Author: Jeremy Braune

Jeremy specialises in delivering market research and consultancy programmes that enable organisations to maximise the impact of their brands, products and services, communications and customer experience delivery. His company, Brandspeak, has offices in London and Bristol and since 2004 it has been helping companies all over the UK and globally. Jeremy has also been a guest lecturer and speaker on London Business School's acclaimed MBA course, on the subject of Brands and Branding.

Table of Contents

12 Important Brand Metrics

First, here’s a quick list of the 12 important brand metrics that we cover in this article:

  1. Unprompted brand awareness

  2. Prompted brand awareness

  3. Emotional brand loyalty

  4. Brand attributes

  5. Brand personality

  6. Need states

  7. Brand quality

  8. Brand satisfaction

  9. Behavioural brand loyalty

  10. Brand preference

  11. Brand purchase

  12. Brand usage occasions

What are brand metrics?

In this article, we explore in detail what brand tracking metrics are and how they are used to monitor brand health. Brand health can be influenced by many things, and key brand tracking metrics can be analysed through brand tracking projects.

The term brand metrics refers to the different metrics that are derived from the questions typically included within a brand tracker.

A brand tracker is a form of ongoing market research survey used to assess your brand’s health and the impact of your marketing activity.

The results of a single brand tracker wave provide a snapshot of brand health.  Results are presented for each brand tracking metric (e.g. brand awareness, brand loyalty) individually, but can also be rolled into a single, overall brand health score. 

 

Why are brand metrics important?

Your brand’s health ultimately depends on the extent to which consumers:

  • are aware of your brand
  • can bring it to mind in a purchase situation
  • feel that it meets their needs
  • are subsequently willing to (re-)purchase it

As a brand manager, without suitable, up-to-date brand tracking metrics, you are almost certainly working in the dark – lacking the critical insights required to target the issues that are undermining your brand’s ability to grow.

In addition, your brand is also more likely to be susceptible to targeted activity by competitors that are closely monitoring it, as part of their own brand-tracking activity. I.e you might not be tracking your brand at the moment, but your competitors might be tracking their own brands and yours, positioning themselves to capitalise on any opportunities.  

However, by comparing brand metrics across different tracker waves over time, you can quickly identify any significant changes, so that targeted action can be taken to improve your brand’s performance, in relation to:

  • customer satisfaction
  • market share
  • brand loyalty
  • lifetime value

Figures provided by InMoment demonstrate the importance of managing these issues closely:

  • Nearly 50% say that they have rejected a brand to go to a competitor which they felt was better able to meet their needs
  • 75% of loyal customers say they are likely to recommend their favoured brand to others

How to choose the right Brand Metrics

Of course, the ability of your brand tracker to drive meaningful brand growth will depend on whether you have selected the right brand metrics in the first place. 

The brand tracking metrics you choose should:

  • Reflect your long-term brand strategy, rather than short-term brand tactics.
  • Be customer-centric, meaning that they accurately analyse your brand from the point of view of the target audience, rather than the way your organisation thinks about it internally.
  • Compare the performance of your brand to those of established and upcoming competitors. Reviewing your brand in a vacuum will provide a very misleading view of brand health.
  • Be actionable.  Metrics that are ‘interesting’ but can’t be acted upon are of no use.
  • Be flexible. At least 80% of your brand metrics should be constant and repeated with each wave.  However, your tracker can also include a flexi-section, where individual metrics can be changed on a wave-by-wave basis.  This flexibility ensures that your tracker is always able to take full account of changing market conditions and any campaign activity that could influence results.
  • Encompass your brand’s distribution strategy.  To obtain a realistic picture of overall brand performance, the tracker questions resulting metrics should be applicable to all channels and touchpoints used by the brand.
  • Be concise. Historically, brand trackers have tended to be too long!  The more brand tracking metrics that are included, the more chance there is that the person completing the tracker will lose interest.

What is an example of a brand metrics?

Core brand tracking metrics can be divided into 3 groups: brand awareness, brand closeness and brand behaviour.

Brand awareness

This group assesses the ease and speed with which your brand is brought to mind by the target audience.  It comprises:

  1. Unprompted brand awareness
  2. Prompted brand awareness

Brand closeness

This group focuses on the nature and extent of the relationship between brand and consumer.  It includes:

  1. Emotional brand loyalty
  2. Brand attributes
  3. Brand personality
  4. Brand need states
  5. Brand quality
  6. Brand satisfaction

Brand behaviour

This group is concerned with the more functional aspects of the consumer’s behavioural relationship with your brand.  Specific metrics include:  

  1. Brand usage occasions
  2. Brand preference
  3. Brand purchase frequency
  4. Behavioural brand loyalty

Not all of these metrics may be relevant or important to your brand.  The trick is to work out in advance which ones are, and how you will use the insights they provide. 

Brand awareness metrics

In this section, we look at each group in more detail, and provide example tracker questions from which the individual brand tracking metrics can be derived.

Unprompted brand awareness 

Quite simply, if your brand is more top-of-mind than others then it stands a better chance of being purchased.

The unprompted brand awareness metric reveals the extent to which your brand comes to mind – in the context of the sector in which it operates – without being prompted by name. 

Unprompted brand awareness example question:

Thinking about brands in the [INSERT CATEGORY HERE], which brand first comes to mind? And which other brands come to mind?

If consumers are unable to recall your brand at an unprompted level, this indicates that it hasn’t yet succeeded in permeating the conscious mind and only resides in their subconscious – if at all. 

Prompted brand awareness

In the brand tracker, the prompted brand awareness question typically follows the unprompted one. If there is a low level of unprompted awareness, its inclusion is particularly important, to determine whether the brand even exists in the consumer’s subconscious mind. 

In a prompted brand awareness question, a shortlist of brands (including yours) is provided for the respondent to select from. For example:

Looking at the list of brands below, before today, which were you aware of?

Clearly, if this question results in a low score as well, then it means that your brand hasn’t yet achieved threshold levels of consumer awareness and has a considerable amount of work to do amongst the target audience.

Brand closeness metrics

Emotional brand loyalty

Brand loyalty is often seen as the most important metric for most brands! A loyal customer will keep purchasing from you and is more likely to forgive the occasional brand slip-up.  Moreover, once the fundamentals are in place, it can cost far less to retain a loyal customer than it does to convert a new one.

In reality, there are actually two brand loyalty metrics; emotional brand loyalty and behavioural brand loyalty (discussed in more detail later).  

Whilst the two metrics are usually in-step (i.e. if someone is emotionally loyal to your brand they are likely to display the same level of loyalty in their purchase and usage behaviour), they can become detached from each other.

For example, the iPhone is a social phenomenon that commands a high degree of emotional loyalty.  However, its high cost may still prevent emotional loyalists from buying the latest model. 

Emotional brand loyalty is often assessed using the classic Net Promoter Score question:

On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [brand] to your family and friends?

In your own words can you tell us why you gave [brand x] a score of [insert score selected here]?

Brand attributes

How do consumers perceive your brand and its associated attributes, such as performance, reliability, and uniqueness? What comes to mind when they think of your brand and does that image reflect the one that your organisation has worked hard to create?

The ability of customers to associate specific attributes with your brand is important because they establish brand relevance, create memorability, and can even act as prompts to brand recall at the moment of purchase.

Positive brand attributes are often the result of carefully crafted marketing campaigns, but they can also reflect the use of striking packaging or a distinctive font.

A brand attributes question will typically include rating scale statements for each attribute to be assessed. For example:

Thinking about [BRAND X] how strongly do you agree with each of these statements? Please use the 5-point scale where 5 means completely and 1 means not at all.

Brand personality

This metric is closely linked to the brand attributes metric outlined above, but the questions that underlie it focus on the brand’s personality. For example, whether the brand is perceived as being ‘warm’, ‘caring’, ‘smart’, etc.  

Whilst your brand’s personality is mainly derived from its marketing, it can also be inferred by customers through their experience of buying and using your product/service (versus those of your competitors), through social media and even word of mouth.  

Not only does your brand’s perceived personality reveal the extent to which you have been successful in creating emotional resonance, it can also determine the extent to which it is seen to be similar to, or different from, its competitors.

The absence of key brand personality traits provides a clear understanding of where the brand needs to develop its profile if it is to increase top-of-mind awareness, resonance, and differentiation. 

Example question:

Thinking about [BRAND X], how well do you associate it with the following characteristics? 

Please use the 5-point scale where 5 means completely and 1 means not at all.

Need states

The need states tracker questions are used to evaluate the perceived suitability of your brand in relation to their needs and expectations. Needs can be either practical or emotional in nature.  

Using yoghurt as an example, some consumers may need a low-fat healthy probiotic yoghurt to fulfil their need for physical fitness and well-being, whereas others may need a tasty treat with chocolate pieces to fulfil their need for indulgence that is still perceived as healthy.

Example question:

How well do you believe [BRAND X], meets the following requirements?

Please use the 5-point scale where 5 means completely and 1 means not at all

Brand quality

No matter how well you market your brand, if the customer’s actual experience of it is underwhelming, they are far less likely to repurchase or become brand loyalists.

When assessing brand quality, it is important to consider the issue from the point of view of the customer and the features and benefits that are of most importance to them.

For example, a brand that commands a premium price on the basis that it offers a lifetime guarantee is of little interest to a customer who is looking for a cost-effective, ‘quick fix’.

Conversely, a brand that promises years of service, only to break down or become redundant within a year or two is likely to result in future brand rejection.

The criteria used by the consumer to assess your brand’s quality may include, amongst others, the following:

  • Performance
  • Reliability
  • Durability
  • Appearance and finish
  • Style
  • Fit

To identify perceptions of brand quality, the following questions may be asked:

How would you describe our products to a friend or family member?

If you had to describe our brand in five words, which words would you choose?

Brand satisfaction

The satisfaction metric reflects the totality of the consumer’s interactions with the brand.  For this reason, it is regarded by many organisations as one of the most important, along with brand loyalty. 

A typical brand satisfaction metric question would be:

Overall, on a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with [brand X]?

However, this can provide a fairly ‘blunt’ measure of overall satisfaction and can actually obscure lurking issues.  Therefore, it is best to supplement it with other questions that address the individual issues that can affect overall brand satisfaction and loyalty.

