinson are the two founders (yes, Talea is a combination of their names) and Darland’s goal was to create a beer for non-beer bros.

Her previous jobs included being a signals intelligence officer in the US Navy, Finance Manager at Google and then Head of Finance at Hops – a journey that saw her meet Hankinson and for them both to realise they had a passion for beer and a dream to create beer and spaces that welcomed and encouraged new consumers to taste, enjoy and come together.

Trying to raise funds for their venture was incredibly hard – two women in a male dominated industry, combined with the pressures of real estate was a struggle. But as Darland describes, you sometimes have to get scrappy to achieve your dreams. They are now expanding into Manhattan and continually bringing out playful and exciting flavours.

Know Your Brand

Talea, Obsess and Fly by Jing have strong brand identities and an authentic mission that shines through. This is driven by the founders and their deeply personal connection with the brand and what it is trying to achieve. These are just three of the many unique founding stories that accompany this year’s Breakthrough Brands.

There has never been a more crucial time for brands to have a deep understanding of their identity, values and unique positioning in the market. It is through this understanding that they can craft compelling narratives, build authentic connections with their audience and ultimately thrive in the face of fierce competition – crucial elements that are common to the 2023 Breakthrough Brands.