What Do People Really Think About Your Brand?

Surprise! A brand doesn’t really come from your company, product, or service—it exists in the minds of your consumers. This intangible dimension of the brand consists of personal perceptions, which can influence purchase decisions, add value to your product or service, and incite the buyer so that they are actually willing to pay more. The variables that influence these perceptions are numerous and sometimes illogical—but the good news is that just by knowing them you have a huge advantage in addressing your customer’s most personal needs in order to successfully elevate your brand and your business.

Everyone On Board           
In a service industry the brand takes shape in your customer’s minds during day-to-day interactions with your employees. This is where your employee’s brand perception becomes so important because if they are not all on the same page regarding what the company stands for and what the desired image is, then they certainly aren’t going to be able to portray the desired brand to your customers. Disconnect between the brand perceptions of a company vs. the customer spells trouble for any brand. From the front line to the corporate office—if you don’t have everyone on board, you won’t have effective branding, and vice versa! So how do you uncover these perceptions? Perception Measurement Tools, like those outlined below, help illicit deeper responses, which in turn will determine how your brand is really perceived.

Personification and Analogies
It is easier for people to give their input when ideas are presented to them, otherwise it can be difficult to obtain answers beyond the obvious, “the
company is big,” or “the staff is friendly.” To uncover true brand perceptions, Personification and Analogies are used to draw comparisons to human traits or other objects (competitors, animals, cars, etc). The rule with this type of research is that the interpretation of responses must always come from the person making the association and not a second party because individual perceptions are impossible to guess. For instance, the fact that a brand is described as a Ford Fiesta doesn’t say anything about the brand—the real insight is when the researcher discovers what the respondent associates with a Ford Fiesta (friendly, smart, and zippy—or boring, unreliable, and cheap.) As an example, here is a short questionnaire you can use in your office to find out how the staff perceives the brand and if it is on target with corporate goals. Take a minute to do a little research and see how employee perceptions may be affecting your company’s brand. 

Sample Questionnaire—Your Brand’s Persona
 1. Why do you consider your company to be better than it’s competitors?
 2. If your company was a car, what kind would it be and why?
     (Chevy, Lexus,Saturn, Volvo, etc.)
 3. If your company was a place, which would it be and why? (Silicon Valley, Paris,
     Omaha, Alaska, etc.)
 4. What kind of animal best describes your company? (Jaguar, turtle, shark,
     tadpole, etc.)
 5. If Company XYZ turned into a person, would they be young or old? Male
     or female?
 6. Where do they live? Where do they shop? (Nordstrom’s, Target, Sears, etc.)

Mood Collage Boards
Another Perception Measurement Tool is a Mood Collage Board, which is a collection of pictures, words, textures, and/or colors around a particular theme. Participants are presented with this wide range of images and asked about their feelings towards the different relationships depicted. The moderator can then ask respondents about the pictures they selected to represent their personal feelings toward the brand: “Why didn’t you pick the image that represents feeling ‘in control’? What would have to be different in order for you to feel that way?”

Mapping
Mapping is the physical sorting of features in order to find their value. Respondents are asked to place specific brand features on a chart defined by opposite words at either end of two spectrums i.e. Innovative/Old-Fashioned or Reliable/ Untrustworthy. Four quadrants are formed and features plotted within these fields, according to individual perception.

The Benefit—Your Brand
Even if you are not currently developing or maintaining an “official” branding campaign, the elements of branding still consist of practical marketing advice
that any company can benefit from. Consumers often make some of the most important purchase decisions on less than perfect information and often for irrational reasons. With these perception measurement tools and the information they help find, the true benefit comes from a developed brand that has a relationship with consumers, fulfills a genuine psychological need, and is meaningful in human terms. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, it is vital
to understand and address perceptions because the customer’s relationship
with your brand impacts loyalty and ultimately—your profits.

If you’re interested in learning more about your company’s brand, contact Bouchard Marketing for individual analysis and targeted solutions.