Research

Research Our Way

Effective branding requires an intimate understanding of a company and its marketplace. When we’re getting to know a brand, we at Brand33 may conduct as many as four phases of research, depending on the client and industry. Those four phases are: Primary, Secondary, Syndicated, and a Brand Audit. Let’s break them down and see how each phase helps us “listen” to a given brand.

1] Primary Research

Our initial method of information gathering involves the simple act of talking with people. The people we engage with range from those who regularly interact with the brand to those who actually work for the brand. This Primary Research breaks down into three sub-types:

A] In-depth interviews

It’s impossible to overstate the value of firsthand interviews. Hearing directly from both external audiences, such as customers, prospects, clients, and former clients, as well as internal audiences, such as employees and stakeholders, provides valuable insights into topics like brand perceptions, brand history, brand vision, future growth plans, merger and acquisition activity, and other variables that could potentially impact the brand.

B] Focus groups

Another valuable source for insights is through focus groups. And while the results can be wide-ranging depending on the make-up of each group and the questions posed, focus groups are a great tool for testing and getting feedback on strategy and creative execution. Again, these are conducted with both internal and external audiences to help assemble a comprehensive brand impression.

C] Attitude, Awareness & Usage Study (AAU)

AAU studies are large-scale surveys, focus groups, and interviews typically conducted by a third party. They involve conversations with a more randomly selected audience to help gauge feelings, curate opinions and record usage habits associated with a brand. Performing an AAU study is an excellent way to track metrics and to assess how far we’ve “moved the needle.”

2] Secondary Research

The Secondary Research phase is when we take a comprehensive look at a brand’s competitors, the industry in general, and the consumers that most frequently use the brand’s product or service. Secondary Research is conducted primarily on the Internet. By researching websites, social media posts, and digital advertising, we can get a feel for how a brand is doing within its particular marketplace. These learnings include the efficacy of its messaging, campaigns, and ad placements, and whether the brand is positioned for success.

3] Syndicated Research

Syndicated Research is independently conducted research, typically done by a market research firm that we would enlist if more comprehensive information was needed about industry data or market trends. Syndicated Research is useful for confirming our earlier findings and can help provide valuable competitive context.

4] Brand Audit

The process of conducting a Brand Audit involves cataloging all the marketing materials provided to us, as well as any other materials we can find. In this way, we can track where a brand has been, identify company milestones have impacted the brand, determine how it might be evolving, and predict where it might be going.

Delivery of Discovery Phase

Once we’ve conducted our research, whether we’ve employed all four phases or just a couple, we present the client with a full compilation of the materials, interviews, research, and insights gained from our Discovery process. This brings everyone involved in the re-branding effort up to speed on where the brand currently stands within its industry. The completion of our Discovery phase leads us to the beginning of our strategic Development phase. Of course, all our Discovery findings will continue to inform our work throughout the entire creative process.

John Diggins
Copywriter Brand 33