The Most Innovative Tech Brands of 2016
‘A’ is for Innovation:
Alphabet, Apple and Amazon Head B2B Innovation List
Dell, HP, Uber and YouTube Drop Off List
NEW YORK, NY July 25, 2016
– The third annual Brand Keys. survey of consumer perceptions of innovative tech brands, conducted by the New
York-based brand loyalty and engagement research consultancy (brandkeys.com), found B2B consumers’ view of innovative tech brands is focused on companies
ability to increase marketing, business, and sales efficiency.
“B2B consumers seek technological solutions to business and marketing issues from brands in a complex marketplace that are able to not only provide
products and services, but that are seen to better meet customer expectations when it comes to technology,” noted Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and
president. “Those are the brands that become preferred providers, no matter how one chooses to classify them.”
Top 20 Most Innovative Tech Brands
This year 900 B2B consumers were asked – on an unaided basis – to name companies and brands that they feel are leaders in technological innovation, with
the following top 20 results. Numbers in parentheses indicate movement up or down the list from 2015.
1. Alphabet (+1)
2. Apple (-1)
3. Amazon (+1)
4. IBM (-1)
5. Siemens (+4)
6. Facebook (–)
7. GE (+5)
8. Cisco (-1)
9. LinkedIn (+2)
10. Salesforce.com
(new)
11. Intel (-3)
12. Samsung (-7)
13. Square (+3)
14. Slack (+3)
15. SAP (-5)
16. HubSpot
(new)
17. Mindbody
(new)
18. Equinix
(new)
19. Tesla (-1)
20. Kickstarter (–)
New B2B Innovation Leaders
“The B2B consumer’s expectations for constant innovation, and the expansion of technological innovation making business more efficient, accounts for the
addition of four new brands to this year’s list,” said Passikoff. “Each brand provides B2B with the opportunity to grow and become more profitable.” Those
four new brands include:
Salesforce.com (#10): A customer relationship management cloud-computing company.
HubSpot (#16): An inbound marketing and sales platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.
Mindbody (#17): A software leader for class- and appointment-based businesses.
Equinix (#18): A company that provides carrier-neutral data centers and Internet exchanges to enable interconnection.
Biggest B2B Innovation Perception Shifts
GE made the biggest move up the list, from 12th last year to #7, and Siemens from #9 to #5 in 2016. The company that moved down most this
year was Samsung, which ranked #12 this year, down from #5 last year.
Brands That Lost B2B Innovation Resonance
Four brands weren’t mentioned by enough B2B consumers to make this year’s top 20. “With such high consumer expectations,” noted Passikoff, “and a shift to
brands that B2B consumers feel will better enable their businesses, those four were: Dell, HP, Uber, and YouTube.”
The Secret of Business
It’s clear that B2B buyer attitudes toward innovation have changed dramatically,” said Passikoff. “B2B consumers have come to see innovation and change as
an opportunity to partner with creative companies.
“’Billionaire Aristotle Onassis recommended, ‘The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows,’” noted Passikoff, “which is a great
definition for innovation. One thing is clear, when it comes to B2B innovation, it’s not business as usual today.”
