Consumers identified fifty brands that deserved innovation recognition in the 2022 Most Innovative Brands survey, conducted by Brand Keys, Inc., a New York-based brand loyalty and engagement consultancy.
“The 11th annual survey is the only assessment of brand innovation conducted entirely from a consumer perspective,” said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president. “When it comes to innovation, consumers are the ultimate jury. Their expectations are constantly on the rise and true innovation takes place within that framework. Expectation is the gateway to innovation.”
Consumers identified nine food brands as this year’s innovation leaders. “It really doesn’t matter to consumers how many promises are made on earnings calls or patents a brand holds or the profits they post,” said Passikoff. “Consumers don’t look at innovation that way.” When it comes to the food category, innovation provides social and cultural opportunities for brands to expand into new markets and helps to shape and evolve consumer shopping habits.
While consumers can’t always articulate what form they want innovation to take, if a brand accurately measures how consumers look at their category and what they really expect, they’ll have a big advantage over the competition. This year food brands, ranked for innovation acumen, included:
- Beyond Meat
- Pringles (Kellogg’s)
- Doritos (Pepsico)
- Impossible Foods
- Coca-Cola
- Starbucks
- Trader Joe’s
- Oatly
- Amy’s Kitchen
Other food brands that consumers identified as innovative but which did not rank in the top 50 this year included Chobani, Pepsi, PURIS, Sweetgreen, and Tyson.
“Consumers recognize innovation when they see it. More importantly when they feel it, which is what meeting expectations is about,” noted Passikoff. “That’s why the consumer perspective is so very important. Brands that want their innovation to engage need to be better primed to categorically meet expectations, [because] that’s what consumers expect."
