It's consumers who build brands, not companies. It’s customers, not companies, that own brand perception.

Brand perception is built via a raft of rational and emotional factors. When customers buy a product or service, read an online review, see an influencer recommendation, compare experiences with family and friends, talk to employees who work there. It's built both online and off, through factors such as packaging, use, experience and reputation. It is what a customer believes a brand stands for, not what a brand says it stands for.

Ironic then, that according to Professor Ravi Dhar of the Yale School of Management, marketing managers spend 70 hours a week thinking about the product they are marketing, but a consumer forms an opinion on it, within seven seconds.

When expectations are met or exceeded, a repeat purchase is likely and brand loyalty is established which inevitably has a positive impact on sales and ultimately profits.

A brand then, is one of the most important assets a business owns. It sets a business apart from its competitors; helps win new and retain existing customers; and helps business goals to be met and business growth to be gained.

Introducing the Vista Brand Barometer

For a business to understand its current state and help shape its future, it is imperative to have a robust understanding of brand perception among consumers. This can be determined by looking at three key factors, each posing a unique set of questions.

 1.   Awareness

·        Are your target customers aware of your brand?

·        Does your target audience know and value your brand? 

·        Are you present in consumers’ minds? Are you front of mind?

2.   Delivery

·        Does your brand deliver on its promises in terms of value, service, features and benefits?

·        Do you deliver a good experience and meet expectations, or leave customers confused by your proposition?

·        Is your customer experience in line with your brand values?

3.   Positioning

·        In a crowded market, where consumers are spoilt for choice, do you successfully differentiate your brand from competitors?

·        Why would customers choose you over others and what added value do you offer?

·        How are you perceived and performing relative to your competitors?

·        Have your brand messages landed and do consumers have a positive perception of your brand?

Can you confidently respond to these questions? 

Vista’s Brand Barometer combines a range of research and data gathering activities to monitor and track the health and performance of your brand. It will help you to find out how your brand is perceived by existing and potential customers; how it is performing (both independently as well as relative to your competitors); help bridge any gaps between your desired brand qualities and how your customer feels; and establish improvements that can be made to help shape your future brand strategies and business success.

Our Brand Barometer considers every aspect of your brand and gathers insights from all key stakeholders including media, influencers and consumers, to arm you with the latest thinking on your brand. Coupled with Vista's expert understanding of your media landscape, it provides an in-depth look at your brand to help you consider future innovations and improvements you can make to improve brand perception.

Our Brand Barometer is an entirely bespoke service, developed with and for you and tailored specific to your brand so that the end results provide you with meaningful data, as well as actionable strategies for future campaigns and communications.

The Vista Brand Barometer service includes four distinct activities:

1. Robust consumer survey

Working with a trusted media partner with a database of over 22,000 parents, our consumer surveys go straight to the heart of your business. They look at how familiar consumers are with your brand, if they understand your proposition and how awareness of your brand compares to that of your competitors.

We tailor and segment your audience and work with you to shape a survey of exacting questions that promise to find out more about how consumers see your brand, what they think and how they feel about it.

2. Targeted consumer focus groups

We facilitate small and targeted consumer focus groups, to more deeply explore how your target parents are connecting with your brand. Strategically selected from your target market, we create a relaxed setting where we guide a discussion about your industry, brand and competitors so attendees can share what’s on their mind, unprompted and in their own words.

3. Media and influencer audit

Your most critical stakeholders driving sales, we reach out to our network of highly influential media, for their perspectives on your brand and your competitors.

4. Media planning strategies

We use our forensic knowledge of your media landscape to improve reach to your target and potential customers, coupled with social media strategies to improve engagement and e-comm sales.

The Vista Brand Barometer concludes with a full and detailed report of the findings, with a communications strategy framework of brand building PR concepts to help take your brand to the next level.