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Brand health study: what it is and how to know if your brand connects with your customers

A brand health study is a research study that measures how current and potential customers perceive your brand, what position it holds relative to competitors, and how strong the emotional and rational connection is between your company and the market. It is the tool that answers the question no internal dashboard can answer: what does the market really think of you?

Key data:

  • 77% of consumers choose brands based on their perceived values, not just on price or product (Edelman Brand Trust Report, 2024).
  • Companies that monitor their brand health at least once a year are 28% more likely to detect competitive threats before they affect sales (Harvard Business Review, 2023).
  • In Latin America, fewer than 35% of mid-sized companies conduct brand health studies systematically (ESOMAR, 2024).

What does a brand health study measure?

A brand health study measures five dimensions that, together, reveal the brand’s actual position in the market:

  • Awareness How many people know your brand? Do they recall it spontaneously, or only when it is mentioned? Awareness is measured at two levels: top of mind (the first brand they recall in the category) and aided awareness (they recognize it when shown).

 

  • Perception and attributes: What words, emotions, and values do they associate with your brand? Do they perceive you as innovative, reliable, accessible, premium? This is the mental positioning map the market has of your company, regardless of what you communicate.

 

  • Preference and consideration: How many potential customers would include you in their evaluation process? How many would choose you over the competition if the price were the same? This dimension reveals the true value of your brand as a commercial asset.

 

  • Loyalty and emotional connection: How many current customers would recommend your brand without being asked? How resistant is your customer base to competitors’ offers? The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the most widely used indicator here.

 

  • Distance from competitors: How does your brand rank on each dimension compared with your main competitors? This is the only perspective that tells you whether your differentiation exists in the customer’s mind or only in your PowerPoint presentation.

When should your company conduct a brand health study?

There are five moments when a brand health study goes from useful to indispensable:

  1. Before redefining your communication strategy. If you are going to change your brand’s message, tone, or positioning, you first need to know where you are starting from. Building a new strategy without measuring the current state is like performing surgery without a diagnosis.
  2. When sales decline without a clear operational reason. If the product has not changed, the price is competitive, and the sales team is the same, but results are declining, the problem may lie in brand perception. Only a study can confirm it.
  3. After a reputational crisis. An incident, a viral negative review, a communication error. A brand health study measures the actual damage—not the damage perceived internally—and helps prioritize recovery actions.
  4. Before or after a major advertising campaign. Brands that measure their health before and after a campaign can calculate the actual ROI of their communication investment, beyond reach and click metrics.
  5. Annually as part of commercial intelligence. Companies that continuously track their brand health have a structural advantage: they detect changes in perception before they turn into market share loss.

How Strattos conducts brand health studies

At Strattos, we combine qualitative and quantitative methodologies to provide a comprehensive view of how your brand lives in the minds of your customers and prospects.

The process has three phases:

Qualitative exploration phase: in-depth interviews and focus groups with current customers, lost customers, and potential customers. This phase reveals the market’s real language, undeclared motivations, and perceptions that no structured survey can capture.

Quantitative validation phase: representative surveys that measure the five dimensions of the study with statistical rigor. The results can be projected to the customer universe and allow for comparisons over time.

Strategic analysis phase: the data is translated into actionable recommendations. We do not deliver just a report with charts: we deliver a diagnosis of what is working, what is at risk, and which actions will have the greatest impact on your brand health.

We work with mid-sized and large companies in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru that need more than data - they need decisions backed by evidence.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a brand health study take?

A standard brand health study—with both qualitative and quantitative phases—takes between 6 and 10 weeks from kickoff to delivery of the final report. Quantitative-only studies (without an exploratory phase) can be completed in 3 to 5 weeks.

The recommended approach is an annual measurement as a foundation for commercial intelligence, along with specific measurements before and after significant events: launches, major campaigns, or crisis situations. More sophisticated companies track key indicators quarterly.

Yes. In B2B, brand health is measured among decision-makers within the target segment—not among mass consumers. The relevant attributes are different (reliability, expertise, support), but the logic of the study is the same: understanding how you are perceived compared with your competitors.

A satisfaction survey measures the experience of your current customers with your product or service. A brand health study measures your brand’s perception across the overall market—including potential customers, lost customers, and the competitive environment. They are complementary, not substitutes.

Yes. At Strattos, all market research studies are conducted under strict confidentiality protocols. Individual respondent data is never shared with the client: only aggregated information and analysis are provided.

Does your brand connect with your customers in the way you believe it does? That question has an answer, and the data needed to answer it exists in the market—you just need to know how to obtain it.

References
 
  1. Edelman. (2024). 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust. Edelman Intelligence. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer
  2. Keller, K. L., & Swaminathan, V. (2020). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity (5th ed.). Pearson.
  3. Harvard Business Review. (2023). The Business Case for Brand Tracking. Harvard Business Publishing. https://hbr.org
  4. ESOMAR. (2024). Global Market Research Report 2024: Latin America Regional Data. ESOMAR. https://www.esomar.org
  5. Aaker, D. A. (1991). Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name. Free Press.
  6. Reichheld, F. F. (2003). The One Number You Need to Grow. Harvard Business Review, 81(12), 46–54.