Whole Foods is the simplest brand in the US, survey says

In the words of Avril Lavigne, “Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?” That’s also apparently what many consumers have to say about X, the social media brand formerly known as Twitter, according to Siegel+Gale’s World’s Simplest Brands survey.

The survey, which is the 10th edition conducted by the Omnicom-owned brand experience firm, asked more than 15,000 consumers across nine countries to rank more than 800 brands based on how simple or complicated they are. X fell 39 spots to the bottom of the US rankings, meaning US consumers see it as more complex than every other brand they were asked about.

That’s bad news for X, according to the report, which says simplicity is “the reason why brands thrive.” And when it comes to simplicity, several grocery stores, fast-food chains, and tech companies ranked highly in the US and around the world.

(Grocery) shop ’til you drop: The simplest brand in the US, according to the survey, is Whole Foods. Trader Joe’s made the domestic list, too, at No. 7. Apart from grocery stores, mail and package delivery services got high marks in terms of simplicity (which may come as a shock to anyone who’s ever tried to track a lost package).

• The USPS ranked No. 2, and UPS No. 4.
• Ride-sharing company Lyft was No. 3 in the US.

The simplest brand in the world is also a grocer. German supermarket chain Lidl “has produced high-quality items, low prices, and simple experiences” for 50 years, according to the report, and is currently focused on integrating “kid-friendly” packaging to encourage young people to eat healthier, all of which contributed to it landing the top spot.

Golden trio: Google, Amazon, and Burger King all landed in the top 10 simplest brands in both the US and in global rankings.

• Google came in second globally, marking its ninth consecutive appearance in the top three on that list. The tech company landed at No. 10 in the US.
• Amazon followed in the No. 3 spot on the international rankings, and came in eighth in the US.
• Burger King was No. 10 globally and No. 5 in the US.

Simply good business: Being perceived as simple can be good for a company’s bottom line, the report suggests. Since 2009, Siegel+Gale has monitored a stock portfolio of the publicly traded top 10 global simplest brands, and that group has consistently outperformed the average global stock indexes. Simplicity is also good for brand loyalty, with 78% of consumers saying they’re more likely to recommend brands that offer “simpler experiences and communications.”