Brand Momentum
The brand tracking metric that predicts growth, and the Brand Velocity Score behind it
What is Brand Momentum?
Brand momentum is the energy and direction behind a brand’s growth: whether people see it as growing, standing still or declining relative to its competitors. Developed by Tony Lewis at Vision One, the Brand Momentum metric measures that perception. It has predicted brand failures months before they happened, which is why it sits at the centre of our brand tracking.
Momentum works on the wisdom of crowds. No single consumer knows which brands are winning, but collectively they have a knack for knowing which brands are growing and which are not, and that collective judgement moves before sales do.
Brand momentum meaning: why it matters more than awareness
Brand momentum is the perceived relative position of your brand in the market. It is not about sales or analyst figures. It is about how the brand is seen by the people whose opinion decides its future: consumers.
That is why momentum is a better indicator of growth than Net Promoter Score. NPS asks users whether they would recommend you. Momentum asks everyone who is aware of the brand whether it is going somewhere, so it captures the market, not just the customer base.
Brand momentum theory: why momentum predicts growth
Brand momentum theory borrows from mechanics: momentum (p) equals mass (m) multiplied by velocity (v). A brand’s mass is its size, measured through awareness and usage. Its velocity is the direction and speed people see it moving, captured by the Brand Velocity Score. Multiply the two and you have the Brand Momentum Score.
Read over time, every brand falls into one of three states: growing, static or declining. Growing brands are gaining awareness, relevance and conversion. Static brands hold their numbers but risk being overtaken. Declining brands are losing relevance, and the longer the slide runs, the harder it is to turn around.
The theory was tested the hard way. Monarch Airlines recorded a low Brand Velocity Score in a Vision One airline study; six months later it went into administration. The Body Shop showed a weak Brand Momentum Score in a UK and US study months before it followed. No other brand metric has claimed that kind of foresight.
Momentum is driven by marketing activity and spend, product availability, brand image, and the brand’s proposition and positioning. Underneath those sit the perceptions that move the velocity score: relevance to what people need or care about, clarity of positioning, consistency of communication, emotional connection, customer experience, and whether the brand is seen as successful, popular, energetic and innovative.
Every business wants to be seen as growing: it implies innovation, a bigger customer base and less risk for the buyer, and it correlates with sales. A stable brand can still do well in markets where steadiness is valued, such as banking or cars. A declining brand needs new direction: others have overtaken it, or it has lost touch with what customers need. Even famous brands cycle. Chanel No.5 drifts into slow decline between campaigns, and each campaign reinjects interest and starts a new growth phase.
As a decision tool rather than a report line. Benchmark against competitors and sector leaders, track change wave to wave to see what a campaign did, and pick the priority action: more awareness for a breakout brand, rebuilt relevance for a declining one. Growing brands also attract new customers, command a price premium and are seen as better places to work and invest, so momentum pays beyond the sales line.
How is brand momentum measured?
Brand momentum is measured by survey among everyone who is aware of the brand, not only its customers, and it needs only one extra question in a brand tracker.
The Brand Velocity Score comes from that question. Combined with the brand’s size, it gives a Brand Momentum Score that can be benchmarked, tracked and acted on.
Direction of travel, measured.
Ask the velocity question
Among people aware of the brand: is it growing, standing still or declining? The balance of answers is the Brand Velocity Score, the direction and speed the market sees.
Measure the mass
Brand size from the same survey: awareness and usage. A big brand moving slowly can carry more momentum than a small brand moving fast, which is why both are needed.
Calculate the Brand Momentum Score
Momentum equals mass multiplied by velocity. The score is comparative, so it is reported against the competitors measured in the same wave.
Classify the state
Growing, static or declining, for your brand and for each competitor. The state, not the raw number, is what the boardroom acts on.
Track it and read it with the rest
Repeat each wave and read momentum alongside the brand funnel and the brand health metrics, so you see not only where the brand is heading but why.
Brand momentum vs brand velocity: what is the difference?
Brand velocity is the direction; brand momentum is the direction multiplied by the size of the brand. The two are often used as if they meant the same thing. They do not, and the difference changes what you do next.
Brand Velocity Score (v)
The direction and speed the market sees, from a single question: is the brand growing, static or declining? Fast to move, and the earliest warning sign in a tracker.
Brand mass (m)
The size of the brand: how many people know and use it. Mass is the main driver of advertising effectiveness, which is why big brands get more from the same media spend.
Brand Momentum Score (p = m x v)
Mass multiplied by velocity. A small brand with strong velocity and a large brand with weak velocity can have the same momentum; the strategy for each is different.
A brand with positive velocity attracts customers; one with negative velocity deters them, and the effect shows up first at the top of the funnel.
