The document discusses significant brands and their purpose beyond profits. It provides examples of 25 brands that are considered significant, including Tesla, TOMS, Ford, Facebook, Salesforce, Unilever, Apple, Patagonia, Google, Whole Foods, Walmart, Philips, General Electric, Volvo, IBM, Virgin, DonorsChoose, and JCB. These brands are said to stand for larger causes, add value to customers and society, and use business to inspire and help people.

1. The World’s Most
Significant
Brands 2015
Curated by
@JeremyWaite
#SIGNIFICANTBRANDS

2. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
A significant brand is a rare breed. Not many of them exist in this
world, but when you meet one you soon know about it. Becoming
one does not require luck, timing or large advertising budgets.
Significant brands simply value their customers more than
themselves, and they are willing to do the things that other brands
don't do.
I didn’t actually create this list of "Significant Brands” to produce a
ranking table, but to spark a debate. These brands are significant to
me because of what they stand for, not how much money they have
made. After all, isn’t that the real purpose of business… To not just
make a profit, but to make a profit that has a purpose?
• Significant brands are run by companies who's intentions lie
beyond profits. They want to make profits with purpose.
• Significant brands stand for something larger than themselves.
They inspire and add value to the lives of everyone they touch.
So, these are my top 25 most #SignificantBrands. What are yours?
@JeremyWaite
“Make it simple.
But significant”.
Don Draper

3. #1
#11
#16
#21
#7
#12
#17
#22
#8
#13
#18
#23
#9
#14
#19
#24
#10
#15
#20
#25
#2 #3 #5#4
#6
#SIGNIFICANTBRANDS @JEREMYWAITE

4. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@TESLAMOTORS give away their
patents to encourage competition
and help make energy efficient
products affordable for everyone.
• The last time the auto industry was
disrupted this radically was when Henry
Ford refused to give people “faster horses”.
• Tesla is already worth more than Fiat.
• Investing $5Bn in a battery factory to make
electric batteries more cost-effective.
• Only 6 parts on a Model S need regular
replacement (4 wheels + 2 wiper blades).
#1

5. Brand is just a perception, and
perception will match reality over time.
Sometimes it will be ahead, other times
it will be behind. But brand is simply a
collective impression some have about
a product.
“
”@ElonMusk ~ CEO $TSLA & SpaceX

6. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@TOMS plan to launch a new
product each year, and with each
product they sell, people in the
community who made them will
benefit through their One for One
giving model.
• $625m Company valuation.
• Network of 100 giving partners.
• 35m shoes given to children in need.
• Helped restore sight to 300,000 people.
• 100,000 weeks of safe water secured.
• Safe birth kits and medical staff deployed
in regions where birth conditions are
difficult and mothers get little assistance.
#2

7. If you organise your life around
your passion, you can turn your
passion into your story and then
turn your story into something
bigger. Something that matters.
“
”@BlakeMycoskie ~ @TOMS Chief Shoe Giver

8. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@FORD made “the greatest
business decision of all-time” by
doubling the wages of every
employee, increasing production,
lowering costs and making cars
affordable for everyone.
• Ford’s mission was to increase the financial
and moral status of employees, believing
“one’s own employees ought to be one’s
best customers”.
• Model T price dropped from $825 to $260.
• By 1924 50% of world’s car were Ford.
• Increase in car ownership lead to the
explosion of roadside billboard advertising.
#3

9. Quality means doing it right
when no one is looking.
“ ”Henry Ford ~ Founder of @Ford Motor Co.

10. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@FACEBOOK created Internet.org
to connect the 2/3 of the world
who are not on-line, enabling
farmers to make more money,
families to learn about healthcare
and children to receive education.
#4
• Students who couldn’t afford books are
now graduating school by learning from
Wikipedia.
• Poultry farmers with Facebook pages are
now selling 5X more produce.
• Expectant mothers learning healthcare
information about how to raise their child.
• HIV awareness apps are being created to
educate local communities.

