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Why Brand Energy is the Future of Brand Building

Brand Energy is the new currency of brand building In a crowded market, standing out is no longer just about having the biggest budget or the sharpest creative. It’s about energy. Brands with energy feel alive – they radiate momentum, spark curiosity, and make people want to get involved. Energy is what creates excitement, what fuels growth, and what keeps a brand front of mind. In his book Brand Momentum, our CEO Tony Lewis explores how the perception of growth directly impacts actual business growth. He introduces the idea of a Brand Velocity Score, a measure that shows how current perceptions of growth can accurately predict future brand consumption. The takeaway is powerful: when communications feel energetic and exciting, they don’t just capture attention, they create a sense of momentum. Customers see the brand as youthful, relevant and growing – even if the product itself hasn’t changed. In short, brand energy doesn’t just reflect growth; it helps generate it. But if energy is the new currency of brand building, there’s a challenge that often gets overlooked: the lifecycle of messaging. The Problem with Messaging Lifecycles Every piece of brand messaging has a lifecycle. It starts fresh, compelling and relevant. But over time, familiarity dulls its…

Why Brand Energy is the New Currency of Brand Building

Business Book Awards 2025 - Sales and Marketing

Tony Lewis Triumphs at Business Book Awards 2025 with Brand Momentum A Night of Celebration at Wembley London, 11 September 2025 — It was a night to remember at Wembley as the best minds in business writing gathered for the prestigious Business Book Awards 2025. Among the brightest stars was Tony Lewis, CEO of  Vision One Research, who walked away with top honours in the Sales & Marketing category for his groundbreaking book, Brand Momentum. With a packed audience of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and literary influencers, the event celebrated excellence in business thought leadership. The win marked a defining moment not just for Lewis, but for professionals everywhere seeking fresh, practical insight into brand growth and sustainability. Brand Momentum: A Game-Changer in Sales & Marketing Since its release, Brand Momentum has captured the attention of business professionals, marketers, and executives alike. What sets this book apart? It dives deep into the science of sustainable brand growth, offering not just theory, but a proven framework and practical measurement tools to drive long-term success. The Business Book Awards judges praised the work, stating: “The author has shown outstanding credibility and thought leadership in this category. Their fresh, innovative approach and engaging content, combined with excellent case studies, brought the key messages to life…

Brand Momentum Triumphs at Business Book Awards 2025 in Sales & Marketing

Best Consumer Research Companies

Consumer-focused brands face constant pressure: shifting tastes, competitive innovation, fragmented channels, and higher consumer expectations. The best consumer research companies help you cut through that noise and show how consumers think, buy, and feel so you can make smarter decisions. Here we explore the top consumer research methods, what to look for, why they matter for consumer brands, and UK-based companies that excel in each area. 1. Qualitative Consumer Research What it’s for: Understanding the why: motivations, emotions, behaviours, and attitudes that shape consumer choices. Why it matters for consumer brands:In crowded markets, consumer decisions are rarely rational. People buy on emotion, habit, and subconscious cues. Qualitative research reveals what consumers truly value in a brand, why packaging makes them pick one product over another, or how advertising language resonates. This helps brands fine-tune messaging, creative, and innovation pipelines. What you should look for:Skilled moderation, strong recruitment, and an ability to uncover deeper meaning behind consumer statements. What results to expect:Narrative reports, video highlights, and thematic frameworks that connect consumer emotions to brand opportunities. UK companies to consider:  At Vision One, our philosophy is that qualitative research is a practical way to understand motivations and consumers, and to build better offerings and innovate to gain competitive advantages. All the…

Best Consumer Research Companies in the UK

Market Size, Potential and Market Share

Why Market Sizing Matters for Scale Ups Understanding TAM (Total Addressable Market), SAM (Serviceable Available Market), and SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market) is crucial for any business seeking clarity on growth potential and for calculating market size and opportunity. These metrics are often used in new product development research and concept testing research to help define overall demand, pinpoint realistic opportunities, and identify achievable market share. By mastering them, businesses can sharpen strategy, allocate resources effectively, and build investor confidence. This article explores their benefits in depth, demonstrating how they inform smarter decisions and reveal true growth potential—making it essential reading for ambitious leaders. Knowing your market size is essential if you want to enter new markets or grow with confidence. Market sizing helps you: Two Proven Approaches to Market Sizing Top-Down Approach The Top-Down approach starts with broad industry data and narrows down to your segment. Example: Launching a plant-based protein bar in the UK This approach shows the scale of the big picture opportunity before refining it into achievable goals. Bottom-Up Approach The Bottom-Up approach to calculating market size builds on your own product inputs, such as pricing, conversion, and customer base. Example: Launching a subscription-based meditation app in the UK This view…

