KISS.

"Keep it simple stupid", has long been a catch phrase among business leaders and corporate presenters wanting to show it's easier for people to understand the message you are trying to convey with immediacy and imperativeness. With a world getting more complicated by the byte, with more messages being transmitted via more channels, with more interference and distractions everyday, we instinctively look for simple alternatives and clarity of message. That clarity of message is important for brands and products as we sift through a mountain of product detritus, trying to choose our next purchase or service.

The difficulty encountered in creating awareness and profile, trying to stand out from the crowd and surviving the fickleness of the buying public is dependent on conveying your message as simply as possible. Keeping it simple translates to understanding and that can translate to the bottom line. Siegel+Gale conducted a global brand survey trying to define simplicity by polling more than 6,000 consumers, asking them about clarity of promotions, messages, simplicity of experience online and offline. They were looking for brands that resonate with people's need to declutter their thinking and decision making process, thus providing an obvious line of decision.

What the simplest brands index pointed out, was if they concentrated on what they do best without muddying the decision process of why you have walked or clicked onto their premises, they become successful and are are able to charge a premium for the obviousness of your decision. This rational has seen Subway, Google, Amazon, Apple, McDonalds, Starbucks and Zappos lead the way for consumers who have grasped the messages of that simplicity, a single search bar on Google, unrivalled customer service on Zappos, the $5 footlong at Subways and the appropriateness of cleans lines at Apple. All of these messages are patently clear, making it easy for consumers to decide from a raft of competitors, whose messages are clouded by not being able to articulate their true worth or willing to test their resolve and move away from the pricing death spiral.

Consumer sectors that suffer from over complication and confusion from the public, are insurance, banking and financial, where they become mired in multiple messages around price, service, relevancy, credibility, integrity and usability. Simpler products and experiences are the panacea for this sector but no one jumps out as a leader. This complexity of thinking, leading to confusion was also indicative of brands expected to be higher up the index. Twitter at 93 and Facebook at 125 are instantly recognisable brands on the index that have slipped as they become more intricate and complex in their workings. The bewildering privacy policies, interface changes and constant tinkering on Facebook have frustrated users to where numbers leaving are now significant enough to be of concern.

Simplicity of design and message are not the only things to make great brands successful but the ones that have distilled their essence to communicate and resonate with consumers will always have a blue water advantage.