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Mitja Tuškej22. 1. 2014

Brand perception study is the key to brand’s core

In the management of brands in today’s circumstances, we can not focus only on the tangible differences between brands. Those differences usually concern only the technological advantages of a brand or products which are nowadays very quickly copied and even outperformed by the competitors. Technological advantages of a company can be surpassed overnight. So the key to long term success must be somewhere else. In the new reality it is in the brand’s intangible emotional differentiation.

Intangible attributes determine brand image

As de Chernatony and McDonald put it in their book Creating Powerful Brands, the images surrounding the brand, based on intangible attributes that consumers associate with the brand, have a growing importance for the consumers. Their importance is so crucial because consumers can relate to the brand only through such images. These images allow consumers to create mental pictures that depict their view on what the brand stands for and thus select a brand on the basis of how the image matches with their needs, values, personality and/or lifestyle.

It is therefore crucial for brand managers to rlearn what those mental pictures are that represent their brand in the heads of their consumers. It is also important to measure how strong these specific values, attributes and personalities linked with the brand are. If we make a comparison with the perception of competitive brands, we can systematically build a successful brand that embodies the perception core on the long run.

How can you get the perception of your brand?

With the correct methodology we can quickly and effectively assess the brand perception. By attaching the various elements of the unique brand core (values, attributes and personality), we can clearly evaluate what our brand really is. The new online Brand Perception Study application helps us create a survey as well as gather and analyze data just in few days. The output of the study helps us evaluate and realize what and especially who your brand and its competitors really are.

Example of perceived brand values positioning map

The comparison of different stakeholder groups

Even more, the study enable us to examine the image and the position of our brand and its competitors in the eyes of several stakeholder groups. For example, if brand decision makers include into the study, not only consumers but also the employees, they can get even richer information about the perception of the brand. The perceived image and position of the brand in the eyes of consumers can be then combined with the perception inside the company. After combining perceptions we can finally realize were are the main differences in understanding the brand core between the consumers and the employees in the company. Similar procedure can be carried out also for other stakeholder groups.

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