How to Calculate Market Size for New Products

Customer Service

Why Great Customer Service Matters More Than Ever Recent data indicate that UK customer satisfaction (as measured by the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, UKCSI) reached 77.3 in July 2025, a 1.5‑point increase from July 2024 and the highest level since early 2023. This signals a slowly improving landscape—yet challenges remain. In January 2025, service failures still cost UK organisations a staggering £7.3 billion per month, and just 21% of customers reported increasing their spending due to excellent service, according to the Institute of Customer Service. The Business Case for Great Service UK-Specific Snapshot: Who’s Getting It Right—and Where We’re Falling Short AI isn’t the silver bullet: While AI chatbots offer efficiency, 42% of Brits admit to being ruder to AI than human agents, and 57% have abandoned purchases due to poor support. Top performers: John Lewis (recently overtaking M&S), Nationwide, and Timpson topped the UKCSI charts, according to the Institute of Customer Service. 26% of customers now say positive personal treatment improves their satisfaction, according to the Institute of Customer Service. Lingering frustrations: A Guardian investigation reports that UK adults spend between 28 and 41 minutes per week wrestling with inefficient service systems—particularly across energy, broadband, NHS, and council services. The Guardian. In the telecom sector, providers like TalkTalk, Virgin Media, BT, and EE top the complaint charts, while smaller…

Why Customer Service Matters More Than Ever

How luxury brands warp markets

Why luxury brands influence markets and shape consumer behaviour worldwide Luxury brands don’t follow market rules; they rewrite them. By profiling and targeting high-value, elite niches, luxury brands create demand at the top of the pyramid. But what starts as exclusive often cascades downward, reshaping expectations for the entire category. This isn’t just about selling expensive products. It’s about influencing how consumers perceive value, quality, and status -whether they’re buying a £5 coffee or a £5,000 handbag. And it all starts with better customer profiling. How Elite Targeting Distorts the Market When luxury brands profile their audiences, they aren’t looking for broad appeal—they’re laser-focused on those who can afford to pay more, want to differentiate themselves, and have cultural influence. By targeting these groups first, they: Shift the competitive landscape, forcing mass brands to premiumise or risk irrelevance The Cascade Effect Here’s how the dynamic works: Example: Lululemon wasn’t always mainstream. It started by targeting affluent fitness communities with premium-priced athleisure. Now, the idea of paying £100+ for leggings has trickled into the mass market, reshaping how consumers perceive value in sportswear. The Research Behind Luxury Strategy Luxury brands don’t just guess who their elite audiences are—they profile them with precision. And they do it…

How Luxury Brands Warp Markets with Customer Profiling

Behavioural Research Experts

Interested in behavioural research? Explore the forces shaping human behaviour and decision-making at the MRS Behavioural Science Summit 2025. Discover real-world case studies from commercial and public sector organisations that are placing human insight at the heart of strategic choices—designing powerful interventions that guide behaviour and influence outcomes. This year’s summit highlights both strategic and practical applications of behavioural research and behavioural science across innovation, proposition development, service design, customer experience, marketing communications, commercial performance, digital wellbeing, branding, and packaging. Learn how diverse sectors—from healthcare and FMCG research users to transport and financial services research buyers—are using behavioural insight to create real impact. Why attend the MRS Behavioural Research Summit We’re proud to share that Vision One will be attending and sponsoring this year’s event—supporting the advancement of behavioural science and sharing our own expertise in understanding and influencing decision-making. Secure your place to deepen your knowledge, build confidence in designing behavioural experiments, and explore innovative research methods, frameworks, and tools for shifting and evidencing behaviour change. Behavioural Research Summit Sponsored by Vision One It promises to be a great day, and here’s the agenda for anyone interested in behavioural research: 08.45 Registration & coffee09.25 Welcome – Dr. Nicki Morley, Kantar 09.35 AR: The Modern Word of Mouth Global research reveals how…

Behavioural Research Summit 2025

Vision One are now ISO accredited

Following a recent audit, we are delighted to announce that we have retained our ISO 20252 certification, reasserting the high-quality services we provide our clients. What is ISO20252? ISO 20252:2012 is the only globally recognised quality standard for the market research industry, making us one of only around 100 research companies worldwide to have converted to this standard. This ISO accreditation is an integral part of our commitment to quality, continual improvement and our clients. The rigorous audit (delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic) was conducted by QMS International (now called Citation), and our ISO status is valid until 2027, when the next assessment is due. The certification covers all aspects of our business from the bid process to project delivery, training and GDPR, and it is a credit to all our staff who have made the ISO 20252:2012 accreditation possible. Alex Brown, Head of Operations, commented. “We are very proud of our recent achievements and quality standards. We will not be resting on our laurels and will continue to invest heavily in our Research Process Management System. Delivering the highest-quality, most effective research to our clients is the driving force behind everything we do. We are most grateful to our clients who…

