Apathy towards brands is big. And it’s growing, with this figure up +5% year-on-year. While apathy towards brands is a growing challenge, we find the opposite is true in people’s lives.

Life is difficult for many people, but resilience, optimism, and hope are very much part of the zeitgeist. We saw the emergence of agency in our 2024 report, but in 2025 people’s agency is amplified.

People’s needs are not just changing at scale but also at pace, and most brands are failing to keep up. However, our research has identified a group of brands that have cracked the code and are thriving. Their dominant characteristic is dynamic adaptability.

These dynamic brands have a different relationship with people that shifts to meet and get ahead of people’s needs. While people are apathetic towards most brands, these dynamic brands matter to people. And they are thriving as a consequence.