For example:

  • Price 
  • Customer service
  • Staff behaviour 
  • Product or service availability 
  • Speed of delivery

Behavioural brand metrics

Behavioural brand loyalty

Unlike emotional brand loyalty, the behavioural loyalty metric reveals the extent to which customers will actually purchase your brand in preference to others, rather than being simply emotionally wedded to it. 

High levels of behavioural loyalty are important to manage the cost of customer acquisition and retention. They are also more likely to result in the spread of positive word of mouth about your brand. 

A typical brand loyalty question:

Thinking about [BRAND X], which of the statements below would you most agree with?

  • It’s the only brand I would buy
  • It’s one of a few brands I would buy
  • It’s one of a wide range of brands I would buy
  • It’s not a brand I would buy

Brand preference

Brand preference is a brand tracking metric used to record the number of customers who would select your brand ahead of named competitors when presented with a brand list. As such, it provides a clear understanding of your brand’s appeal within the context of the wider marketplace.

The question can be as simple as:

Tick which brand of [product] you prefer to buy…OR

If you had to choose just one of these brands the next time you are ready to make a purchase, which one would you choose?

Brand preference is a very useful indicator of overall brand strength because it usually reflects positive sentiment across a number of other key brand metrics, including brand awareness, brand associations and brand quality.

However, it doesn’t explicitly take price into account, and this is a criterion that could still see the consumer selecting another, cheaper brand ahead of their preferred one.

Brand purchase – including frequency

Brand purchase metrics are used to determine purchase behaviours. 

For example:

  • Frequency – how often an individual customer purchases your brand
  • Quantity – how much is purchased on each occasion
  • Location – where purchases are made
  • Share of wallet – how much of a consumer’s spend is devoted to a particular brand

The results are used to monitor overall sales patterns, to assess the impact of any market activity that has taken place (e.g. a communications campaign, an offer or price change), and to identify any unusual purchasing behaviour.  

They can also be used as the basis for future financial and logistical planning and in association with competitor data they can be used to calculate market share.

Typical brand purchase metric questions could be:

On average, how often do you purchase [BRAND X]?

When you buy [BRAND X] on a typical occasion, how many [packs, units, pieces] would you usually buy?

Thinking about the different places you can buy [BRAND X} from, which of these would you consider?

Imagine you were buying [CATEGORY X] for a whole year, how many times would you buy each brand?

Brand usage occasions

Brand usage metrics are used to determine how and when the brand is actually being used by consumers.  

They can be used to identify and quantify the different usage occasions, the individual need states that correspond to each of those occasions, the extent to which the brand is able to address each of those need states, and the volume of brand consumption on each occasion. 

These metrics enable you to ensure that your product and brand communications are appropriately configured to address consumer needs and behaviour. 

A typical brand occasions metric question would be:

Example Question:

Thinking about the range of occasions below, in which ones do you feel [BRAND X] is appropriate?

brandspeak-brand-metrics-funnel-diagram-1024x576 12 Brand Metrics You Can Measure with Brand Tracking

Which brand metrics should you track? 

In this article we’ve described the brand tracking metrics most commonly used in brand trackers today, but you may not need to use all of them to monitor the health of your own brand. You should select the brand metrics that you track based on what you want to achieve with your brand tracking research.

A brand tracking agency like Brandspeak can help you choose which brand metrics you should be tracking, and will help you to use metrics to create an effective brand tracker.

Conclusion

In this article we have outlined the tried and trusted brand tracking metrics most commonly in use today, as well as a host of possible survey questions that you can use to measure these metrics.

As we have shown, many are interlinked, with their power lying in the composite picture of brand health that they provide.

However, individual metrics can also be used together with other forms of sales data, to identify and address specific challenges and opportunities at different stages in the relationship between brand and customer.

Whilst their role and prominence will vary on a brand-by-brand and strategy-by-strategy basis, the chart below shows where and how individual brand metrics can be considered, together with other data, to monitor and support the marketing focus at different stages of the customer relationship, in order to maximise loyalty and share of wallet.

As a brand tracking agency, it is Brandspeak’s job to work with you to:

  • Identify the most appropriate brand tracking metrics for your brand and strategy.
  • Ensure each, underlying question is as closely aligned to your brand and its position in the market as possible.
  • Advise on the most suitable brand tracking frequency.
  • Provide an overall brand health score that best reflects your sector and your place in it.
  • Use the brand tracking metrics as a diagnostic tool to provide you with the best guidance to help achieve your business and brand goals.

For more information about how brand tracking metrics can be used to transform your brand, get in touch with our team of expert researchers today. 

For many organisations, choosing a market research company is no longer a simple procurement decision. The UK market is crowded, agency language often sounds interchangeable, and almost every market research agency claims to deliver “actionable insight”.

At the same time, pressure on marketing and insight teams has intensified. Decisions must be made faster. Budgets are under scrutiny. Senior stakeholders increasingly expect market research firms to demonstrate clear commercial impact in return for their investment.

In this environment, the real question is no longer “Which UK market research company can run this project?” but “Which market research partner can help us make better decisions?”

That distinction sits at the heart of how brands should evaluate market research companies in the UK today.

The UK market research landscape has evolved

Historically, many UK market research agencies operated as delivery specialists. A brief was issued. Fieldwork was conducted. Data was analysed. Findings were presented. The project concluded.

That model still exists. However, the context in which UK market research companies now operate has changed significantly.

Brands are surrounded by data; CRM systems, customer feedback platforms, digital analytics, behavioural dashboards and internal reporting systems. The problem facing most marketing and insight teams is not lack of information.

It is a lack of clarity.

What is often missing from market research agency outputs is not data volume but commercially grounded interpretation. In other words, genuine insight that connects qualitative depth, quantitative evidence and business decision-making.

As expectations of insight providers rise, the value of UK market research firms is increasingly defined by their ability to interpret, challenge and guide — not simply to execute.

Some market research companies have adapted to this shift. Others remain structured primarily around delivery models that struggle to support more complex, strategic decision-making.

Not all UK market research companies play the same role

From the outside, many market research companies in the UK appear similar. In practice, they are built for very different purposes.

Fieldwork and data collection agencies

These agencies excel in operational delivery. If a brand knows exactly what it needs – for example, a quantitative survey, a set of focus groups or a CATI study – and requires robust data at pace, this model works well.

Not surprisingly, many of these market research firms have adopted AI rapidly. Automation improves scripting, coding, data cleaning and reporting efficiency, helping reduce cost and turnaround time.

However, where the underlying business challenge is strategic, ambiguous or evolving, this model can fall short. Execution efficiency does not automatically equate to strategic relevance.

Method specialists

Other UK market research agencies focus on individual disciplines such as:

Technical depth in these areas can be highly valuable, particularly for established research programmes. However, a risk arises when their research becomes siloed. Without integration across qualitative and quantitative research methods and other brand issues, and without connection to broader commercial objectives, even well-designed studies can struggle to influence senior decision-making.

Methodological excellence alone does not guarantee strategic impact.

Strategic insight partners

A number of (typically smaller, more nimble) market research companies in the UK operate differently. They combine qualitative research, quantitative research, advanced analytics and strategic consultancy into bespoke programmes shaped around the brand’s commercial reality.

Rather than accepting a client brief at face value, they interrogate it.

  • What decision will this research inform?
  • What assumptions are embedded in the brief?
  • What does success look like commercially?

The resulting research design may involve qual, quant or mixed methodologies — but always with the big picture in mind.

For brands facing growth challenges, repositioning, innovation development or competitive pressure, this type of UK market research partner often delivers the greatest long-term value.

What a modern UK market research agency should deliver

Regardless of typology, any market research company in the UK seeking to remain relevant must go beyond basic market research delivery.

Challenge before fieldwork begins

Some of the most valuable thinking happens before a single survey is launched or discussion guide written.

Strong market research agencies are prepared to challenge assumptions, sharpen objectives and ensure that research is decision-led rather than question-led.

Not all UK market research firms have this capability or see this as part of their remit. Increasingly, it must be.

Integrate commercial understanding

Insight without context can mislead. A statistically significant finding in a quantitative survey is only useful if it is interpreted in light of brand positioning, margin structure, competitive dynamics and growth ambition.

Modern market research companies must connect qualitative insight, quantitative evidence and commercial reality. This is just one are in which consultancy capability becomes critical.

Prioritise action over volume

Long decks and dense charts do not drive change. Research buyers should look for UK market research agencies that are confident enough to distil complexity into clarity.

  • Clear implications.
  • Prioritised recommendations.
  • Commercial consequences made explicit.

Supporting detail can sit in the appendix. Strategic direction should sit at the forefront.

The role of AI in UK market research companies

AI is reshaping the UK market research industry — but in the short term at least, it should be treated as an enabler, not a replacement.

When properly integrated, AI can:

  • Rapidly synthesise thousands of open-ended survey responses
  • Identify patterns across mixed qualitative and quantitative datasets
  • Accelerate coding and theming
  • Extend analytical depth within pricing and segmentation models

For market research firms operating at scale, this delivers genuine advantages in speed and efficiency.

However, AI does not remove the need for human judgement.

Strategic brand decisions require interpretation of nuance, emotion and tension — including the subconscious, System 1 drivers that shape many purchase behaviours. AI can surface patterns. It cannot fully understand brand meaning, cultural context or stakeholder politics.

The most effective UK market research companies will therefore pair AI-enabled efficiency with experienced, senior strategic thinking.

Agencies that rely solely on automation risk producing insight that is technically impressive but strategically incomplete.

Why brands outgrow their market research agency

It is common for organisations to reach a point where their existing market research firm no longer feels aligned.

This is rarely about technical capability. More often it is about relevance.

Research programmes can become repetitive and gradually less relevant. Agency teams change. New marketing leadership brings different expectations. Strategic priorities shift.

When that happens, the underlying issue is usually not one of execution. The question is whether the UK market research company still adds perspective and challenge, and manages to add more value each year.

Where it does not, change becomes necessary.

Questions worth asking UK market research firms

When reviewing market research companies in the UK, it is tempting to focus on methodology, sample size or cost.

Those elements matter. But more revealing questions include:

  • Who will actually deliver the project?
  • What is the senior involvement in both qualitative and quantitative phases?
  • How will findings be translated into commercially actionable recommendations?
  • How will the agency help embed insight with senior stakeholders?
  • How does the firm integrate AI into analysis without losing strategic depth?

