Here’s a free and easy method to monitor some of the top 50 street and sneaker brands that are appealing to Generation Z and niche lifestyle groups driving youth culture.
First, let me start by explaining what exactly constitutes as a “hype” brand in this context
A ‘Hypebrand’ (or simply just ‘hype’) refers generally speaking to any company with ambitions towards becoming widely recognized amongst its target audience through creative brand storytelling that draws attention with uniqueness and authenticity.
Ultimately it’s about making a brand INTERESTING to young consumers and culture, in some cases it’s a way for them (the customers) to buy clothes, accessories, or any “badge worthy” item that’s likely to impress others. Most importantly, well-executed hype branding creates a sense of belonging and makes you feel special.
About the HypeIndex and free brand ranking tool
It’s called the Brand Ranking tool, which is based on HYPEBEAST’s proprietary HypeIndex, as defined below:
“The HypeIndex graph charts the daily movements of our aggregate point system that is based on the total market capitalization of the most emblematic publicly listed fashion companies across the globe, converted to USD as the common denominator for leveled valuation.”
Source: HYPEBEAST
The top 50 Brand Ranking tool offers a simple feature set, which includes:
- Companies List
- Ranking #
- Ranking Change
- Previous Ranking
- Brand Performance
And the brand ranking graph is updated every 10 minutes, which enables a decent high level monitoring capability.
Source: HYPEBEAST
What do hype brands teach companies seeking to build a loyal Gen Z customer base? And how do they maintain hype and remain successful?
The conventional way of thinking about fashion and retail is long gone. It all comes down to whether or not something is interesting. Decades ago, fashion was all about playing it safe. But brands can no longer afford to be boring; they must be unique storytellers and creators in order to thrive.
When consumers want to share something TikTok worthy or Instagrammable, they look for products, places and experiences that are interesting and capture their attention.
In concept, style, or product category choice, “is it interesting or not?” is the question brands need to ask themselves every day.
Even a simple product category may become incredibly captivating if marketers have mastered the art of generating hype.
Most importantly, hype brands teach other companies targeting youth and fandom audiences to remain dedicated to being interesting.
Click here to start using the FREE brand ranking tool
Further Reading:
Learn more about building authentic hype into your brand and product experience read:
The 5 foundational truths: how brands prepare to engage youth and fandom audiences