The following blog references the recent Gartner® report, titled “Market Guide for Brand Health Tracking Providers”. To access the full report, go here.
Brand health tracking delivers critical insights into consumer perceptions, brand loyalty, and the effectiveness of marketing strategies. While monitoring and tracking brand health isn’t easy, chief marketing officers (CMOs) understand its importance and value. In fact, 57% of brand leaders report conducting some form of brand health assessment.1
With CMOs having to justify every marketing dollar spent, now is the perfect time for organizations to reevaluate their approach to brand health tracking and reassess their engagements with brand tracking providers.
We believe the recent Gartner report, titled, “Market Guide for Brand Health Tracking Providers”, is a great place to get started.
How do CMOs typically utilize brand tracking vendors
Tracking brand health and measuring and communicating the impact is often difficult to manage internally. As a result, CMOs commonly outsource brand health tracking to specialized providers to take advantage of the provider’s expertise and tools.
CMOs typically rely on brand health tracking providers for the following services:
1. Audience Management
Vendors handle the entire process of building respondent pools for surveys. This includes:
- Screening potential participants based on brand requirements
- Sourcing respondents from various channels (brand’s customer base, vendor’s community, or new recruitment)
- Managing compensation for survey completion
2. Survey Development and Execution
Providers offer comprehensive survey creation and implementation services:
- Designing questionnaires tailored to brand-specific needs
- Customizing questions or adapting existing surveys for optimal analysis
- Programming surveys to minimize errors and ensure actionable insights
- Administering surveys through multiple channels to maximize participation and data quality
3. Data Presentation and Analysis
After collecting survey data, vendors deliver results in various formats:
- Organizing and presenting data through static documents (PowerPoint, Excel) or interactive dashboards
- Offering personalization options for data visualization and aggregating findings into executive summaries
- Highlighting key brand health metrics, including strengths and areas for improvement
What to look for in brand tracking providers
CMOs should assess the following factors when evaluating potential partners:
1. Additional Brand-Related Services
Many providers offer more than just tracking services, bundling them with other marketing-related features like customer experience work or market research. These comprehensive offerings provide deeper insights, as factors like customer experience directly influence brand health.
Vendors that provide these bundled offerings might not only deliver a standard brand health report but also offer prescriptive recommendations.
2. AI Integration and Compliance
AI has become increasingly embedded in brand health tracking processes, including data collection, survey management, and analysis. Providers may use AI to personalize survey responses or perform feedback analysis. It’s crucial to verify that the use of AI aligns with your organization’s policies, especially regarding data privacy and protection.
3. Data Presentation
The way brand health data is communicated significantly impacts its effectiveness. Consider whether the vendor’s team will present the data to your executive team, offering an objective perspective, or if you prefer to handle communication internally. If opting for external presentation, ensure the vendor’s team can communicate insights clearly and persuasively to senior leadership.
4. Self-Service, Interactive Tools
Some providers offer interactive dashboards and self-service tools that allow CMOs to explore data in real-time. These tools can visualize brand health across different segments and allow for scenario planning and forecasting. Check whether the vendor includes adequate training and ongoing support to help you maximize the use of these tools, as well as integration capabilities with other internal systems.
5. Industry Expertise
Opting for a vendor with experience in your industry offers significant advantages. Such providers have access to relevant audience pools, offer valuable industry-specific insights, and can tailor brand metrics to suit your business objectives. Their expertise helps ensure that the data you receive is aligned with the unique dynamics of your sector, enabling you to focus on the most impactful metrics for your brand’s success.
Continue Reading
You can access the full report from Gartner, here. In the report you will find:
- Gartner research and analysis on how the brand health tracking market is changing
- A list of vendors that provide brand health tracking services. This list mentions providers across a range of sizes, locations, and available tools and services
- Additional Gartner research, insights, and recommendations related to brand health tracking
Ultimately, the organizations (and CMOs) that prioritize brand health tracking and invest in data-driven brand strategies will be the ones that make more informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition. Use Gartner insights to assess your current approach to brand health and identify the next steps to grow your brand’s impact.
1: Source: Gartner, Market Guide for Brand Health Tracking Providers, Julie Reeves, Carlos Guerrero, 9 December 2024.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Discussion about this post