What Brands Inspired You in 2012?

As 2012 winds down, we’re thinking of all of the brands that have inspired us this year. BOGO brands such as TOMS and Warby Parker come to mind, as do brands that have totally reinvented themselves, such as Microsoft, Fiat and JC Penney’s.

What brands inspired you this year, and why? Let us know in the comments!

About Ryland Devero

Ryland is Prophet's Community Manager, based out of the Chicago office. Her childhood nickname was "radar" because she had penchant for eavesdropping on her parents' conversations. She grew up, but not out of her habit of eavesdropping (though she prefers the term "listening").

Posted by on December 18, 2012
Read More About Analytics, Brand, Design, Digital, Innovation, Marketing
  • nitya

    Lyft and Sidecar in SF – ride-sharing app and service that, in my mind, is dramatically altering the paid transport landscape. You open the app, plug in an address to “Request a Ride”, and you can see all the available drivers in your vicinity. The nearest driver is contacted, and once one accepts, you are notified with: the driver, the car, and the estimated arrival time (you can even track the car on the map if you don’t trust their estimate). The driver picks you up (fist bumps you in the case of Lyft, just to keep things cool, ya know), and once you are dropped off, you are given an “average neighborhood donation” (much cheaper than the comparable taxi ride fare) for that ride, based on time and distance. You can only pay through the app itself, so no cash on hand necessary ever. Following the ride, both driver and rider rate each other on a scale of 0-5 stars. Theoretically, the rider could donate $0 and get a freebie; but, his score would likely plummet, thereby making him an undesirable pick-up the next time his face pops up under “Request a Ride”. Services like Uber do the same thing, but offer black car service. What’s interesting about them, however, is their dynamic pricing, which takes into consideration the usual time and distance, as well as ride demand (no one’s happy about Uber-ing at 2am on a Sunday morning). While both taxi drivers are peeved and the city has imposed fines, the 3 are partnering together to fight their case for ride-sharing (and hopefully win!).