Brand Emotion – Drivers of Growth
Brand Emotion – The power brand consideration, interest and ioyalty
Build Emotional Connections
Branding is much more than just a brand name, logo or strap-line. Successful branding is far deeper than that. The best and strongest brands form an emotional relationship with their customers. We call this Emotional Branding, or Brand Love, and it is a pivotal part of our BrandVision approach and our Brand Equity Wheel.
90% of buying decisions are thought to be subconscious. Emotion is highly influential in deciding which brands we buy. Benefits might appeal to the rational mind, but are rarely the real reason why we buy.
If you are in any doubt, read the book Alchemy by Rory Sutherland.
Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion Explained
The eight sectors of the Wheel of Emotion indicate eight primary emotions: anger, anticipation, joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, and disgust.
The Wheel of Emotion is uniquely based on the psychological model developed by Robert Plutchik – a psychologist and colleague to Albert Einstein. In 1980, Robert Plutchik first proposed his cone-shaped model (3D) or the wheel model (2D) to describe how emotions were related. The model incorporates a number of emotions, including Trust, one of the most important factors associated with brand choice. Within the wheel, each emotion has a polar opposite so that:
- Joy is the opposite of sadness.
- Fear is the opposite of anger.
- Anticipation is the opposite of surprise.
- Disgust is the opposite of trust.
Another smart feature of the wheel is that it highlights the combination of two emotions. For example, Optimism is a combination of Joy and Anticipation. Finally, the wheel shows the intensity of emotion reflected in the depth of colour. For example, Trust goes from Acceptance to Admiration.
Brand & Emotions Explained
Given the fact that emotion accounts for such a large part of our decision-making, it’s easy to understand how creating an emotional bond with customers can make a dramatic contribution to profitability.
Emotional branding, sometimes overly simplified by the term ‘Brand Love‘, is the process of developing a relationship between a consumer and a brand. This is achieved by creating products, services and communications that appeal to the consumer’s emotional state, needs and aspirations.
Furthermore, emotional branding is important as it clearly differentiates one company from another. So it goes without saying that relationships with an emotional dimension are far less likely to defect or stave off brands competing on price or convenience. Great examples of brands with high levels of emotion including Apple, Google, Coca-Cola,
8 Brand Metrics You Need
Running brand health or tracking studies over time will allow you to spot trends and take action more quickly. But you’ll need to measure more than this if you want truly actionable research, so welcome to BrandVision.
Tab Contents
Welcome to BrandVision
Metrics to Turbo Charge any Brand Strategy
BrandVision is our flexible brand evaluation system that can be customised to your required to your needs. From self-serve to fully managed, BrandVision offers tracking for brands of all shapes and sizes.
Brand Momentum
Discover the power of Brand Velocity.
Brand Velocity is part of Brand Momentum theory and refers to the growth potential for your brand and its likely future trajectory. Velocity measures the extent to which your brand is seen to be growing or declining.
Brand Momentum is a KPI driven by your marketing investment, product availability, brand image and your brand proposition and positioning.
Brand Momentum is a better indicator of growth than virtually any other consumer metric. Its role is far more important than the highly regarded Net Promoter Score because it is a better predictor of growth and growth potential than any other brand metric.
Brand Magnetism
Awareness alone is pointless if your brand doesn’t possess Brand Magnetism.
Part of the Brand Funnel, Magnetism refers to the attraction your brand has with the target market.
There are two aspects to brand Magnetism. Firstly, the strength of the brand’s appeal and interest. Secondly, it is about the segments and groups interested in the brand. Understanding who is and isn’t interested in your brand is the first step in creating a strong marketing and brand strategy.
Brand Magnetism is the holy grail for many brands, as it is often associated with some of the best and most iconic brands in history.
Brand Fame
What is Brand Fame?
Brand Fame (also known as brand leadership) is one of the key metrics that indicate whether or not your brand has a USP and is seen by consumers as a ‘Leader’, ‘Different’ or ‘Characterless’.