The answers quickly reveal whether a market research company operates primarily as a delivery provider or as a strategic partner.

Choosing a market research partner, not just a supplier

With hundreds of market research companies operating in the UK, capability alone is no longer the differentiator.

The brands extracting the greatest value from qualitative and quantitative research are those that treat their chosen UK market research agency as a thinking partner.

They expect:

  • Challenge, not compliance
  • Interpretation, not information
  • Commercial direction, not just findings
  • Intelligent use of AI

Ultimately, choosing a market research company is about selecting an organisation capable of connecting customer understanding, brand performance and commercial growth.

That is where research moves from functional necessity to strategic advantage.

At Brandspeak, this belief underpins how qualitative research, quantitative research and consultancy are integrated — combining rigour, advanced analytics and experienced judgement to ensure insight drives confident decisions, not just fuller decks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Market Research Companies in the UK

  • What does a market research company do?

    A market research company helps organisations understand customers, markets and competitors through structured qualitative and quantitative research. The goal is to support better, more confident business decisions.

  • How do I choose a market research company in the UK?

    Choosing a market research company in the UK should involve more than comparing methodologies. Brands should look for partners who can interpret insight in context, challenge assumptions and provide clear guidance on what to do next.

  • Are all market research companies in the UK the same?

    No. Market research companies in the UK range from data collection providers to specialist agencies and strategic insight partners. Each serves a different purpose, and the right choice depends on the role research is expected to play.

  • When should a brand consider changing market research company?

    Brands often consider changing market research company when insight feels repetitive, disconnected from decisions or unable to support new strategic challenges. This is often a sign that the business has evolved beyond its current research model.

Each new generation brings a fresh set of challenges for marketers. Gen Z now make up around 40% of consumers and will wield huge spending power. Tech-native and marketing-savvy, Gen Z represents a challenge but also potentially has the highest lifetime value of any consumer segment. Understanding Z-typical behaviours and preferences is crucial for any brand looking to get this generation to engage.

Physical retail is trending

A retail market research report by Accenture established that 60% of Gen Z prefer purchasing in physical stores. In the current economic environment this presents a challenge for many retailers but also highlights the value that this cohort places on the buying experience. The expectation is of “phygital,” the merging of physical and digital, which offers Gen Z shoppers the opportunity to interact with their phones to enhance the in-store experience. Fashion retailer Zara, for example, introduced an augmented reality app last year that enables shoppers to access interactive content via a phone while in a Zara store. Features include in-app purchasing and using the app to activate store displays.

Selling isn’t about products anymore

Or, at least, the marketing isn’t. Gen Z is much less likely to engage with marketing designed around products because this is a group very focused on benefits and results. Instead, the smart messaging is channeling what can be achieved with the product, what results can be generated and the benefits that buying or using it can deliver for the consumer. For example, Vodafone recently launched new mobile network Voxi, aimed at Gen Z mobile users. The focus of the marketing isn’t on the product itself but the “endless possibilities” it offers e.g. users can access apps like Snapchat and Messenger without affecting their data.

Gen Z loves social media

This is the generation that grew up with technology and does not know a world without smart phones or social media. While Millennials spend 8.5 hours a day engaging with content online (the overall UK average is 6.5 hours), Gen Z spends 10 hours of every day doing it. For Gen Z, just over half of that time is spent consuming content via their phones, much of it on social media – these consumers are much more likely to click on a social ad than any other type. So, for those brands looking to reach out to this group, social media is where you will find them. However, Gen Z has a very specific relationship with social media, especially when it comes to using it to interact with brands. They expect two-way, personalised conversations, straightforward messaging and content that emphasises what’s in it for them while making them feel valued.

What else defines Gen Z?

  • A short attention span. This generation is used to making decisions quickly, so messaging and value propositions need to be succinctly and swiftly communicated.
  • The desire to be entertained. Content aimed at Gen Z needs to be entertaining and delivered in multiple formats (videos, images, stories etc).
  • Expectations of transparency. Gen Z can research any brand in minutes so there is nowhere to hide – they expect transparency on products, values and origins, and consistency in terms of messaging.
  • Betterment. Gen-Z will happily pay more for products and services offered by companies who demonstrate commitment to positive social and environmental impact.

Gen Z is often criticised for being tech obsessed and having a limited attention span – and that has made many brands nervous of this group. However, the reality is that this savvy generation is reachable for those willing, and able, to get on their wavelength.

Contact

To find out more about Gen Z in relation to your brand, call Brandspeak on +44 (0)203 858 0052 or contact us at enquiries@brandspeak.co.uk

Why Brand Health Matters More Than Ever

Today, brands are constantly exposed to forces that can quietly undermine their position: new competitors entering the category, aggressive price-led disruption, changing consumer expectations, declining trust in institutions, channel fragmentation, economic pressure, and internal challenges such as reduced budgets or shifting strategic priorities. At the same time, strong brands are rewarded with resilience, pricing power, faster recovery from mistakes and a greater ability to drive sustained, profitable growth.

Without a structured view of brand health, these changes often go unnoticed until they begin to show up in sales performance, margin erosion or market share decline. By that stage, corrective action is typically more expensive, more disruptive and less effective.

Brand health monitoring gives marketers visibility beneath surface-level performance and lagging commercial indicators. It provides an early warning system for emerging issues, as well as a way of understanding whether marketing investment is genuinely strengthening the brand or simply delivering short-term spikes. In doing so, it turns brand management from instinct and opinion into a discipline grounded in evidence.

What Is Brand Health?

At a macro level, brand health describes the overall strength of a brand in the minds of its target audience and its capacity to support future commercial performance.

A healthy brand is one that:

  • Is known and recognised by the right audiences
  • Is clearly positioned and meaningfully differentiated
  • Is trusted and positively perceived
  • Comes to mind at the moment of purchase
  • Is actively considered and chosen
  • Can sustain demand, loyalty and margin over time

Importantly, brand health is not a vague or abstract idea. It is measurable, trackable and closely linked to business outcomes such as growth, resilience and profitability. In practice, brand health is assessed through a structured framework of metrics that together explain how the brand is performing across the decision journey.

A brief clarification on terminology is helpful here. Brand health can be assessed on a one-off basis, for example to diagnose a specific issue or establish a baseline. When measured on a regular, repeat basis, it is more commonly referred to as brand health monitoring or brand tracking.

In simple terms, a brand tracker is the research framework used to measure brand health consistently over time. The value does not lie in the tracker itself, but in the discipline and rigour of tracking the right metrics in a consistent way, and using them to guide decision-making, prioritise investment and identify emerging risks and opportunities before they translate into commercial underperformance.

Below are the core components commonly used to assess brand health, along with why each matters.

Awareness

Awareness measures whether people know the brand exists, both spontaneously and when prompted. While awareness alone does not guarantee success, it is a prerequisite for growth. Brands that are not mentally available at the moment of decision-making will struggle to compete, regardless of how strong their offer may be.

Familiarity and knowledge

Familiarity goes beyond recognition and captures how well people feel they know the brand. High awareness with low familiarity can signal superficial exposure without meaningful engagement. Strong familiarity suggests repeated exposure and clearer positioning.

Brand associations and perceptions

These measures explore what people believe about the brand across functional, emotional and value-based dimensions. They reveal whether the brand stands for something clear, relevant and compelling. Weak or undifferentiated associations are a common cause of long-term underperformance.

Differentiation

Differentiation assesses whether the brand is perceived as meaningfully different from competitors. This is one of the most reliable predictors of long-term brand growth. Brands seen as interchangeable are more vulnerable to price pressure and switching, while differentiated brands are better placed to command preference and premium.

Consideration

Consideration captures whether the brand is actively shortlisted when people are thinking about purchase. It sits at the intersection of awareness, relevance and perception. Declines in consideration often act as an early signal that the brand’s positioning is losing traction or that competitors are gaining ground.

Preference or first choice

Preference indicates which brand people would choose if all options were available. Over time, this metric is closely linked to market share, brand momentum and revenue growth.

Usage and loyalty

Usage confirms whether positive perceptions translate into behaviour, while loyalty reflects repeat purchase, attachment and resistance to switching. Together, they distinguish brands that are liked from brands that are genuinely relied upon.

Advocacy and recommendation

Advocacy measures willingness to recommend the brand to others. While often associated with customer experience, it also reflects confidence, trust and emotional connection. Declines in advocacy can foreshadow broader reputation issues that may later impact acquisition and retention.

Taken together, these metrics provide a holistic picture of brand health. Individually they tell part of the story; collectively they explain why a brand is growing, stagnating or declining.

Understanding Change in Brand Health Metrics

Brand health metrics are dynamic. They change over time in response to both internal decisions and external pressures, and understanding what drives that change is as important as observing that it has occurred.

Positive change may be driven by effective brand campaigns, clearer positioning, improved product or service delivery, increased visibility or competitive weakness. Negative movement can result from reduced marketing investment, inconsistent messaging, aggressive competitor activity, price changes that are not supported by perceived value, or service failures that damage trust.

Crucially, not all metrics move at the same speed.

Measures such as awareness or short-term consideration can respond relatively quickly to changes in media spend or campaign activity. Others, such as trust, differentiation or emotional attachment, tend to shift more slowly, particularly in established or lower-engagement categories.

This has direct implications for how often brand health should be measured.

In slower-moving categories, such as financial services, utilities, professional services or many B2B markets, brand perceptions tend to be relatively stable. In these instances, an annual brand health survey is often sufficient to monitor progress, validate strategy and identify emerging risks.

In faster-moving categories, such as FMCG, retail or consumer technology, brands are exposed to frequent purchase cycles, promotional pressure and rapid competitive change. Here, quarterly or continuous brand tracking is often more appropriate, allowing marketers to spot early signals and respond before issues become embedded.

The key is to align measurement frequency with market dynamics, rather than defaulting to a single approach.

Who Should Have Access to Brand Health Reports?

Brand health data is often treated as the domain of the marketing or brand team. While they are the primary users, limiting access in this way significantly reduces its value.

If brand health monitoring is to influence real business decisions, it must have visibility and credibility at senior leadership level, including the C-suite. In particular, it must resonate with the Finance Director, who plays a key role in budget allocation and investment decisions.

