Inspire Score 2022

Wunderman Thompson reveals ‘The Inspire Score: Top 100 2022’, a ranking of the Top 100 Most Inspiring Brands in the World today. Now in its third year, the Inspire Score is Wunderman Thompson’s proprietary diagnostic tool which measures a brand’s inspiration status and uncovers the brand attributes that fuel business growth through their ability to inspire people.

The ‘Inspire Score: Top 100’ was first launched in 2020 as part of Wunderman Thompson’s global brand study, Inspiring Growth, the world’s largest ongoing study into inspiration, which explores why brands need to be inspirational, how inspiration drives growth and what brands can do to inspire their customers. The annual list of Top 100 Most Inspiring Brands in the World tracks and analyses the brands that are best at inspiring their customers, revealing how inspiration affects a brand’s ability to drive growth in market share and command a price premium. The 2022 ranking is derived from WPP's proprietary BAV dataset, with the 2021-22 data compiled from over 85,000 studies of 19,000 brands in 722 categories and 26 markets.

As the world’s foremost researcher on inspiration, we have again proven that there is a strong correlation between inspiration and brand growth. The brands at the top of our list have shifted with the zeitgeist and placed themselves at the centre of people’s lives, perfectly positioning themselves to take advantage of inspiration as a powerful lever for growth.

Mel Edwards

Global Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson

Key insights from the study include:

Social media brands have strong gains with TikTok making the top 100 for the first time this year. Their role in animating people’s lives and social interactions (physical as well as virtual) continues as life opens up.
Netflix is once again a strong riser and is now in the Top 20, and Disney+ is a new entrant in the Top 100.
Perhaps because life is becoming a bit more spontaneous beer, spirits and treats have all risen. In contrast, categories that did well during COVID are now less inspiring: personal care, beauty, coffee shops and CPG food brands have lower inspiration momentum than they did in 2021.

This year’s Inspire Score has taught us that a brand’s inspiration status – and so propensity to grow – is highly dynamic. As the focus of people’s lives change, so may the things that inspire them. This reminds us that there is everything to play for when it comes to inspiration – these are metrics that brands can impact, thereby moving the needle on growth.