Insights
Taking the Pulse of Brand Love: A Comprehensive Measurement Solution
Marketers need a measure of brand love that combines what people say and what they do.
Executive Summary
Blake Williams, Senior Director of Data Strategy, The Shipyard writes that Brand Love measurement is ready for a revolution:
- Virtually all available measurements of Brand Love are focused exclusively on social listening and survey data, ignoring more direct consumer action
- Marketers need a solution that incorporates not only what consumers say about a brand but has a dedicated focus to what consumers do – the actions they take that indicate Brand Love
- The Shipyard has developed a product called PULSE as a solution to create a holistic measure of brand love
Why This Matters
The idea of trusting only what consumers say is outdated and ignores massive data sources that all brands have access to. In a world where there are countless ways for consumers to interact with a brand, marketers need to measure all of them to give a clear picture of how much consumers love a brand, and key areas that brands should emphasize to further develop that love.
Takeaways
- Limitations in survey data and inconsistent motives on social media have created major gaps in current evaluations of Brand Love
- The actions that consumers take in relation to a Brand are often more indicative of their true feelings and have a measurable impact on that brands bottom line
- As a solution, The Shipyard has developed PULSE, a customizable tool that combines disparate data sources – inclusive of survey and social listening data but extending to additional organic social behavior, paid media response data, website data, emails and more – into one holistic and prescriptive score
- The four subcomponents of PULSE – Attraction, Intrigue, Connection, Affection, and Passion – provide a granular view into where in the journey to brand love consumers may be falling off and allow for strategies to be developed to address those issues
Challenges & Watch Outs
- A comprehensive Brand Love measurement like PULSE, requires a comprehensive strategic response. Media alone won’t necessarily lead to an improved Pulse score as owned and earned channels are also critical in driving improved Brand Love
- Proper access to and organization of data feeds is required for an accurate Pulse score. Data outputs are only as strong as the data inputs being used so ensuring proper structure is a key to success
- While surveys and social listening create an incomplete picture, they remain a critical part of the overall measurement that Pulse provides and should not be ignored.
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“As a firm rooted in accounting and financial services, our measurement is always very precise; yet quantifying ‘brands’ and ‘love’ have always been elusive for marketers,” said Becky Bauer, Managing Director of Marketing and Brand. “CLA is excited to be at the forefront of this innovative analytics technique as The Shipyard’s Alpha participant in the launch of Pulse.”