11. We don't build services to make
money, we make money to
build better products.
“
”Mark Zuckerberg ~ $FB CEO and Co-Founder

12. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@SALESFORCE launched the 1:1:1
model when they founded in 1999,
giving away 1% of their revenue,
1% of their equity (in free products
to non-profits) and volunteering
1% of each employees time.
• 1:1:1 model has been adopted by Google.
• Given away over $85m in grants
• Employees have donated almost 1 billion
hours of their time supporting non-profits.
• 25,000+ charities and non-profits use
Salesforce technology for free.
• Fastest growing enterprise software co.
• Voted “World’s Most innovative Company”.
#5

13. We don’t need a new version
we need a new vision.
“ ”Marc @Benioff ~ $CRM Co-Founder & CEO.

14. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@UNILEVER aims to improve
the lives of 2 billion people
each day through social and
environmental acts of kindness.
#6
• €48.436 billion turnover
• 60% of girls drop out of social or physical
events due to a lack the body confidence.
• 20% of young girls have been on a diet.
• Unilever are now delivering self-esteem
education to millions of 10-14 year old girls.
• 215m “Acts of Sunlight” already delivered.
• Turning the most popular products into
“Purpose Driven Brands”.

15. Marketing used to be about
creating a myth and selling it;
Now it’s about finding a truth
and sharing it.
“
”Marc Mathieu ~ @Unilever SVP Marketing

16. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
APPLE don’t want to debate
climate change they want to
stop it altogether.
#7
• The world’s most valuable brand. ($247Bn)
• 100% of US operations and data centres use
renewable energy (and 87% of global ops).
• Partnered with The Conservation Fund to create
forests they use for packaging
• Building a solar farm in China to offset energy used
by offices and retail stores.
• New Apple devices use 59% less energy.
• Mission “To leave the world better than we found it”.

17. Let’s go invent tomorrow
instead of worrying about
what happened yesterday.
“
”Steve Jobs ~ Co-Founder $APPL

18. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@PATAGONIA give away 10% of
their $600m revenue or 1% profits
to environmental causes. They
launched 1% for the planet which
has so far raised $100m though its
network of 1,200 members.
• 2,000 employees but no private offices.
• Only 100% organic cotton since 1996.
• CSR program is not seen as philanthropy
or charity, but “the cost of doing business”.
• First company in California to be a benefit
corporation recognising that employees
and the environment are as important as
stakeholders.
#8

19. Businesses need profits to survive. The less
we make, the less we will have to give away,
and the less other companies will think we
have a mission that is worth imitating.
“
”Yvon Chouinard ~ @Patagonia Founder

20. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@GOOGLE mission is to
organize the world's
information and make it
universally accessible and
useful.
#9
• $66Bn Revenue (90% from ad sales).
• Google acquires around 3 companies each month.
• All 55,419 employees can spend 20% of their time on
projects to “use their powers for good, not evil.”
• Google takes on moonshots projects that could
change the world for millions of people.
• Project Loon aims to connect the entire world.
• 2m searches per second.
• 15% daily searches have never been searched before.

21. If you’re changing the world, you’re doing
important things. You’re excited to get up in
the morning. If we were motivated by money,
we’d have sold the company a long time ago.
“
”Larry Page ~ $GOOG Co-Founder

22. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@WHOLEFOODS measure success
through by customer satisfaction,
return on capital investment and
improvement in the environment
as well as the local community.
• $12.9 Billion revenue.
• 5% after-tax profits donated to non-profits.
• To encourage transparency and trust, all
employee salaries are openly published.
• Self-directed teams meet regularly to
discuss issues, solve problems and
appreciate each other's contributions.
• Almost all promotional hires are internal.
#10

23. Great companies have great purposes.
“ ”John Mackey ~ @Wholefoods Co-Founder

24. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@WALMART believe if they
can lower the cost of living for
everyone, they’ll give the world
an opportunity to save and
have a better life.
#11
• $482.2 billion revenue.
• 11,450 stores in 27 countries.
• 2.2m employees and partners globally.
• $1.4 billion gifted to community projects.
• Protect 1 acre of wildlife habitat for every
acre developed for new stores and offices.
• $2 billion committed to help fight hunger.
• Employees volunteer 1.5m+ hours per year.

