Best for: Corporations and global brands that want to reposition, rebrand, or build a full brand system for worldwide use — particularly in aviation, hospitality, FMCG, and healthcare, where FutureBrand has deep sector history.
FutureBrand has genuine depth in the kind of work most agencies avoid — Air India, American Airlines, Nespresso, Sanpellegrino — complex, multi-market rebrands where brand strategy has to hold up across physical environments, packaging, and global rollout simultaneously. The caveat is that this operational scale is the point: they’re built for brands with significant infrastructure to rebrand, not companies looking for a focused identity project.
Reviewed by Chelsea Greene
The Full Read
FutureBrand was founded in 1999 as part of McCann Worldgroup and has spent 25 years operating as a global brand transformation consultancy across aviation, hospitality, FMCG, healthcare, and luxury. The firm’s positioning — “brand is behaviour” — means the work goes beyond identity systems into how a brand actually operates across touchpoints. Their four capabilities cover Brand Strategy, Brand Design, Brand Management, and Spatial Design, the last of which is genuinely unusual: FutureBrand designs the physical environments where brands come to life, from flagship stores to hospitality concepts.
The portfolio is broad and well-documented. Air India’s 2022 rebrand — a national institution repositioned as a national inspiration following the Tata Group acquisition — is their most prominent recent project. Mastercard’s haptic branding pushed into a category most agencies haven’t touched. Sanofi, Merck, Nespresso, and Nestlé Waters (Sanpellegrino) round out a portfolio that skews toward large enterprise brands with long-term identity challenges.
FutureBrand’s integration of brand strategy with business growth is impressive. The honest caveats are two. First: creative output can feel polished and reliable rather than bold — a recurring pattern that keeps the Creativity score at 2/3. Second: FutureBrand’s parent company, IPG, was acquired by Omnicom in November 2025. The entire global executive team departed simultaneously. The agency is operating with regional leadership in place and continuing to deliver client work, but the transition is ongoing and worth factoring into any engagement decision.
Net-net: A strong choice for large global enterprises with complex, multi-market brand programmes — particularly where physical experience or specialist sector knowledge matters. Anyone considering an engagement in the near term should ask direct questions about leadership continuity and account stability.
Four Capabilities
Brand Strategy
Purpose and positioning, brand and portfolio architecture, internal brand (EVP and employee engagement), naming.
Brand Design
Visual and verbal identity, sonic and haptic branding, packaging. The haptic work with Mastercard is the standout example of FutureBrand pushing into design territory most agencies don’t explore.
Brand Management
Content management and brand governance. A practical layer most studios don’t offer — useful for large organisations managing brand consistency at scale.
Spatial Design
Retail and hospitality design, architectural services, customer experience. This is the rarest capability on the list and gives FutureBrand a distinctive advantage for brands where physical environment is part of the proposition.
Selected Work
A snapshot of recent named projects. Full case studies on the agency’s site.
Air India
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · Brand Design
Transforming a national institution into a national inspiration with a full rebrand.
Nespresso
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · Packaging
Defining the future of coffee experiences across product, packaging, and brand.
Mastercard
Sonic & Haptic Branding · Brand Experience
Redefining Mastercard’s sensory brand experience through pioneering haptic identity.
Atlantis Resorts
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · Spatial Design
Creating Dubai’s newest icon with a brand built for one of the world’s most ambitious hospitality destinations.
Merck
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity
Moving Merck from one of many to one of a kind with a renewed global identity.
Sanofi
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity
Uniting a global pharmaceutical company under one purpose and one identity.
Intermountain Health
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity
Leading a major US healthcare network into a new era with a transformed brand.
The Hundred
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity
Creating a disruptive new cricket competition brand built for the digital era.
Hire FutureBrand If You Need…
- A global brand programme with genuine multi-region delivery capability
- Strong sector depth in aviation, hospitality, FMCG, luxury, or healthcare
- Physical environment design as part of the brand scope — not just identity systems
- A consultancy that treats brand management and governance as seriously as strategy and design
- Haptic, sonic, or multi-sensory brand work — FutureBrand is one of few agencies with a track record here
Skip FutureBrand If…
- You need bold, culturally daring creative work — the portfolio trends toward considered rather than challenging
- Leadership continuity is critical — the current ownership transition and executive departures warrant direct due diligence
- Your budget is below $150K or your scope is primarily digital-native
- You want an independent firm with no holding company ownership
Independent Verification
Leadership departures / ownership
Platform Ratings
DesignRush — Google Reviews 2.7 · 58 reviews
Clutch — not yet reviewed
The Google review score of 2.7 from 58 reviews is notably lower than most agencies at this tier. It warrants direct reference checks before committing to an engagement.
If FutureBrand Isn’t the Right Fit
Wolff Olins
Similar transformation scale, more culturally ambitious creative output, stronger in culture and experience alongside brand.
Prophet
If strategy depth and business transformation matter more than design. Independent and consultancy-structured.
Ragged Edge
If bold creative identity matters more than global delivery infrastructure. Lower budget entry, challenger mindset, faster pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Long-form global rebrand projects — particularly in aviation and FMCG. The Air India rebrand (2022) is the most prominent recent project. Earlier landmark work includes nation branding for Peru and American Airlines. The Mastercard haptic branding is notable for pushing into multi-sensory design territory.
Yes — and it’s a genuine differentiator. The Spatial Design practice covers retail environments, hospitality design, and architectural services alongside brand strategy and visual identity. Few agencies at this tier offer all four as integrated capabilities.
Since November 2025, FutureBrand sits within the Omnicom network following Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG. The agency previously operated within McCann Worldgroup under IPG since its founding in 1999. The global executive team departed at the time of the transition; regional presidents and managing directors are leading the business.
FutureBrand’s 2.7/5 from 58 Google reviews is lower than most agencies at this tier. Google reviews for B2B agencies often reflect employee experience or isolated project concerns rather than a consistent pattern. That said, it’s a signal worth investigating through direct reference checks before proceeding with an engagement.
Ready to see if FutureBrand fits your project?
Visit the agency’s site to view their full portfolio, or compare them against the rest of our top picks.