The Brand Momentum book and research
Business Book Awards 2025 winner: Sales and Marketing category
Brand Momentum by Tony Lewis is the book behind the metric. It sets out the research, the psychology of momentum theory and the strategies growing brands share, with real-world examples and practical frameworks for marketers, researchers and business leaders. It won the Business Book Awards 2025 in the Sales and Marketing category.
Not sure where to start? Our short guide explains how to use the book and where to begin for different levels of knowledge. The story of how the metric was discovered, from the first Monarch result onwards, is on our blog, with a video introduction from Tony.
Download the guide to using the book
Read the Brand Momentum story
Watch the video introduction
How momentum fits brand health and brand equity
Momentum is one of the eight metrics on the Brand Equity Wheel, paired with Brand Health in the Energy theme. In a BrandVision tracker it is read with:
- The Brand Equity Score, which combines all eight metrics into one number
- The eight brand health image attributes that explain why momentum is rising or falling
- Mindshare and Magnetism: awareness and appeal, the mass behind the momentum
- The brand funnel: where momentum turns into interest, trial and loyalty
- Competitor momentum on the same questions, in the same wave
- ISO 20252:2012 accredited, MRS Company Partners, rated 9.4 out of 10 by UK research buyers
Brand tracking with momentum starts from £8,000, quoted fixed before work begins. Download the brand tracking guide for the questions, sample sizes and reporting to expect.
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Essential Brand Metrics – part of our BrandVIsion framework
Running brand tracking surveys over time will allow you to spot trends and take action more quickly. But you’ll need to measure more than brand metrics 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 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 as 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:
2. Ethical – Are you seen to be doing the right things?
3. Brand Identity -Does your Brand identity have Clarity?
4. Brand Noise – Is your brand grabbing people’s Attention?
5. Newsworthy – Is your brand worth talking about?
6. Outstanding – Do you offer exceptional Quality or Value?
7. Variety – Is your brand flexible and has multiple uses or benefits?
8. Accessible – Is your brand Readily Available and Convenient?
On Trend – Is your brand Topical & Current?
Q&A Vision One’s brand research solutions
Brand momentum is a measure of whether a brand is seen to be growing, standing still or declining relative to its competitors. It is derived from consumer perception, not sales, and it captures the direction a brand is travelling in rather than where it stands today. Developed by Tony Lewis at Vision One, it is one of the eight metrics in the BrandVision framework.
Brand momentum theory applies the mechanics of momentum to brands: momentum equals mass multiplied by velocity. Mass is the size of the brand; velocity is the direction and speed the market sees it moving. The theory holds that collective consumer perception of direction predicts future performance, which Vision One’s studies on Monarch Airlines and The Body Shop bore out.
By survey, with one question asked of everyone aware of the brand: is it growing, static or declining? The answers give the Brand Velocity Score. Combined with brand size from the same survey, it produces the Brand Momentum Score, which is benchmarked against competitors in the same wave and tracked over time to classify the brand as growing, static or declining.
Brand velocity is the direction and speed the market sees a brand moving, from the single velocity question. Brand momentum multiplies that velocity by the brand’s mass, its size in awareness and usage. A small brand can have high velocity and modest momentum; a large brand can have low velocity and still carry momentum. The two call for different strategies.
Because it captures something static metrics miss: direction of travel. Awareness, consideration and NPS describe where a brand stands; momentum describes where it is heading, drawn from the wisdom of crowds. Growing brands attract customers, command a premium and get more from their advertising, while declining brands deter new buyers, so the perception tends to become the outcome.
The Brand Velocity Score is the result of the velocity question in a Vision One brand tracker: among people aware of the brand, the balance between those who see it growing and those who see it declining. It is the fastest-moving measure in the tracker and the earliest warning sign, which is how Monarch Airlines’ trouble showed up six months before it went into administration.
Brand inertia describes a brand that keeps its numbers through habit, availability and size rather than appeal: a static brand in momentum terms. It can look healthy on awareness and share for years while velocity sits flat or slips. The risk is being overtaken by a more dynamic competitor, which is why static brands need momentum tracking as much as declining ones.
Marketing activity and spend, product availability, brand image, and the brand’s proposition and positioning. In the survey data, momentum follows relevance, clarity of positioning, consistency of communication, emotional connection, customer experience, innovation and visibility, and perceptions of the brand as successful, popular, youthful and energetic.
Start by measuring it, so you know whether you are growing, static or declining and against whom. Then work the drivers: make the brand relevant to what people need now, sharpen the positioning, keep communication consistent and visible, deliver at every touchpoint and keep innovating. Invest consistently; momentum is hard to rebuild once it has dropped.
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