For that to happen, brand health tracking cannot stop at reporting scores and trends. It must demonstrate how movement in brand health links to financial performance. This might include:

  • Linking changes in consideration or preference to sales or share movement
  • Demonstrating how stronger differentiation supports price elasticity or margin
  • Showing how brand strength improves the efficiency of marketing spend
  • Connecting declining trust or advocacy to increased churn or acquisition costs

When brand health metrics are connected to commercial outcomes, they move from being “marketing data” to strategic performance indicators. This is what earns attention, investment and influence at board level.

The Top Five Things to Consider When Starting Brand Health Monitoring

For organisations new to brand health monitoring, the biggest risk is overcomplication. The most effective trackers are not the most complex, but the most focused, consistent and actionable.

Start small and build over time

Begin with a tightly defined set of core brand health metrics and track them consistently. Once the foundation is in place and delivering value, additional measures can be layered in as strategic needs evolve.

Get key stakeholders on board, but keep control

Early engagement builds buy-in and trust, but allowing too many stakeholders to shape the framework often leads to dilution. Clear focus and disciplined decision-making are essential.

Be explicit about why each metric exists (tracker design)

Each metric should be deliberately chosen for the role it plays within the overall framework. It should be clear what question the metric is intended to answer, what aspect of brand performance it helps to diagnose, and how changes in that metric should be interpreted. Metrics without a defined diagnostic purpose tend to dilute focus and weaken the overall effectiveness of the tracker.

Only measure what the organisation can act on (tracker governance)

A robust brand health framework also requires organisational readiness. There is limited value in surfacing issues if the business lacks the capability, authority or appetite to respond. Effective brand health monitoring prioritises metrics linked to levers the organisation can realistically pull, ensuring insight translates into action rather than becoming an academic exercise.

Summary and Conclusion

Brand health should be considered a business asset, yet it is often one of the least rigorously managed.

Understanding brand health means understanding how a brand lives in the minds of its audience, how it competes and how it is likely to perform in the future. When measured consistently, brand health provides early warning of risk, evidence of progress and a clear line of sight between marketing activity and commercial outcomes.

In competitive markets where brands can be undermined quietly and quickly, the ability to monitor brand health is not optional. It is a core capability for any organisation serious about long-term performance, resilience and profitability.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) is one of the most established and reliable quantitative research methodologies in use today. While online surveys dominate many research programmes, CATI continues to play a critical role where data quality, respondent engagement and sample control are paramount.

This article explains what CATI market research is, how it works, and crucially, when it is the right methodological choice for marketers and insight leaders looking to generate robust, decision-ready insight that can stand up to strategic scrutiny.

What Is CATI Market Research?

CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) is a quantitative research method in which trained interviewers conduct structured interviews over the phone, guided in real time by specialist survey software.

Rather than working from a static script, interviewers follow an intelligent questionnaire displayed on screen. The software dynamically controls question routing, quotas and logic, ensuring that each respondent only answers questions relevant to them. This creates a logical, efficient interview experience while maintaining strict consistency across the sample.

CATI is widely used across brand tracking, customer satisfaction research, public opinion polling, B2B decision-maker studies and stakeholder research – particularly where accuracy, representativeness and depth of understanding are priorities.

How the “Computer-Assisted” Element Works in Practice

The value of CATI lies in the combination of human interaction and software-driven control. The CATI system performs several critical functions during the interview:

  • Dynamic question routing
    Responses automatically determine which questions are asked next, eliminating irrelevant sections and reducing respondent fatigue.

     

  • Built-in quality controls
    Answer ranges, logic checks and validation rules prevent errors such as out-of-range responses or inconsistent data.

     

  • Real-time data capture
    Responses are recorded instantly in a structured database, removing the need for manual data entry and reducing both processing time and risk of human error.

For marketers, this means faster turnaround, cleaner datasets and greater confidence that findings are methodologically sound and commercially reliable.

Why Use CATI When Online Surveys Are Cheaper?

Online surveys are cost-efficient and scalable, but they are not always the best tool for every research objective. CATI remains highly relevant where understanding why people think and behave as they do is as important as measuring what they think.

Other advantages of CATI market research include:

  • Clarification and probing
    Interviewers can explain complex questions, probe vague responses and ensure respondents interpret questions as intended.

     

  • Higher data quality
    Respondents are less likely to rush or disengage compared with self-completion surveys, particularly on longer or more complex questionnaires.

     

  • Access to harder-to-reach audiences
    CATI is often more effective for engaging niche and professional audiences, including senior B2B decision-makers who are less responsive to online surveys.

For studies where precision, comprehension and engagement directly impact the reliability of insight, CATI frequently outperforms purely digital methods.

B2C vs B2B CATI Research: Very Different Challenges

CATI can be deployed effectively in both consumer and business-to-business contexts, but the execution differs significantly.

B2C CATI Research

In consumer studies, CATI is often used to achieve robust, representative samples across regions, demographics or customer types. Applications include brand tracking, usage and attitudes studies, and public opinion research.

Scale, consistency and quota control are key considerations.

B2B CATI Research

In B2B studies, CATI is typically used to reach specific job roles or senior decision-makers, such as finance directors, IT leaders or procurement managers. Sample sizes are smaller, but each interview carries greater strategic weight.

This requires:

  • Specialist interviewer training

     

  • Confidence engaging senior stakeholders

     

  • Thorough sample sourcing, validation, and screening

B2B CATI is therefore more about accuracy, reliability, and insight quality than volume.

What is the Cost of CATI Market Research?

CATI is more expensive than online surveys, but considerably less costly than face-to-face interviewing. The primary cost drivers are:

  • Skilled interviewer time
    CATI relies on trained professionals capable of building rapport, managing complex questionnaires and maintaining data quality.

     

  • Sample sourcing and validation
    Especially in B2B research, identifying and reaching the right respondents can be time-intensive and costly.

     

  • Quality assurance and supervision
    Professional CATI studies include monitoring, validation and data checks throughout fieldwork to ensure methodological rigour.

For marketers, the investment reflects the value of the output: structured quantitative data enriched by human judgement, real-time quality control and greater confidence in decision-making.

How to Choose a CATI Research Partner

You don’t need to be a research specialist to select a good CATI provider. The most reliable indicators of quality are process-based rather than purely technical.

Key questions to ask include:

  • How do you design and test questionnaires before fieldwork?

  • How are interviewers trained and supervised?

  • How do you handle respondent confusion or misinterpretation?

  • What quality checks are in place during and after fieldwork?

Strong CATI partners are transparent, collaborative and proactive in improving questionnaire design – not simply executing what they are given.

Is CATI the Right Method for Your Research?

CATI is not a default solution but it is a powerful one when used appropriately.

CATI is particularly well suited to research where:

  • Questionnaires are complex or require explanation

  • Respondents are senior, specialist or hard to reach

  • Data quality and consistency are critical

  • Understanding motivations and reasoning matters as much as measurement

Where speed and scale are the priority, online methods may be sufficient. Where insight needs to stand up to internal challenge, inform strategy and drive confident decisions, CATI remains one of the most robust research tools available.

Brand value is one of the most important drivers of long-term business performance, yet the term is often poorly defined or loosely applied. At its strongest, brand value shapes customer choice, supports pricing power, and protects businesses in competitive or volatile markets.

Many organisations struggle to differentiate their brands in crowded categories, leading to price pressure and fragile loyalty. Those brands that perform consistently well tend to share one thing in common: they treat brand value as a commercial asset that can be built deliberately, measured rigorously, and activated through strategy and experience.

This article explains what brand value really means, how it differs from brand equity, why it matters for growth, and how organisations can build and maximise it in practice.

What Is Brand Value?

Brand value refers to the overall economic and strategic worth of a brand as a business asset. It reflects the advantage a brand creates through customer preference, loyalty, trust, and sustained demand.

Unlike physical assets, brand value is largely intangible and future-facing. It captures not only current performance but also the brand’s ability to generate revenue, defend margins, and support growth over time. For this reason, brand value is powerful but also challenging to estimate precisely.

In practice, brand value is shaped by how effectively a brand converts perception into behaviour and behaviour into financial outcomes.

Brand Value vs. Brand Equity: A Clear and Practical Distinction

Brand value and brand equity are closely related, but they are not the same thing. 

Brand equity refers to the set of consumer-based perceptions and associations linked to a brand. It exists in the minds of customers and reflects how strongly and positively a brand is perceived. This includes awareness, mental availability, perceived differentiation, relevance, trust, and emotional associations. Brand equity influences how customers interpret communications, evaluate experiences, and respond to price.

Brand value, by contrast, refers to the economic worth of the brand to the business. It reflects the financial outcomes that strong brand equity enables, such as price premiums, volume stability, reduced churn, lower acquisition costs, and long-term earnings potential. Brand value is assessed at the firm or portfolio level and is typically expressed in monetary or financial terms.

In simple terms:

Brand equity describes what customers think and feel about a brand. Brand value reflects the financial advantage those perceptions create for the business.

From a management perspective, this distinction matters. Brand equity is built through marketing investment and experience design. Brand value is realised when that equity is translated into sustained commercial performance, margin, and growth.

How Brand Equity Translates into Brand Value

The relationship between brand equity and brand value is best understood as a causal sequence.

Brand equity shapes how customers think and feel about a brand. These perceptions influence behaviour, including willingness to pay, repeat purchase, resistance to switching, and advocacy. When these behaviours are aggregated across the market, they generate brand value in the form of stronger margins, higher customer lifetime value, and more predictable cash flows.

In this sense, brand equity is the source of value. Brand value only exists when equity changes behaviour in ways that matter commercially.

Why Brand Value Matters for Business Growth

Strong brand value delivers tangible advantages. Brands with higher value tend to retain customers more effectively, sustain pricing power, and recover more quickly from competitive or reputational challenges.

Because customers are less sensitive to price and more resistant to alternatives, businesses with strong brand value often achieve higher profitability over the long term. Brand value acts as a stabilising force, reducing reliance on short-term promotions or reactive tactics.

The Role of Trust in Building Brand Value

Trust plays a central role in both brand equity and brand value. Brands that behave consistently, communicate clearly, and deliver reliably build credibility over time.