There are two very important aspects to Brand Fame: Uniqueness & Leadership. Brands that lack either of these attributes tend to struggle, with little to set them apart from competitors.
A great example of this is people’s desire to own the Apple brand. The high levels of Fame (Distinctiveness and Leadership) correlate strongly with Brand Love and Consumer Loyalty, which have ultimately helped drive Apple’s dominant position in the market.
Brand Love
The Power of Love
The concept of Love in brand relationships has been receiving immense and escalating attention. It is considered by many experts to be the essential ingredient for capitalising in today’s new order.
Brand Love underpins the consumer-brand relationship. It’s not an emotional or fluffy metric, but rather the holy trinity of brand metrics, combining three powerful metrics: Relevance, Need, and Trust.
Evaluation of brand tracking data has taught us, time and time again, that Relevance is arguably the most important metric of all – and is highly correlated with consumer behaviour.
Net Promoter Score
The Recommended Metric
Net Promoter Score was initially developed in 2003 by Bain & Co to help companies earn customer loyalty and inspire employees.
NPS is an important part of consumer research for many companies, as it is a measure used to gauge customer loyalty, satisfaction, and enthusiasm for a company
Further research by Nielsen has supported the metric, confirming that word of mouth is the most influential factor in consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Awareness & Mindshare
The Battle for the Mind
Many marketers believe Brand Awareness is a single metric – in truth, it’s a lot more complex than that! As experts in brand awareness measurement, we’d like to explain why.
Behavioural Economics has shown the importance of Availability Bias and that winning customers’ choices means being front of mind. Brand Awareness metrics include: Prompted Brand Awareness, Brand Recognition and Brand Recall. Together, we call it Mindshare.
Brand Health
8 Secrets to a Healthy Brand
The 8 Essential brand image metrics are:
- Ethical – Are you seen to be doing the right things?
- Brand Identity -Does your Brand identity have Clarity?
- Brand Noise – Is your brand grabbing people’s Attention?
- Newsworthy – Is your brand worth talking about?
- Outstanding – Do you offer exceptional Quality or Value?
- Variety – Is your brand flexible and has multiple uses or benefits?
- Accessible – Is your brand Readily Available and Convenient?
- On Trend – Is your brand Topical & Current?
Your Questions Answered (FAQs)
Market research is beneficial for a wide range of businesses, from small startups to large multinational corporations. It helps companies understand their target audience, identify market trends, and refine their marketing strategies.
Industries such as retail, finance, technology, and healthcare can leverage market research to enhance customer satisfaction, improve product offerings, and make informed decisions.
By investing in market research, businesses can better align their products and services with consumer needs, ultimately driving growth and profitability.
We deliver a comprehensive suite of market research solutions designed to drive strategic growth. Our top market research company services include
- Advertising research and Ad testing
- Brand research (identity and brand equity)
- Brand tracking studies
- Business-to-business research
- Customer satisfaction and CX
- Ethnography and observation
- Idea generation and Co-creation
- International & global research
- Market segmentation and personas
- Messaging and Copy testing
- Online research and online surveys
- Pricing Research
- Proposition and Concept testing
- NPD and Product research
- Research training & Consultancy
- Shopper insights and Retail research
- Usage & Attitude surveys
Our market research services are enhanced by advanced analytics, including sentiment analysis, regression modelling and predictive insights. This ensures a holistic understanding of your audience and market trends, tailored precisely to your research objectives.
Our research methodologies include:
- Accompanied Shopping Trips (ASTs)
- Behavioural Economics
- CAPI / Personal Interviewing
- Data visualisations/infographics
- Email surveys
- Ethnographic Research
- Eye Tracking
- Exit Interviews
- Facial Coding
- Focus Group & Workshops
- Online Surveys
- Mail surveys
- Mystery Shopping
- Neuromarketing
- Public Opinion Polls
- CATI / Telephone interviewing
- UX User Testing
Vision One is a leading customer research agency helping firms truly understand their audiences and deliver exceptional experiences. Our services include customer experience (CX) research, customer satisfaction studies (cSat), and customer segmentation to reveal what drives loyalty and behaviour. Combining advanced analytics with qualitative insight and customer journey mapping, we uncover the ‘why’ behind customer decisions—empowering businesses to enhance experiences, build stronger relationships, and drive sustainable growth.
