Brands deliver tons of products and services across the globe, but do they really contribute to making people’s lives brighter? In June, Havas Media released its annual Meaningful Brands index (MBi) outlining a positive impact of brands on people’s lives. The study comes as a unique framework to “analyze and track the connections brands have with our quality of life and well-being,” as the global media expert explains it.

In its third annual Cultural Traction™ 2013 report, the brand development and marketing consultancy Added Value has ranked a total of 160 brands from 15 industries to measure their cultural vibrancy and define which of them better used the culture-led marketing strategies to stay more relevant to consumers. By culturally vibrant brands Added Value’s experts mean those brands that are perceived to have the most Visionary, Inspiring, Bold and Exciting (VIBE-index).