ISO Update: Vision One’s ISO 20252 Certification renewed

Projective techniques to unlock the consumer

What are Projective Techniques? Projective techniques are essential qualitative research techniques for those looking to understand how consumers think, feel and behave. Vision One is an expert in focus groups, depth, and ethnography, and this article explains some of the things you need to know about the topic and the benefits to your business. Projective Techniques Explained Projective techniques have their roots in clinical psychology. They are creative exercises used by qualitative researchers to simplify conversations, especially those relating to more sensitive subjects. Implementing such enabling or projective techniques allows moderators to go beyond consumers’ immediate conscious awareness and discover their nonconscious thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The concept of nonconscious action has been underpinned by advances in brain scanning, neuroscience, and the rise of behavioural science – all of which lend validity to its existence.   Why are they necessary?There are numerous reasons why individuals may be unable or unwilling to reveal how they feel about a subject. One reason is that people generally want to be perceived as conforming to the norms of the group or society that they are in, regardless of whether they feel that way. This is a mechanism to avoid rejection from society or groups – one of the strongest drivers of human behaviour. Many people also struggle to verbalise…

Projective Techniques for better insights

Benefits of Focus Groups Explained by Vision One

Benefits of Focus Groups and Group Discussions Explained When you’re building a business, one of the biggest questions you’ll face is: what do my customers really think? It’s not enough to just assume or rely on gut instinct—brands that last are the ones that listen carefully, test their ideas, and adapt. One of the most tried-and-tested ways of doing this is through focus groups (also known as group discussions or sometimes workshops). What exactly is a focus group? A focus group is a research technique where you bring together a small group of people—usually between 6 and 10 participants—who fit the profile of your target customer. They’re invited to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences on a particular topic. This might be anything from testing reactions to a new product idea, to exploring how people feel about your latest ad campaign, to understanding everyday behaviours in a category like food, travel, or finance. These sessions are led by a trained moderator (or facilitator). Their job isn’t to lecture, but to guide the conversation in a way that keeps it relevant and insightful. Moderators use a discussion guide (a plan of topics and questions), but they also have the flexibility to dig deeper when something interesting comes up. That’s what…

Explaining The Benefits of Focus Groups

Vision One strengthens client team

Vision One strengthens the client team with new hire We are delighted to announce the appointment of Leah Doyle as Insight Manager who has now joined the Vision One team. Possessing both qualitative and quantitative skills, Leah brings extensive research experience having worked at Pion, The Beans Group and Rare Group, and since graduating from the University Bsc in Psychology at Liverpool Hope and an Msc in Consumer Behaviour at Goldsmiths University of London. ‘We’re thrilled to welcome Leah Doyle’ says Alex Brown, Director of Insight. “With a deep passion for youth, culture and all things insight-related, she brings fresh perspectives and invaluable expertise. We know her passion, energy, and curiosity will be a perfect fit and we couldn’t be more excited to have them on board.” We look forward to Leah working closely with our other research experts and creating actionable insights that shape brands for the better. To find out about the work Leah will be doing, navigate through some of the services where Leah’s input will be vital. Leah Doyle’s Expertise Holding a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Consumer Behaviour, she combines a deep understanding of human decision-making with practical industry knowledge. Leah is also a previous…

Leah Doyle joins Vision One team

How biggest brands use market research to fuel innovation and expansion

How market research helps companies innovate, reduce risk & grow In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business landscape, companies must make informed decisions to scale effectively. Growth is not just about increasing revenue but about sustainable expansion that aligns with market demand, customer needs, and competitive positioning. One of the most powerful tools for achieving this is market research to fuel innovation. Market research provides the data-driven insights businesses need to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and develop strategies that drive long-term success. Whether a company is launching a new product, entering a new market, or optimising its customer experience, market research lays the foundation for confident, strategic decision-making. Understanding Market Research and Its Role in Growth Market research is the systematic process of collecting, analysing, and interpreting information about a market, its consumers, and its competition. It helps businesses: When companies integrate consumer market research into their decision-making processes, they reduce uncertainty, make better strategic choices, and position themselves for sustained growth. Leveraging Market Research to Fuel Innovation and Business Expansion 1. Identifying New Market Opportunities One of the primary ways market research drives growth is by identifying untapped opportunities. Businesses can conduct research to explore: Case Study: Netflix’s Global Expansion Netflix’s expansion…

How Big Brands Use Market Research to Fuel Innovation