25. Capital isn’t scarce. Vision is.
“ ”Sam Walton ~ $WMT Founder

26. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@PHILIPS is committed to
building healthcare technology
platforms that will significantly
improve the lives of 3 billion
people by 2025.
#12
• €21.39 Billion revenue from 60 countries.
• Cardiology equipment, monitoring and
diagnostic imaging systems supplied to
most of the world’s hospitals.
• Vision to keep people out of hospital for as
long as possible via predictive health care.
• 8% sales invested in healthcare R&D.
• HealthSuite eco-system for app developers
is transforming heathcare delivery.

27. Always ask oneself: Couldn’t this be
different? Couldn’t this be better? I have
found fantasy to be one of the key
factors to success in a persons life.
“
”Anton Philips ~ @Philips Co-Founder

28. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@GENERALELECTRIC’s mission
is to invent the next industrial
era, to build, move, power and
cure the world. (Not necessarily
in that order).
• Founder Thomas Edison promised “One
minor invention every 10 days and a big
thing every 6 months”.
• GE now own 67,500 patents.
• 53-acre leadership facility built by to inspire
leaders to create profits with purpose.
• GE scientists have won 2 Nobel prizes.
• World’s 6th most valuable brand $146 Bn.
#13

29. If you pick the right people and
give them the opportunity to
spread their wings and put
compensation as a carrier
behind it, you almost don’t
have to manage them.
“
”Jack Welch ~ $GE CEO (1981-2001)

30. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@VOLVO are on a mission to be
the world’s safest brand. They
have a vision that no one will be
killed or seriously injured by one
of their cars by the end of 2017.
#14
• Volvo invented the seatbelt 50 years ago
which it deliberately did not patent.
• First production car to have a laminated
windscreen was the Volvo PV444 in 1947.
• Side Impact Protection System in the 1990s.
• Pioneered the catalytic converter in 1976.
• 450 full-scale crash tests per year.
• Accident Research Team have analysed
more than 40,000 accidents since 1970.

31. Cars are driven by people.
The guiding principle
behind everything we
make, therefore, is and
must remain – safety.
“
”Gustaf Larson, Co-Founder Volvo

32. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@IBM built the Watson super-
computer to save lives and help
healthcare professionals make
more accurate diagnoses faster. It
looks likely Watson may even find
the cure for cancer.
#15
• In order to "learn" to think like a human,
Watson was pre-programmed with NY
Times archive, Wikipedia, IMDB, the Bible
and 10m of the most read internet articles.
• Watson for Oncology draws from over 290
medical journals, 200 textbooks, and 12
million pages of text.
• 90% of medical staff trust Watson’s advice
on the best drugs to prescribe.

33. Corporations prosper only to
the extent that they satisfy
human needs. Profit is only the
scoring system. The end is
better living for us all.
“
”Thomas Watson Jr. ~ Ex-President $IBM

34. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@VIRGIN Unite shines a spotlight
on unacceptable issues, incubates
disruptive collaborations and
empowers entrepreneurs to
change business for good.
#16
• Mission to leverage the strength of the
Branson family, 53m customers, 20m social
media followers and 65,000 Virgin staff, to
take action around important issues.
• 100% overheads covered by Virgin Group.
• Galactic Unite reaches over 45K students
to inspire STEM education.
• Clinics in South Africa have extended life
expectancy by 5 years.