That credibility strengthens loyalty and encourages advocacy. Customers are more willing to stay, recommend, and forgive mistakes. These behaviours compound over time, reinforcing brand value beyond what marketing spend alone can achieve.

How to Build Brand Value

Building brand value requires alignment between strategy, identity, and experience. Messaging alone is not enough.

Developing a Strong Brand Identity and Strategy

A clear and distinctive brand identity helps customers recognise and remember a brand, but identity only creates value when it is grounded in strategy.

Effective brand strategies articulate a clear value proposition, define who the brand is for, and establish meaningful points of difference. When brand positioning supports commercial objectives, identity becomes a lever for growth rather than a cosmetic exercise.

The Role of Customer Experience

Customer experience is where brand value is confirmed or undermined. Every interaction reinforces or erodes the brand promise.

Brands that consistently meet expectations build emotional strength and behavioural loyalty. Understanding customer needs, tracking experience drivers, and closing gaps between promise and delivery are essential to sustaining brand value.

How to Maximise Brand Value

Maximising brand value is an ongoing process. It requires evidence, discipline, and the ability to adapt.

Using Research to Optimise Brand Value

Market research plays a critical role in understanding which brand perceptions actually drive behaviour. By combining qualitative insight with robust quantitative measurement, organisations can identify the elements of brand equity that matter most for choice, loyalty, and price sensitivity.

This allows investment to be focused where it delivers the greatest commercial return, rather than spread evenly across brand metrics that feel reassuring but lack impact.

Consistency and Innovation

Consistency builds recognition and trust. Successful innovation ensures ongoing relevance.

Brands that perform well over time typically manage both. They evolve their offer, experience, or communication while remaining true to their core meaning. This balance is essential for sustaining brand value in changing markets.

How Brandspeak Helps Build and Maximise Brand Value

Brandspeak helps organisations treat brand value as a strategic growth asset, not a soft or abstract concept.

Through integrated qualitative and quantitative research, we uncover how brands are experienced, which perceptions influence behaviour, and where commercial value is being created or lost. Our work links brand metrics directly to outcomes such as choice, loyalty, and price tolerance.

This enables clients to prioritise decisions that convert brand equity into brand value, ensuring brand strategy functions as a driver of growth rather than a reporting exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Value

  • How Can Brand Value Be Measured?

    Brand value is typically assessed using a combination of financial indicators, behavioural metrics, and brand equity data. Strong approaches link perception measures to outcomes such as revenue, margin, retention, and lifetime value.

  • How Can Businesses Increase Their Brand Value?

    Businesses increase brand value by differentiating meaningfully, delivering consistently strong experiences, and using insight to guide decisions. When brands focus on what truly matters to customers and execute it well, commercial value follows.

Advanced statistical analytics helps organisations move beyond surface-level metrics to uncover the real drivers of choice, behaviour and performance. When applied well, it provides the evidence needed to build stronger propositions, optimise pricing, sharpen targeting and improve customer experience with confidence.

At Brandspeak, advanced analytics is not treated as an academic exercise or a black-box model. It is used as a decision engine, designed to translate complex data into clear, commercially actionable guidance for brand, product, pricing and experience strategy.

Brandspeak applies advanced modelling across B2C and B2B markets, supporting clients in sectors including retail, FMCG, finance, telecoms, technology, travel, education and professional services.

What Are Advanced Statistical Analytics?

Advanced statistical analytics refers to a suite of quantitative techniques used to understand how people make decisions, what influences their behaviour and how markets are structured. Rather than relying on topline measures alone, it identifies the relationships, trade-offs and patterns within data that shape real-world choices.

Techniques such as conjoint analysis, MaxDiff and key driver modelling are designed to simplify complexity – revealing what truly matters, what can be deprioritised and where change will deliver the greatest commercial impact.

At Brandspeak, these methods are often combined with qualitative insight, behavioural science and experience diagnostics, ensuring the numbers are grounded in how customers actually think, feel and decide – not just what they say in a survey.

Why Advanced Analytics Matters

Reveal What Really Drives Behaviour

Advanced analytics exposes the variables that genuinely influence preference, satisfaction, loyalty or purchase, separating true drivers from background noise. This gives organisations clarity on where to focus effort, investment and change.

When integrated with qualitative and behavioural insight, these drivers become more than statistics – they become credible, human-centred levers for action.

Build Stronger Propositions and Pricing

By modelling real-world trade-offs, advanced analytics shows which combinations of features, benefits and price points create the strongest appeal. This helps teams design propositions around what customers truly value, rather than internal assumptions.

This work often feeds directly into innovation development, proposition optimisation and pricing strategy, reducing risk before major commercial decisions are made.

Improve Targeting Through Meaningful Segmentation

Segmentation analytics identifies distinct groups within a market based on needs, motivations or behaviours – enabling more relevant messaging, better product–market fit and more efficient use of resources.

At Brandspeak, segments are built to be strategically usable, often enriched with attitudinal and experience-based insight so they can be activated across marketing, communications and customer experience design.

Increase Confidence in Forecasting and Planning

Predictive modelling helps organisations anticipate future outcomes, such as adoption, churn or demand under different scenarios. This strengthens strategic planning, supports scenario testing and reduces uncertainty across leadership teams.

These models are frequently used alongside strategic workshops and stakeholder alignment sessions, helping organisations move from insight to aligned action.

Advanced Analytical Methods in Practice

Brandspeak draws on a wide range of advanced techniques, selecting the right tools for each challenge rather than applying a standard formula. These include:

  • Conjoint analysis
  • MaxDiff
  • Regression and driver modelling
  • Factor and cluster analysis
  • Forecasting and pricing elasticity modelling
  • Structural equation frameworks

The focus is always on clarity and commercial relevance, ensuring outputs translate into implications, priorities and decisions, not just data tables.

Key Advanced Analytics Applications

Conjoint Analysis for Proposition and Pricing Optimisation

Conjoint analysis models the trade-offs customers make between features, benefits and price. It identifies the configurations that maximise appeal and shows how changes would strengthen or weaken market performance.

MaxDiff for Attribute Prioritisation

MaxDiff identifies which attributes matter most by asking respondents to choose the best and worst options from a set. This provides a clear, defensible hierarchy of priorities for investment and improvement.

Key Driver Analysis for Customer Outcomes

Key driver modelling reveals which elements of the brand, product, service or journey most strongly influence outcomes such as satisfaction, loyalty, trust or purchase intent.

These insights are frequently used to support customer experience measurement and redesign, focusing effort where it will deliver the highest return.

Segmentation for Smarter Targeting

Segmentation studies group customers into meaningful clusters that share motivations, needs or behaviours. The result is a clear map of who to target, what each group values and how experience and communication should be tailored.

Predictive Modelling and Market Structure Analysis

Predictive analytics forecasts future behaviour, while market structure modelling reveals how categories are organised, how customers navigate choices and where opportunities for differentiation exist.

Together, these approaches provide a powerful foundation for brand strategy, positioning and portfolio decisions.

From Analytics to Advantage

Advanced statistical analytics delivers its greatest value when it moves beyond explanation and actively shapes decisions. For marketers and insight leaders, success is not defined by sophisticated models, but by the clarity they bring to strategic trade-offs, investment choices and growth opportunities.

Brandspeak’s approach ensures advanced analytics is never used in isolation. By integrating robust modelling with qualitative insight, behavioural understanding and commercial storytelling, analytics becomes a catalyst for confident action, helping organisations prioritise smarter, move faster and build strategies grounded in how markets really work.

Brand strategy is one of the most powerful growth levers available to organisations, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. Too often, it is treated as a question of messaging, visual identity, or tone of voice, rather than as a set of strategic choices that shape how a business competes and grows.

At its best, brand strategy provides clarity. It defines what a brand stands for, who it is for, and how it creates value in the market. Brand strategy consulting should bring structure, evidence, and objectivity to these decisions, ensuring they are grounded in market reality rather than internal assumption.

This article explains what brand strategy consulting really involves, how it draws directly on core market research services such as brand tracking, customer experience research, and proposition development, and why many organisations benefit from specialist support rather than attempting to develop brand strategy alone.

What Is Brand Strategy Consulting?

Brand strategy consulting is the structured process of defining, refining, or reorientating a brand’s strategic role in the market. It focuses on decisions that shape how a brand creates value for customers and competitive advantage for the business.

This typically includes:

Crucially, brand strategy consulting is not about creative execution in isolation. It sets the strategic framework that guides experience design, proposition development, innovation, and communication over time. Without this clarity, brands risk inconsistency, tactical drift, or internally driven decisions that lack market relevance.

Breaking Brand Strategy Down: Its Core Components

A brand strategy is often described as a single organising idea, but in practice it is made up of several interlocking components. Together, these form a coherent, decision-ready framework that guides choices across proposition design, experience delivery and investment.

Target audience and priority segments

Strong brands are built for specific audiences, not for everyone. This element defines the priority customer segments the brand must win with in order to succeed commercially, based on their needs, value, growth potential and relevance to the organisation’s capabilities. It requires clear choices about whom the brand is for — and, just as importantly, whom it is not for — so that strategy, messaging and experience can be sharply focused.

Category role and competitive frame

This defines the category or categories in which the brand chooses to compete, and the role it intends to play within them. It clarifies the competitive frame of reference – for example, whether the brand is a specialist, challenger, partner or trusted incumbent – and therefore which competitors truly matter. Getting this right ensures the brand is compared on favourable terms and avoids being trapped in an undifferentiated or overly broad competitive set.

Value proposition

The value proposition articulates the total value the brand delivers to its target audience, from the customer’s perspective. This includes functional benefits (what the brand enables people to do), emotional benefits (how it makes them feel) and, where relevant, social benefits (what it signals about them to others). A strong value proposition is rooted in genuine customer needs and is clearly linked to the organisation’s ability to deliver it consistently and profitably.

Differentiation

Differentiation defines how and why the brand is meaningfully different from the alternatives available to customers. This may come from the offer itself, the experience it delivers, distinctive assets, or the way the brand behaves and communicates. Crucially, differentiation must be both relevant to the target audience and difficult for competitors to replicate so that it supports long-term preference rather than short-term novelty.

