Branding research to understand your business and sector

Brand research is responsible for assisting with the formulation, growth and ongoing development of a brand. Knowing exactly how your sector works, and identifying niches within the sector itself can help to formulate a strategy that will increase your business’ chance of success. For example, when Red Bull came along, had any of us actually thought, ‘oh I need an energy drink’, probably not as often as you’d think. Understanding the space in the market helps develop a brand to occupy that space.

The strategy we help you develop will take into account long term growth prospects for your business. By identifying the potential for brand expansion we allow your business to think about and plan for the future. Helping dictate factors such as pricing, your competitive placement and your brand identity. Without knowing where your business sits within each of these factors, you don’t have a fully formed brand. You have an idea, brand research is the difference-maker.

Without conducting any form of brand research, it’s almost impossible to know what your company is all about, or what the sector itself is known for. Conducting brand research allows an agency to adequately address your marketplace and understand what competitive position would benefit your business the most. Take the clothing sector, for example, if you were sourcing your products directly from Italy it is unlikely that you would position yourself as a low-end brand. However, following brand analysis, your creative agency may find that there is a lack of mid-range businesses in the sector, and your competitive position could be decided on this factor.

It’s important to remember that branding research can take place at any point in your journey. At formulation, brand research allows you to address your market position and the future growth of your business. Further down your business timeline, brand research teaches your business how it’s received currently by customers and employees, and how to plan for further brand development.

Sometimes in business, old methods are the best. Using open-ended questions within surveys or workshops allows your business to conduct brand research that measures emotional responses towards your brand. Creating scenarios where someone external to the business assesses your brand, allows for growth opportunities across the board.

Online social intelligence metrics offer a brand the opportunity to gather both quantitative and qualitative data regarding how their brand is perceived. Online metrics allow for deeper information to be collected and analysed. This is because conversations are constantly being conducted online. Bias is removed from anonymous surveys as people are free to say whatever they want and are unlikely to feel pressure to lean a certain way.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your competition is pivotal in any business scenario. Especially when it comes to climbing the sales ladder and pushing your brand to the summit of the mountain. Thanks to vast amounts of rich information online, you can complete branding research surrounding your competitors from the conversations that have been had about them. Allowing you to avoid making the same mistakes and to do what they have done well but doing it better!

When conducting brand research you need to know three key brand traits from your customers and potential customers. Firstly can they recall your brand without being prompted? If so you’ve created a strong brand. What is their perception of your branding? Do they think you’re a good brand? Do you provide excellent service? Is your product up to scratch? Finally, we need to find out what they associate your brand with, are you high-end in their eyes, does your packaging look affordable or luxury?

You need to know what people think of their shopping experience. This is absolutely essential whether you have a shopfront on the high street or you’re an eCommerce only business. If people have fond memories of shopping with your brand they are far more likely to come back and to recommend. As eCommerce websites have around a 70% shopping cart abandonment rate, we also need to know why people are leaving, and what this says about your brand.

No research can guarantee success, but it removes the guesswork, grounding your brand in real evidence about your market, competitors and audience, rather than assumptions.

Yes, our research can include market validation, looking at demand, competition and audience appetite, to help you understand where your idea sits before you invest further.

Yes, research is often the starting point, the insight goes straight into shaping strategy, positioning and the design work that follows.

It typically includes stakeholder discovery, market and competitor analysis, audience research and a review of how your brand is currently perceived.

It depends on scope, but most research projects run from one to a few weeks, depending on how much ground needs covering.

It’s still worth it, research often uncovers gaps or assumptions even experienced business owners haven’t tested, and it gives your instincts an evidence base.

Yes, it’s just as valuable for existing brands, identifying what’s working, what’s not, and where perception has drifted from reality.

Market research looks broadly at demand and industry trends; branding research focuses specifically on how your brand is positioned and perceived within that market.

Where it adds value, yes, direct audience insight is often one of the most valuable parts of the process.

We look at their positioning, visual identity, tone of voice and messaging, to find the gaps and opportunities your brand can own.

A clear report with findings and practical recommendations that shape the strategy and design work to come.

Yes, it’s often the first step in a repositioning project, showing exactly where the gap is between current perception and where you want to be.

No, it’s valuable at any stage, including as a health check on a brand that hasn’t been reviewed in a while.

Both — understanding the wider industry context is just as important as knowing your direct competition.

Yes, a perception audit can highlight exactly where the disconnect is, whether that’s messaging, visual identity or positioning.

Both — we translate every finding into practical recommendations you can act on.

Yes, it can be commissioned on its own, or as the first stage of a larger branding project.

As involved as you’d like — from initial interviews and workshops through to reviewing findings, but we handle the heavy lifting.

Yes, understanding your market and audience is a key part of getting a name right, and it’s often built into the research phase.

We’ll tell you honestly — better to know before investing in design than after. From there, we help shape a direction that’s grounded in what the research actually shows.