When evaluating a brand, Channel Communications approaches the task as a three-pronged exercise to define the brand’s current perception and the ideal perception within a specified market. We conduct internal and external interviews along with consumer research to paint a full picture of the brand’s perception. Below, we’ll review a generalized version of this method, but stay tuned for an upcoming eBook with specifics.
INTERNAL INTERVIEWS
Interviewing key internal employees provides a ground-level entry point into understanding current brand perceptions. The manner in which branch managers, membership representatives, or sales professionals interact with members or customers on a day-to-day basis will influence and inevitably help define brand perception.
Dependent on company size, a statistically relevant number of interviews need to be conducted. Ideally, the number of internal interviews would fluctuate between 20-50. Although, in a smaller company, it may be more appropriate to interview all key employees.
Asking internal employees questions such as: “How would you describe [your service or product] to someone who has never heard of it,” and “How would you like [your service or product] to be perceived by prospective [customers or members],” provides critical insight into the differences between current and ideal brand perception.
Takeaway: the manner in which key employees interact with customers and members shapes a brand’s current and future perception.
EXTERNAL INTERVIEWS
Interviewing an external audience provides an additional point of view and deeper insight to help shape our understanding. Questions such as: “Is there a single word, phrase, or image that comes to mind when you think of [product or service],” and “If there was one improvement you could suggest to enhance your satisfaction with [product or service] what would it be,” reinforce our understanding of a brand’s perception and what the members or customers want it to be.
When we compare the internal and external interviews, we begin to see the bigger picture of a brand’s perception. We can now visualize and present the differences between how you see yourselves versus how others see you, and begin to develop a strategy to align the former with the latter to create a better brand perception.
Takeaway: the external interviews with current members or customers grant insights into the core positives and negatives of a brand’s perception – where it is right now, where it is headed, and what changes need to occur to get it where it should be.
QUANTITATIVE CONSUMER RESEARCH
After identifying your target audience, we conduct geographically targeted quantitative consumer research to get an understanding of how non-employees and non-customers currently feel about a brand. The consumer research portion of our three-pronged method demands the largest sample size. For statistical relevancy, we aim to interact with 200-600 consumers.
Do they know about your product or service? How do you compare against your competitors? What factors are important to them when they are looking for your product or service? Does your brand portray these factors? What needs to change to elevate your current brand perception to an industry leading brand?
Ultimately, with the three prongs combined, we answer the following questions:
- Is there an opportunity for growth?
- What does that opportunity look like?
- What needs to change to foster a brand perception that capitalizes on that opportunity?
Channel Communications has deep experience in creating meaningful, unique, and successful campaigns for organizations and enterprises across a wide variety of industries. Interested in seeing our work? Visit our Creative page to learn more or call President Cory Farrugia at 410-296-0697.