Data integrity is at the heart of our research process. We are ISO 20252-accredited and utilise robust sampling frameworks, meticulous data validation techniques and continuous quality monitoring throughout the research lifecycle.
Every dataset undergoes thorough checks to ensure accuracy, reliability, and compliance with industry standards, including MRS, ESOMAR and GDPR guidelines.
Project timelines depend on the complexity and scope of the research. However, most projects are completed within 2 to 6 weeks, balancing speed with rigorous quality standards. Clearly, cSat and brand tracking projects last for the duration of the contract.
We work closely with your team to establish timelines that meet your goals without compromising data depth or analytical precision.
We work with companies of all sizes, from small businesses (SMEs) to the world’s largest international brands, and market research is important to them all.
Our clients include advertising and PR agencies, financial services, food and drink,packaging research, FMCG, housing, local government, luxury and fashion, social research, travel and tourism, manufacturing and brands, service providers and associations.
For any business, market research agencies possess a deep understanding of research and how to achieve the desired results. It’s about understanding customer needs, market demand, pricing strategies and industry trends. It supports innovation, validates business ideas, and ensures that marketing messages are effectively targeted. Businesses that invest in consistent market research are better positioned to respond to market changes, create and attract loyal customers and maximise ROI.
Here are the addresses for some of the UK’s top market research companies in London, specialising in full-service research
- Vision One Research – 85-87 Bayham Street, Camden, London, NE1 0AG
- Brandspeak – 1st Floor, London, W8 6SN
- Ipsos – 3 Thomas More St, London, E1W 1YW
- Savanta – 60 Great Portland St, London, W1W 7RT
- System1 – 52 Bedford Row Holborn, London, WC1R 4LR
- Kantar – 30 Stamford St, London, SE1 9LQ
- B2B International – 10 Triton St, London, NW1 3BF
Vision One is committed to ethical practices in market research by adhering to industry standards and guidelines set by organisations such as the Market Research Society (MRS) and ESOMAR. This includes obtaining informed consent from participants, ensuring data confidentiality, and maintaining transparency throughout the research process.
By prioritising ethical considerations, Vision One builds trust with clients and participants alike, ensuring that the research conducted is not only effective but also responsible and respectful of individual rights.
Latest client testimonials
Vision One were a pleasure to work with. I enjoyed the whole process start to finish, they managed my expectation perfectly and their level of service was outstanding and their insights were effective. I would recommend them to anyone.
Vision One were excellent to work with throughout the process. They understood our brand and its needs and took on feedback to make changes where necessary. We’re very happy with the level of insight gained.
Vision One’s BrandVision has given us new and powerful insights – helping us understand our brand health and shape our strategic decisions going forward.
Vision One were an absolute pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a strategic thinking market research agency. They had great client relations, they bought creative ideas to the table, and delivered on the strategic insight we needed.
I just want to say thank you so much for the brilliant presentation yesterday. The work you’ve done has really hit home, which will make a massive difference to our work. We’re really grateful!
Vision One delivered exactly what we wanted with no fuss or issues. Every step of the process was easy, hassle-free and the relationship always felt warm. I would recommend them to any charity or organisation wanting to conduct research.
Fantastic service. Will go the extra mile to accommodate your needs and fit within changing timelines and requirements.
START YOUR JOURNEY TODAY
If you are curious to learn more about how we could work together, please give us a call to find out how our Emotional Branding and Brand Love metrics can transform your business.
Please call 0203 693 3150 or use the contact button below.