35. Do good, have fun and
the money will follow.
“ ”@RichardBranson ~ Founder & CEO @Virgin

36. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@DONORCHOOSE have re-
invented the way that charitable
d o n a t i o n s a r e g i v e n a n d
received.
#17
• Supported by 1,722,431 givers.
• $327,568,951 raised for educational supplies.
• 582,350 projects funded,
• 235,397 teachers supported.
• 14,648,513 school children reached.
• 62,027 schools supported.
• 64% of all US public schools have a project
posted by one of their teachers.
• 69% of all projects are fully funded.

37. If you give $1 you’re
a philanthropist.
“ ”@CharlesBest ~ Founder of @DonorsChoose

38. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@JCBmachines have become
famous for their immediate
disaster response. They donate
d i g g e r s a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n
equipment to global crises,
regardless of the cost.
#18
• $4.4Bn revenue.
• All 11,000 employees sign a “customer charter”.
• Europe’s largest manufacturer of construction
equipment with network of 750 global dealers.
• $500K diggers sent to help re-building after
Philippines typhoon disaster in 2013.
• $750K tractors cleaned up after 2014 UK floods.
• $1m diggers and generators sent to Nepal
earthquake areas in 2015.

39. A brand with nothing behind
it is a pretty hollow thing.
“ ”Sir Anthony Bamford ~ @JCBMachines CEO

40. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
CARNEGIE STEEL was one of the
w o r l d ’ s m o s t s u c c e s s f u l
businesses, and is still the model
t h a t m o s t c o r p o r a t e a n d
philanthropic giving is based
upon.
#19
• Founder Andrew Carnegie built a fortune
worth over $300 Billion.
• 90% of all assets were donated to
foundations and charitable trusts.
• Built 2,500 libraries.
• Published “The Gospel of Wealth” in 1889
calling on the rich to use their wealth to
improve society and stimulate a culture of
philanthropy amongst corporations.

41. Strong men know when to
compromise and that all
principles can be compromised
to serve a greater purpose.
“
”Andrew Carnegie ~ Founder Carnegie Steel

42. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@GSK are a global healthcare
company on a mission to help
people do more, feel better and
live longer, by educating a new
generation of scientists.
#20
• $23 Billion turnover from 150 countries.
• 97,921 employees committed to finding
insights that combat the world’s greatest
challenges through Pharmaceuticals, and
Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare.
• UK needs 1.3m scientists and engineers by
2020 educated in STEM subjects.
• GSK ranks #1 in contributions towards UK
education in a bid to create more scientists.

43. Science is fundamental to
understanding the world
around us, and drives our
discovery of innovative new
medicines that bring benefit
to millions of people around
the world.
“
”Stephen Mayhew ~ GSK Head of R&D

44. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@LEVIS was not founded with the
intention of becoming one of the
world’s largest fashion brands, but
a s a m e a n s t o i n v e s t i n
o r p h a n a g e s a n d p r o v i d e
university scholarships.
#21
• Founded in 1853 during Californian gold rush.
• Jeans were born when Levis made trousers
from unsold tent canvas for gold prospectors.
• Horse saddle rivets were added and patented.
• Profits helped to to sponsor an orphanage,
fund for a new railway branch line (making
travel in San Francisco accessible to
everyone), and award 28 grants at the
University of Berkley.

45. We believe that you make your
mark in the world not just by what
you do, but also how you do it.
“
”Levi Strauss ~ Founder @Levis

46. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@NIKE are renowned for creating
equipment that helps athletes
maximise their performance, but
t h e y a r e u s i n g t h a t s a m e
philosophy to empower girls in
third world countries.
#22
• 250 million adolescent girls living in poverty
• Every 3 minutes, 81 girls will become child
brides, 96 girls will give birth and 2 of those
girls will likely die from complications..
• India loses $383 billion in potential lifetime
income for every 4m new adolescent
mothers every year.
• Nike Girl Project now gives grants to 100+
organizations in more than 80 countries.