Brand promise and positioning

The brand promise sets the expectations the brand creates through what it says and does, while positioning defines how it wants to be perceived relative to competitors. Together, they provide a clear articulation of the brand’s intended place in the market. For credibility, the promise must be consistently reinforced across communications, customer experience and delivery — any gap between promise and reality will quickly erode trust and brand equity.

Strategic focus and trade-offs

Effective brand strategy depends on explicit choices. This component defines what the brand will prioritise — and what it will consciously deprioritise — across audiences, offers, channels and behaviours. By making these trade-offs clear, the brand avoids dilution, aligns internal decision-making and ensures resources are concentrated where they will have the greatest strategic and commercial impact.

These components together form the foundation for downstream decisions, from customer experience design and proposition development to marketing investment and performance measurement

Brand Strategy in B2C and B2B Contexts

While the fundamentals of brand strategy are consistent, their application differs between consumer and business-to-business markets.

Brand Strategy in B2C Markets

In B2C markets, brand strategy operates in highly competitive environments characterised by emotional choice, habitual System 1 buying behaviour, and high levels of substitution. Brands compete for attention, mental availability, and preference at scale.

As a result, B2C brand strategy places greater emphasis on emotional positioning alongside functional benefit, availability and salience at the point of choice, and distinctive brand assets that support recognition. Market research plays a vital role in understanding how consumers choose, what shortcuts they use, and which brand cues genuinely influence behaviour.

Brand Strategy in B2B Markets

In B2B markets, decisions involve more deliberative, System 2 decision-making behaviour. They are likely to involve multiple stakeholders and carry higher perceived risk. Brand strategy therefore plays a different but equally important role.

B2B brand strategy tends to focus on clarity of expertise, credibility, trust, and reassurance. It supports confidence, reduces perceived risk, and helps buyers justify decisions internally. Research is essential to understand how different stakeholders influence decisions and what builds trust over time.

Where B2C and B2B Converge

Despite these differences, B2C and B2B brand strategy increasingly converge. Buyers in both contexts expect clarity, relevance, and strong experiences. Emotional reassurance, ease of decision-making, and consistency matter regardless of sector. Effective brand strategy consulting recognises these nuances and avoids one-size-fits-all approaches.

The Role of Market Research in Brand Strategy Development

Strong brand strategy is built on evidence, not assumption. Market research provides the external perspective that internal teams often lack, revealing how customers actually perceive a brand and how they make choices.

At Brandspeak, our brand strategy consulting work typically uses one or more forms of market research as its base. For example:

Brand U&A, brand tracking and brand equity research to establish a clear baseline of how a brand is currently perceived, where it is differentiated, and which perceptions matter most for choice and loyalty.

Customer experience research which shows how brand promise is delivered in practice, identifying where experience supports brand strategy customer satisfaction and where it undermines it.

Proposition and innovation research which tests how strategic intent translates into tangible offers, helping ensure propositions strengthen rather than dilute brand meaning.

Brand strategy consulting synthesises insight from these sources into a coherent view of the market to define the nature of the strategic challenge. 

Developing Brand Strategy Across Multiple International Markets

Creating a unifying brand strategy across international markets introduces additional complexity. Customer needs, social and cultural norms, and competitive contexts vary, making it difficult to balance global consistency with local relevance.

Common challenges include differing decision drivers, variations in how brands are interpreted, and legacy positioning that varies by market. Without robust research, organisations often default to either excessive standardisation or excessive localisation, both of which carry risk.

Effective international brand strategy identifies what must be globally consistent, such as core positioning and value proposition, while allowing flexibility in local expression based on market insight. Cross-market research plays a critical role in distinguishing universal drivers from genuinely local ones.

Why Organisations Often Struggle to Do This Internally

Many organisations attempt to develop brand strategy internally. While this can work in some circumstances, it is often constrained by internal bias, legacy assumptions, competing stakeholder agendas, and lack of strategic distance.

Brand strategy consulting brings an external, evidence-led perspective that helps organisations see their brand as customers do. It provides structure, momentum, and objectivity to what can otherwise become a prolonged or diluted process.

When to Invest in Brand Strategy Consulting

Organisations are most likely to benefit from brand strategy consulting at moments of change or uncertainty. These include slowing growth, increased competitive pressure, business transformation, acquisition, international expansion, or when innovation pipelines lack coherence.

At these moments, investing in brand strategy consulting helps reduce risk, align stakeholders, and ensure decisions are grounded in market reality rather than instinct alone.

Conclusion: Brand Strategy is a Growth Enabler

Brand strategy consulting is not about creating a brand story for its own sake. It is about providing clarity in complex markets and enabling better decisions across the organisation.

When rooted in robust market research, brand strategy becomes a growth enabler. It aligns teams, sharpens focus, and ensures investment is directed where it will have the greatest impact. For organisations willing to invest in evidence-led thinking, brand strategy consulting provides the insight and structure needed to compete with confidence and build brands that endure.

Brand tracking is one of the most widely used research tools in marketing – and one of the most frequently under-used.

Too often, brand trackers become reporting mechanisms rather than decision tools. Dashboards fill up with awareness, consideration and preference scores, but it remains unclear which metrics actually matter, how much movement is meaningful, and what actions should follow.
The result is activity without impact.

At its best, brand tracking should provide clarity, confidence and direction, helping organisations understand not just how their brand is performing, but what to do next. The most effective programmes focus on a small number of KPIs that are clearly linked to business decisions and commercial outcomes, rather than measuring everything that can be measured.

This article explains which brand tracking KPIs genuinely drive growth, how to choose them, and how to avoid the common traps that cause trackers to lose relevance over time.

Why do brand tracking programmes often fail to deliver value?

Most brand trackers start with good intentions but drift into one of four problems:

Too many metrics

Everything feels important, so everything gets measured — resulting in noise rather than clarity.

Weak links to decision-making

Scores move, but it is unclear which changes matter, why they matter, or how teams should respond.

Template-led design

Trackers are often built around standard KPI sets rather than the specific commercial context of the brand.

Competing agendas

Over time, different individuals, business units or markets may insist on adding their own questions to the questionnaire to make it more ‘relevant’ to their specific needs. This will often have the effect of diluting the tracker’s core purpose.

The most effective trackers start with a clear understanding of their purpose and they maintain that clarity over time. 

What is the difference between brand health metrics and growth-driving KPIs?

Not all brand tracking metrics play the same role.

Some are diagnostic, meaning they provide context and monitoring. Others are explanatory or predictive, meaning they help explain customer choice and forecast commercial outcomes.

A strong brand tracking framework makes this distinction explicit.

Which brand metrics are diagnostic?

Diagnostic metrics help track visibility and presence but rarely drive decisions on their own. Common examples include:

These metrics tend to move slowly and are heavily influenced by media weight rather than how clearly and distinctively the brand is positioned in customers’ minds.

Which brand metrics drive commercial outcomes?

Growth-driving metrics explain how brands get chosen in real buying situations.

In many categories, two measures are frequently influential:

Mental availability

How easily and quickly a brand comes to mind in relevant buying situations

Meaningful differentiation

The extent to which a brand is perceived as distinct, relevant and worth choosing over alternatives

Alongside these, other metrics often play an important supporting role, including emotional affinity, perceived value and experience delivery.

Effective brand tracking is not about elevating one metric above all others but about understanding how different brand perceptions contribute to choice and behaviour.

How should you choose the right brand tracking KPIs?

There is no single “right” KPI framework.

The most effective brand tracking programmes start with the business objective, not a predefined metric list.

If the objective is growth

Prioritise KPIs that explain:

  • Why customers choose your brand over competitors
  • Where differentiation is creating advantage
  • Whether brand perceptions support premium pricing or volume expansion

If the objective is defence or retention

Focus on:

  • Emotional connection and reassurance
  • Trust and reliability
  • Experience consistency
  • Early indicators of switching risk

If the objective is repositioning

Track:

  • Shifts in how the brand is perceived and understood
  • Movement on priority associations
  • Change among strategically important audiences rather than the total market

Across these different objectives, metrics such as mental availability and differentiation are often important reference points but they should always be assessed in the context of the specific commercial question being asked.

How can brand tracking KPIs be linked to commercial outcomes?

For brand tracking to deliver real value, it must be possible to answer a simple question:

If this metric moves what happens to the business?

Many traditional trackers struggle here. They show movement, but they do not explain impact.

Brandspeak’s approach to brand tracking focuses on linking brand KPIs to choice, behaviour and competitive dynamics. This typically involves understanding:

  • Which brand perceptions are associated with acquisition, retention or switching
  • How these relationships differ by audience segment
  • Which brand and experience factors matter most at the point of choice

Where organisations need to go further – explicitly quantifying how brand and experience metrics relate to commercial outcomes. This thinking is operationalised through GrowthTrack.

GrowthTrack identifies which brand and experience metrics have the strongest relationship with buyer behaviour and business performance by:

  • Linking brand perceptions to outcomes such as acquisition, retention and competitive switching
  • Identifying the relative importance of different brand and experience drivers
  • Modelling how changes in key drivers could influence future performance

Used in this way, GrowthTrack extends broader brand tracking rather than replacing it, helping organisations understand not just what is changing, but what the commercial impact will be.

What does a practical brand tracking KPI framework look like?

A robust brand tracking framework typically includes three layers.

1. Headline brand KPIs

These provide a clear, senior-level view of overall brand performance, such as brand strength or propensity to choose. They act as signals rather than endpoints, prompting deeper analysis rather than standing alone.

2. Brand driver metrics

These explain why the headline KPI is moving. Common examples include differentiation, relevance, perceived value and experience quality.

In effective trackers, driver metrics are selected because they inform decisions, not simply because they are standard or easy to measure.

3. Diagnostic metrics (used selectively)

Measures such as awareness or advertising recognition provide useful context but should not dominate reporting if they do not directly support action.

The guiding principle is discipline: if a metric does not help someone decide what to do next, it should not be tracked continuously.

How do you make brand tracking actionable?

Even the right KPIs will fail if there is no shared understanding of how they should be used.

High-performing brand tracking programmes are designed with interpretation and action in mind, including:

  • Clear expectations around what constitutes meaningful change
  • Agreed narratives for explaining movement
  • Defined actions when key metrics improve or decline

For example, declining mental availability may prompt changes in communications reach or distinctive asset use, while weakening differentiation may trigger a review of proposition clarity or messaging focus.

