MAM
Interbrand unveils top 30 brands set to revolutionise the US market
Mumbai: Global brand consultancy Interbrand launched its Breakthrough Brands 2021 report unveiling the top 30 brands set to take the US market by storm in the coming decade.
From mobile banking developed specifically for Black and Latinx customers to secure messaging services and plant-derived product coatings, Interbrand listed some challenger brands from across sectors that have got what it takes to become household names.
The brands also reflect the broader context of a tumultuous year, with businesses required to experiment and be resilient in response to a global pandemic, social justice movements, and a highly contentious election cycle in the US. These growth-stage companies have a new set of challenges to contend with as we enter a ‘new reality post-pandemic.
Five themes of innovation emerge
Power in Representation: The impact and momentum of Black Lives Matter led to ripple effects on the corporate world and gave the momentum to companies focussing on increasing representation and diversity in different categories. Brands like Greenwood Bank, Omsom, SpringHill Company, and BREAD Beauty Supply are changing the conversations around how these communities are spoken to, represented, and empowered.
Flipping the Focus on Preventative Health: Despite Covid, new brands and technologies are democratising healthcare – making monitoring and diagnostics available to those on lower incomes, with less comprehensive insurance and short on time. Healthy.io, Butterfly Network, and Owlet are key to fixing this critical aspect of the healthcare lifecycle, helping lift the pressure and impact on the entire healthcare system.
Tackling Taboos: A long time in the making, we are seeing an explosion of brands in the personal care space bring empowerment and acceptance of our very human issues. With the likes of Starface, Megababe, and Frida Mom, taboos have never been more mainstream.
Easing Parenthood Anxieties: Thanks to Covid, the lack of intergenerational networks providing support and wisdom means millennial parents feel like they are alone in this new phase. Young start-ups including Frida Mom, Owlet, and Lovevery are taking on this role, helping navigate this vulnerable transition into parenthood and providing reassurance throughout childhood.
Gaming Everything: Gaming is no longer a stereotyped, niche activity – it is flowing into different industries and impacting the design aesthetic of brands. We are seeing playful characters, 3D illustrations, and immersive brand worlds, from Discord and Dapper Lab’s gamification of communication and blockchain respectively to Zwift’s game-like landscapes and Revolut’s graphics and brand identity.
Zwift CEO and Co-Founder, Eric Min said: “My idea for Zwift was born out of a problem I faced personally – the lack of social connection using cycling simulators. Using the power of massively multiplayer gaming technology, we’ve created a social fitness environment that lets you train, explore and compete with other ‘Zwifters’ from all over the world.”
Interbrand has shortlisted 30 companies that best exemplify brand growth from a list of over 400. Brands were selected against three core criteria: understanding human truths (with key indicators including social post volume and growth), creating exceptional brand experiences (brands that answer unmet consumer needs), and delivering superior business results.
Interbrand New York CEO Daniel Binns said: “Following a tumultuous year for business across most sectors, this year’s brands are something special. In increasingly difficult circumstances, these brands have launched, pivoted, survived, and even thrived. They are more than ready to follow in the footsteps of the Breakthrough Brands alumni.”
Interbrand New York Associate strategy director Naeiri Zargarian said: “This new class of Breakthrough Brands indicates the themes that will shape a post-pandemic world. The past year surfaced cultural tensions that will continue to be opportunities for brands and institutions; the realities of modern parenthood, inclusivity, and representation across categories and a willingness to tackle historically taboo topics.”
MAM
Sleepwell unveils nationwide sleep study on World Sleep Day
79 per cent use screens before bed, 36 per cent of 18–25-year-olds sleep ≤5 hours.
MUMBAI: Sleepwell just dropped the pillow truth bomb because when India’s sleeping less and scrolling more, even the mattress wants to stage an intervention. On World Sleep Day 2026, Sleepwell released its nationwide Sleep Study, painting a stark picture of India’s escalating sleep crisis. The findings show that 79% of Indians use screens right before bed, fuelling restless nights and drowsy days. Alarmingly, 36% of young adults aged 18–25 sleep five hours or less making them the country’s most sleep-deprived group.
The study also busts the myth of “catch-up sleep”, 65% of respondents actually sleep even later on weekends, pointing to increasingly irregular patterns that spill fatigue into the working week. Mattress discomfort emerged as a frequently overlooked culprit behind late-night wake-ups and constant leak-anxiety checks.
To drive the message home, Sleepwell’s CMO Puneet Gulati appeared on Zee Business, stressing that quality sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational health. He highlighted how the right mattress can transform restless nights into restorative ones.
The brand doubled down with clever late-night activations, partnering with a quick-commerce platform to serve contextual ads between 11 pm and 3 am, gently nudging bleary-eyed scrollers to consider mattress discomfort as the reason they’re still awake and pointing them to the nearest Sleepwell store. Digital influencers and creators also shared relatable stories of how poor sleep fuels impulsive late-night behaviour.
In a nation that celebrates hustle but quietly pays for it in lost rest, Sleepwell isn’t just selling mattresses, it’s selling the radical idea that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is close your eyes and actually sleep well.