47. We wanted Nike to be the world’s
best sports and fitness company.
Once you say that, you have a
focus. You don’t end up making
wing tips or sponsoring the next
Rolling Stones world tour.
“
”Phil Knight ~ Co-Founder @Nike

48. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@DISNEY are one of the world’s
most valuable brands, not just
because of their entertainment
products, but because their
foundation is obsessed with
supporting local communities.
#23
• Disney’s Outreach program provides
thousands of “voluntEARS” in 200 cities in 24
countries.
• Almost 1m hours donated by employees each
year, impacting 4m kids and families.
• $370m given in grants to community projects.
• 100% Disney advertising complies with
positive health and nutrition messages.
• Over 23m books donated to schools.

49. I’ve heard there’s going to be
a recession. I’ve decided not
to participate.
“
”Walt Disney ~ Founder @Disney

50. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@TED believe that the power
of ideas, when communicated
well, can change attitudes,
lives and ultimately, the world.
#24
• Founded in 1984 as a conference to share
ideas. (The first conference featured the CD).
• TED is a non-profit with 100% money raised
going back into the community, making TED
talks freely available to anyone.
• 1,900 TED talks (many in over 100 languages).
• 30,000+ TEDx talks from 130 countries.
• 1m people watch a TED talk every day.
• 90 staff in New York and Vancouver.

51. You need to be sure that the people
your product is targeting are able to
‘get it’ very quickly. If you can’t
define your brand in three to eight
words, you’re doomed.
“
”Chris Anderson ~ @TED Curator

52. #SIGNIFICANTBRANDS
@TWITTER has revolutionised
the way that the world
c o m m u n i c a t e s n e w s ,
information and real-time
events (ever since Flight 1549
landed in the Hudson River).
#25
• Twitter turned an idea on a playground slide into
a company that is today worth over $31 billion.
• Around 6,375 tweets sent every second.
• The official twitter account of @Sweden is
managed by a random citizen each week.
• Twitter is a “news and information” network not
a “social” network.
• 1 day of twitter posts would fill a 10m page book.
• Only 10% world’s internet users are on twitter.

53. First mover advantages are overrated.
MySpace was a first mover. It’s better to
have an idea best than to have it first.
“
”@Jack Dorsey ~ Co-Founder @Twitter $TWTR

54. Businesses need profits to survive. The less we
make, the less we will have to give away, and
the less other companies will think we have a
mission that is worth imitating.
Yvon Chouinard ~ @Patagonia Founder
METHODOLOGY?
These rankings are flawed. But that’s the whole point. All rankings are flawed to one degree or another where
opinion is concerned. What makes a significant brand to one person, may be completely irrelevant to the next. So no
matter how scientific my methodology might be, or how statistically accurate any ranking calculations are measured
and weighted, they will always be subjective. This is because measuring “significance” and brand value can not
simply be measured by ROI or economic value. This is just a list of brands that are significant to me.
My definition of a significant brand is one that has a purpose beyond profits, and one that stands for something
greater than itself. When you consider that all brands are intangible by their nature, measuring any brand value is not
something that can ever be calculated accurately (brand agencies such as Interbrand have been trying for years). It’s
not like I didn’t try. I actually tried to score the brands originally, measuring positive share-of-voice from across the
social web, in regard to the keywords that I believed were associated with #significantbrands such as:
“csr OR sustainability OR mission OR purpose OR cause OR foundation OR charity OR giving OR philanthropy
OR happiness OR customer satisfaction”
But that didn’t work. It was never going to really ~ because trying to hide behind any kind of methodology for a
ranking like this would be hopeless. It’s just my opinion. These are a collection of cool brands that I feel some kind of
emotional attachment to, because of what I think that they stand for. Nothing more. Nothing less. The point of these
rankings therefore, is not to look for any methodology or scientific analysis, but to encourage us to have more
conversations about the difference between successful and significant brands. Hopefully these rankings will spark the
kind of conversations that we don’t have often enough.
It’s not enough to just make a profit anymore…

55. Buy #SignificantBrands the book via @JeremyWaite <<100% Profits to Code.org>>
“What you stand for is more important than what you sell”.