This emphasis on action reflects a broader belief that brand tracking should support ongoing strategic decisions, not simply provide historical reporting.

How Market Research Agencies approache brand tracking KPIs

Market research agencies like Brandspeak’s approach to brand tracking is grounded in a simple principle:

Metrics only matter if they have the power to change decisions.

In practice, this means designing brand tracking programmes around commercial objectives, selecting KPIs that provide clarity rather than clutter, and combining quantitative measurement with deeper understanding where needed.

GrowthTrack plays a role where explicit linkage to commercial outcomes is required, but it sits within a broader, flexible philosophy that recognises different brands face different challenges at different points in time.

The result is brand tracking that evolves with the business, remains relevant over time, and supports confident decision-making at every level.

So, which brand tracking KPIs matter most?

When brand tracking fails it does so NOT because it isn’t measuring enough, but because it is measuging too many of the wrong things.

The most effective programmes focus on a smaller number of KPIs that explain customer choice, support strategic decisions and, where required, link clearly to commercial outcomes.

When brand tracking is designed in this way, it becomes a major strategic asset — rather than just another dashboard.

Brand Tracking KPI FAQs

  • What are brand tracking KPIs?

    Brand tracking KPIs are metrics used to monitor how a brand performs over time. They typically include measures of awareness, perception, differentiation and choice, and are used to inform marketing and commercial decisions.

  • Which brand tracking KPIs are most important?

    The most important KPIs depend on the business objective. Metrics such as mental availability and meaningful differentiation are often influential because they relate closely to how brands are chosen, but they should always be assessed alongside other brand and experience drivers relevant to the decision at hand.

  • How many KPIs should a brand tracker include?

    Effective brand trackers typically include a small number of headline KPIs, supported by a limited set of driver metrics. Tracking too many metrics can reduce clarity and make it harder to act on results.

  • How often should brand tracking be conducted?

    This depends on category dynamics and decision cycles. Some brands track quarterly to support ongoing optimisation, while others use lighter-touch tracking aligned to key planning moments. Frequency should be driven by how the data will be used.

  • How can brand tracking be linked to sales or growth?

    Brand tracking can be linked to growth by analysing how changes in brand perceptions relate to behaviours such as acquisition, retention and switching. Advanced approaches, such as GrowthTrack, quantify these relationships to show which metrics have the greatest commercial impact.

  • Is brand tracking only useful for large brands?

    No. While large brands often run continuous tracking, smaller or growing brands can benefit from tailored tracking programmes designed around specific strategic questions, such as growth opportunities, repositioning or defending market share.

For businesses looking for a DIY approach to collecting more qualitative and quantitative data from current and prospective customers, there are lots of survey software options out there to help you ask questions directly of your audience.

Good survey software should be user-friendly both for researcher and the target audience. It should also provide analytics tools that enable you to review and present your data in a clear and understandable way.

Let’s take a look at the best survey software currently improving the market & consumer research of businesses across the world.

Google Forms

Simple, free and basic; Google Forms is a free tool from Google that allows users to create forms and quizzes to send to their database. It comes with preloaded templates such as event feedback forms, order forms and applications.

Its layout is fairly easy to use, with the option to add qualitative questions, tickboxes, drop downs and radio buttons, as well as file uploads, date/time and linear scale questions.

Answers and data can be viewed on the platform and even exported to Google Sheets for further analysis and presentation.

For advanced users, Google Forms allows third party add-ons for further customisation and features not included in the basic version. Once you have created a form, it can be shared as a link however you choose.

You can brand the forms as you wish, but options are limited compared to other survey software out there. Forms tend to require users to have a Google Account to access the full functionality, meaning you could lose valuable responses from users without an account or not willing to sign up.

What is the price of Google Forms?

Google Forms is free, highly intuitive and does everything survey software should. Just be prepared to distribute your surveys to your database manually, unless you use a tool like Zapier to automate it for you.

Snap Surveys

Snap Surveys is professional survey software offering direct support and a multitude of features for businesses looking to collect data from their consumers and clients. Surveys can be fully customised and branded, and integrate directly to your internal systems via API connections.

Impressively, surveys can be completed on mobile devices, online and on paper, with a paper scanning feature to automatically record answers and prevent manual inputs; potentially saving your team hundreds of hours.

Businesses can install Snap Survey on their own devices such as a tablet or smartphone, and collect surveys offline, whether on-site at an event, or on the high street.

With Snap Surveys’ Smart Reports, your team can quickly view data summaries visually, and customise the reports for internal stakeholders, making for impressive presentations and data visualisation.

Some training may be required to fully understand Snap Surveys system, but pre-built reports and dedicated support ensures users can start collecting data quickly.

What is the price of Snap Surveys?

Keep an eye on the price, subscription starts from £38 per user, per month, but this can quickly rise for larger teams and corporations.

SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is one of the most trusted and recognised brands in DIY survey software. Its free subscription allows businesses to create surveys with a limit of 10 questions and 25 responses, meaning it’s easy to trial in order to understand if SurveyMonkey is right for you.

For those serious about market research, SurveyMonkey comes with a collection of survey templates that are invaluable to businesses of any size, including customer feedback, Net Promoter Score and customer satisfaction.

For larger enterprises, there are even internal survey templates such as employee feedback and satisfaction.

SurveyMonkey is equipped with templates for new product research and brand awareness surveys, for businesses looking to measure their place in the market or gain valuable insights into new products and markets.

Recently they have implemented AI tools to help guide your survey creation and data collection by spotting errors and making suggestions. As with everything AI, take it with a pinch of salt, and ensure you error check any suggestions it makes!

What is the price of SurveyMonkey?

Pricing can start from £20 per user, per month, but this quickly rises for large teams and organisations. Be aware that SurveyMonkey’s Audience feature, which allows your survey to be sent to SurveyMonkey’s own database aimed at your key demographics, is sold separately.

MailChimp

Despite being more known for its CRM and email marketing software, MailChimp has basic survey functionality to help collect data and responses from your database.

As with MailChimp’s email platform, the software is easy to use and understand, with drag and drop functionality, as well as common survey features such as dropdown questions, radio buttons, multi-choice and qualitative responses.

You can fully brand your surveys, but as they are digital-only, you’ll need to find your own platforms and data to send it out to.

For businesses with a large email list or social media following, this is a great option. But smaller or newer businesses may struggle with getting responses from the get-go.

You can add your MailChimp survey to your current email automations to help speed up and streamline your data collection process, just be sure not to spam your customers!

What is the price of MailChimp?

MailChimp’s pricing depends on the amount of contacts in your database, starting from £9.75/mo for 500 contacts. This cost can soon spiral for large databases, so ensure you are getting the most out of MailChimp when you sign up.

SmartSurvey

A modern survey software that boasts a range of high profile clients, from non-profits and NGOs to large enterprises, SmartSurvey is increasingly a go to system for businesses wanting research data.

Their software features image-rich features, to allow visual questions, as well as considerations towards accessibility, mobile-first surveys and personalisation.

You can buy survey responses at an additional cost on top of your subscription, but ideally you will have your own data to send surveys out to in order to minimise this cost and get trustworthy responses.

SmartSurvey integrates with a range of CRM systems via API and features internal sharing functionality for sending data across teams and stakeholders. Its features can seem a bit overwhelming, with real-time analysis and data management tools; but a well-trained research team can get the most out of its functions.

What is the price of SmartSurvey?

SmartSurvey pricing starts at £30 per month, per user. Large teams and businesses can expect this to go up. Don’t forget that paid responses are an additional cost too.

Typeform

Typeform’s focus is on eye-catching surveys that are pleasing to experience and encourage users to fill in every question. The software integrates with top CRM systems, payment systems and other digital infrastructure to allow automation across various user journeys, sending out forms, quizzes and surveys that provide you data.

Their AI data analysis tool is said to give accurate summaries and insights into the data that is collected; it even helps you build your forms with suggestions and tips.

One new tool is Clarity AI, which will form new questions for users to drill down into qualitative answers for more accurate insights.

Typeform can be used to capture leads, conduct market research, gauge employee sentiment and collect marketing data. Its AI tools are a boon for those looking for digital transformation, but keep in mind that AI is only a tool, so don’t over rely on it.

How much does Typeform cost?

Typeforms pricing starts from £21 per month, with higher tiers offering more features and support.

Software Survey Alternatives

For businesses without the time, resource or capability to create in-house surveys, conduct and manage the fieldwork and then analyse the data effectively, using an expert Market Research Agency will definitely save you both time and money, whilst also ensuring that you  get the best possible ROI.

Agencies such as Brandspeak specialise in conducting surveys to support marketers who are looking to maximise the profitable performance of their brands.

Whether you are looking to segment your customer base so you can identify and target your most valuable customers, determine levels of customer satisfaction with your brand using Net Promoter Score, track the performance of your brand or evaluate the potential or a new product or service concept, a market research agency will not undertake the survey for you and deliver a comprehensive report on the findings, it will also provide detailed conclusions and recommendations based on its analysis, so you know exactly what to do next in order to move your brand forwards.

Table of Contents

Choosing the right market research agency can make the difference between profitable brand growth and expensive failure.

Whether you’re looking to develop or optimise a brand, segment your customer base, assess potential new markets, refine your messaging, or derisk your new product development, the UK is home to some of the world’s most experienced and innovative market research companies.

Below, we explore 10 of the most respected market research agencies in the UK today, each known for delivering evidence-based insight that drives strategic decision-making for some of the world’s biggest brands.

1. Brandspeak Limited (London & Nationwide)

Best for: Senior-led research, brand strategy, qualitative & quantitative insight

Based in London and operating worldwide, Brandspeak provides a full suite of both traditional and AI-enhanced, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, with core services including brand tracking, customer segmentation, market evaluation, new product development, brand positioning, and UX testing. 

Due to the research agency’s hybrid team of senior, insight and marketing experts, they are able to help clients bridge the gap that often exists between the delivery of powerful insights and the implementation of equally powerful market strategies. Moreover, because of the agency’s business model, it does so at prices far lower than most of its established, market research competitors.

The agency’s work spans both B2B and B2C, and specialises in sectors including financial services, IT & tech, leisure and FMCG. Their previous clients include AXA, Santander, Amazon, Mitsubishi and Nintendo.

2. Ipsos UK

Best for: Large-scale global research, polling, brand tracking

Part of one of the world’s largest research networks, Ipsos is a household name in market and social research. Headquartered in France, with extensive capabilities in the UK, Ipsos provides both qualitative and quantitative research and is particularly known for political polling, brand tracking and advertising effectiveness assessment.  Ipsos combines scale with deep sector knowledge across media, retail, public policy, and more. Their methodologies are robust, and their datasets unrivalled.

Ipsos is a go-to brand for media companies and governments, and one of the more recognisable names in market research.

3. Kantar

Best for: FMCG insight, media measurement, consumer trends

Kantar is another global heavyweight with a major presence in the UK. They claim to work with the world’s biggest brands, including over 90% of the top 100 leading advertisers. Like other agencies, their services dive into how consumers think and act, to help brands determine the effectiveness of their advertising, or offer insights on how best to create campaigns that speak to their core audience.

Particularly strong in FMCG, media, and advertising research, Kantar is well known for tools like BrandZ and their consumer panels. Businesses use Kantar for global reach, campaign testing, and innovation strategy.

4. Savanta

Best for: Fast-turnaround research, youth insight, data visualisation

First launched in 2019 with the combination of four different agencies; Savanta offers a full range of quantitative and qualitative services, blending consultancy and data science with an agile research model. The organisation is often chosen for its work with youth audiences, tech brands, and higher education. The agency also stands out for its strong data design and storytelling capabilities.

They boast a range of market research tools designed for different sectors and industries, and focus their messaging on delivering research to a “digital first world”, making them suited for younger brands and businesses.

5. Walnut Unlimited

Best for: Behavioural science, neuroscience, emotional insight and social research.

Walnut describes itself as the “human understanding agency”, combining behavioural economics and neuroscience with traditional market research, including both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. 

The company has particular expertise in engaging underserved and marginalised audiences, and evaluating the impact of policy.

If you’re looking to understand not just what customers do, but why they do it, Walnut’s methods go deep, especially useful for campaign testing and innovation. Their research is said to be “backed by science”, so expect cold, hard data that is hard to argue against.

6. Basis Research

Best for: Global qual and quant research, brand strategy, innovation, pricing research.

Basis is an award-winning strategic insight agency, with a presence in both the UK and US, and division-based expertise (e.g. Basis Social, Basis Health). Basis combines mixed method research with AI analytics and strong storytelling capability, 

The company also works across categories such as travel, entertainment, and tech. Their outputs are strategic and tailored, often feeding directly into business planning and brand development.

For each sector they offer insights into, there a range of tools and methods specifically for that industry.

7. 2CV

Best for: Creative testing, youth culture, global audience insight

2CV is a UK-based, B2C and B2B agency based in London and with offices in LA, San Francisco and Singapore. 2CV is creative and culturally aware, with AI-driven platforms such as Talkbot, Insight.AI and SmartProbe. They work across consumer goods, energy, healthcare, tech, finance, and beyond—supporting clients at local and global scale.

Their clients include big names in tech, media, and entertainment, and have been providing insights for 33 years. They pride themselves on “creating simplicity from complexity”.

8. Attest

Best for: Consumer Profiling, market analysis, seasonal research

Attest is a VC-backed SAAS platform for market research, aimed at marketers and business decision makers looking for insights into their sector and audience. Working on a subscription model, users can tailor their services to their specific needs. 

They have offices in London and New York, and offer regular reports into these markets. Brand they have worked with previously include Reddit, Fever Tree and Bugaboo.

9. YouGov

Best for: Consumer tracking, polling, public opinion data

While best known for their political polling and daily trackers, YouGov’s BrandIndex and Profiles tools are widely used by marketers and strategists to monitor brand perception in real time. It’s a great choice for high-frequency, high-volume quant data.

YouGov offers data into popularity and feelings on hot topics and personalities, which can be accessed by anyone. But their expertise lies in personalised data on brands, allowing them to make informed business decisions.

10. Mustard Research

Best for: Customer experience research, B2B insight, regional depth

Based in Manchester with a national client base, Mustard offers tailored research for both consumer and B2B sectors. They specialise in customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and user journey mapping. Strong on delivery and long-term client relationships.

Mustard Research take pride in getting to know their clients and industries in detail to provide more accurate data, and communicate findings in clear, plain English so that clients can utilise the data effectively.

As one of the few agencies on this list based outside of London, it is a unique and transparent agency.

Choosing the Right Research Partner

The best UK market research agency for your business will depend on your objectives, audience, and budget. While larger agencies offer scale, smaller consultancies often provide deeper strategic involvement that fit to your budget.

Brandspeak sits in a unique space—delivering the seniority and impact of a consultancy with the research rigour of a full-service agency.

How to contact a UK market research agency

You can contact Brandspeak to discuss your business goals, the insights you require or the product you wish to develop, and receive recommendations the best research and methods to use in order receive data that will positively influence your business strategy.

Find the address, email and phone number of our London agency.

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Jeremy Braune
Jeremy specialises in delivering market research and consultancy programmes that enable organisations to maximise the impact of their brands, products and services, communications and customer experience delivery. His company, Brandspeak, has offices in London and Bristol and since 2004 it has been helping companies all over the UK and globally. Jeremy has also been a guest lecturer and speaker on London Business School's acclaimed MBA course, on the subject of Brands and Branding.

As we noted in an earlier article covering the new product development process, some 95% of new products across all categories are destined to fail. More often than not, this is because they fail to meet the customer’s needs. 

What is The Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas was originally created by Dr Alexander Osterwalder, in order to maximise the chances of new product development success by ensuring that the value proposition that is created is based on total alignment between the physical and emotional needs of the customer and the features and benefits of the brand’s products and services. It is this alignment that enables the organisation to sell solutions, rather than simply products.   

As Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, said; 

In the factory we make products, in the drugstore we sell hope.

The Value Proposition Canvas can be applied to existing products, to see if they need modifying, but is especially useful when developing new products. 

 

Screenshot-2021-04-28-at-12.41.21-1024x631 Using The Value Proposition Canvas for New Product Development

Based on the work of Steve Blank, Clayton Christensen, Seth Godin, Yves Pigneur and Alex Osterwalder. Released under creative commons license to encourage adaption and iteration. No rights asserted.

The Value Proposition Canvas is made up of two main elements: the Customer Profile and the Value Map. Each element is divided into three parts.

The Customer Profile

To enable this part of the Canvas to be completed, the proposed target market and audience must already be defined.  If this is not the case then qualitative and / or quantitative research can be conducted, to identify the relevant segment(s), their objectives, desires and barriers in relation to the value proposition area that is being developed. 

There are 3 parts to the Customer Profile which then need to be completed:

 

    • Customer Jobs or Goals. (‘Jobs’ was the term used by Dr Osterwalder.) These reflect things the customer ‘needs’ to accomplish in their work or life – like cleaning the house or car. Or they can be aspirational –  like owning a piece of art. 

    • Gains. The outcomes and benefits the customer desires

    • Pains. The problems, barriers and negative feelings that customers experience either before, during or after they try to get the job done.

 

Screenshot-2021-04-28-at-12.13.44-1-1024x767 Using The Value Proposition Canvas for New Product Development

Based on the work of Steve Blank, Clayton Christensen, Seth Godin, Yves Pigneur and Alex Osterwalder. Amended by Peter Thomson. Released under creative commons license to encourage adaption and iteration. No rights asserted.

As an example of how the three relate to each other, a customer may have a need/desire to keep their house clean (the job or goal).  However, the work involved to achieve this is perceived as boring (a pain). The gaincould come about through something that makes cleaning less boring, or easier or faster to accomplish. 

Care is needed when assessing each of the three areas. It is all too easy to make assumptions about what customers are seeking to achieve, and what the real gain and pain points are. 

The use of assumptions can be avoided by commissioning qualitative market research to identify exactly what customers think and feel, as well as the level of priority they ascribe to each different job, pain and gain. 

The answers won’t be the same for everybody, but the market research agency will also make clear which attitudes are shared by which customers, enabling meaningful customer segments to be created.

The Value Map

The Value Map is also made up of three parts:

 

    • Products and services; The physical products and / or services you provide that will deliver the Gains and relieve the Pains for the customer. These can be physical or digital in nature.  This list should also include the support services that you make available in support of your products e.g. phone-based customer service or online chat facility.

    • Pain relievers; The specific aspects of the products or services that remove or lessen the customer’s pains.  When you undertake this exercise, you will quickly identify the pain relievers that your products and services don’t currently provide.

    • Gain creators; The product or service feature(s) that are really responsible for delivering the outcomes and benefits the customer needs or wants.  As above, the Gain Creators you identify can also relate to features and benefits that you don’t currently provide. 

Once Gain Creators and Pain Relievers have been identified,  each point identified can be ranked from nice-to-have to essential in terms of value to the customer. A fit is achieved when the products and services offered as part of the value proposition address the most significant pains and gains from the customer profile – in other words, they are benefit-led rather than feature-led.

Identifying the value proposition on paper is only part of the early stages. It is then necessary to validate what is important to customers and get their feedback on the value proposition through further market research. These insights can then be used to refine the proposition further. 

Why the Value Proposition Canvas is so useful

The Value Proposition Canvas forces product developers to be customer-centric. What do customers really want to achieve? What would help them to achieve it? What gets in the way of them achieving it? 

Everything else is irrelevant. If the product doesn’t deliver gains or relieve pains, there’s nothing for the customer to gain by using it. 

Take the house cleaning example again. Let’s say a manufacturer introduces a cleaning product with a new scent. If its scent is its only differentiator, success will depend not only on whether scent is an important factor for the customer, but also its importance relative to other factors. 

This is exactly the sort of information the Value Proposition Canvas, if used correctly, will reveal. Products can then be developed to hit the specific gain and pain points that really matter, and marketing messages can be created that customers really relate to.

The key to the effectiveness of the Value Proposition Canvas is the accuracy of the information entered. Assumptions and best guesses about what customers really feel will lead to false conclusions being drawn. Objective, in-depth research is essential.

Brandspeak

If you would like more information on Osterwalder’s Value Proposition Canvas, or the other ways in which market research can be used to create customer-centric value propositions, please contact Brandspeak on +44 (0)203 878 0052 or enquiries@brandspeak.co.uk