For companies, these brief moments represent a complex puzzle they’re desperate to solve. How can businesses capture these split-second impressions? More importantly, how can they understand the feelings and situations that shape what consumers think? As markets evolve at rapid speed, the race is on to not just understand consumer perceptions but to do so on a deeper level and faster than ever.
In this article, I will discuss:
What are brand experiences?
A brand experience is any interaction that someone has with a brand. That could include “seeing a TV ad or a poster. It could also be seeing somebody drinking a bottle of beer. Or it could be using the product yourself,” says Fiona Blades, founder of MESH Experience, on an episode of “Research Revolutionaries“.
These days, ad spend isn’t the only thing that matters. In fact, seeing an ad makes up only 30% of brand experiences. That’s why it’s important to capture all these other experiences to understand consumer perceptions. This allows marketers to evaluate campaigns, understand consumer behavior, and assess the overall customer experience.
Why capture real-time brand interactions?
Traditional research methods, like surveys, often miss two important details: context and emotion. These methods ask people to remember past experiences, which can be inaccurate. Unlike traditional market research, real-time experience tracking captures these often-forgotten factors as they happen. This approach provides a more accurate and timely picture of how consumers interact with brands, helping brands stay competitive.
Why context is essential when measuring brand experiences
Context can include factors such as time of day, location, and the consumer’s current situation, all of which can significantly impact how a consumer perceives a brand experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of how context affects brand perception. The way consumers perceived brand messaging changed a great deal after the onset of the pandemic. Beforehand, “about 23% of the advertising experiences people would say were irrelevant. Within two weeks, that had gone to 47% that were irrelevant,” says Fiona. The brand’s messaging hadn’t changed, but the context had.
Time of day is another contextual element that affects consumer perceptions. For instance, research shows that service brands are perceived more positively after 7 PM. This is most likely because it’s after the workday when consumers have the time and space to process brand messaging.
These examples show how things like the time of day or major events like the COVID-19 pandemic can change how people see brands. Real-time tracking allows brands to immediately evaluate how contextual factors impact consumer perceptions. This way, they can make strategic adjustments on the fly, maintaining a competitive advantage.
The role of emotion in brand experiences
Emotions also play a big role in shaping consumer perceptions. However, they are hard to recall. In fact, according to Dr. Andy Wells from the London School of Economics, “it’s almost impossible to recall emotion,” says Fiona. While a consumer might remember engaging with a brand, they won’t necessarily remember how they felt about it.
Nonetheless, positive emotions, and positive experiences in general, are crucial for brand success. So much so that “a positive experience has three times the impact on brand consideration of a neutral one,” Fiona says. This shows how important it is to focus on the quality of brand experiences, not just the quantity.
Emotional data provides valuable insights into what drives positive consumer perceptions and behavior. While it’s nearly impossible to capture with traditional methods, real-time tracking offers a promising solution to understanding these interactions as they happen.
Using data to improve consumer perceptions
Collecting real-time data on brand experiences is important. Using this data effectively to improve consumer perceptions is equally, if not more, important. After all, actionable insights are the key to improving brand performance.
One effective way to leverage this data is to supercharge marketing strategies. Brands can use these insights to pinpoint the experiences that drive positive perceptions. This way, they can craft targeted, effective marketing initiatives that resonate with their audience and boost brand performance.
Another great way to use this data is to improve internal communication. Real-time experience tracking can provide cross-functional data that brings together different teams, including media agencies, creative teams, and executives. This shared understanding can lead to more aligned and effective marketing efforts.
While real-time tracking capabilities are exciting, it’s important to remember that not everything needs to be fast-paced. There’s also value in taking time to fully understand and implement these insights within an organisation. As the old adage goes, sometimes you must slow down to speed up.
Summing up the need for holistic consumer perceptions
Marketers gain a clearer understanding of how consumers perceive and engage with their brand by capturing experiences in real time. This approach encompasses all the factors that shape consumer perceptions, including context and emotion.
Understanding consumer perceptions holistically goes beyond numbers. With these insights, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of how consumers experience and relate to brands in their daily lives. This empowers brands to craft more meaningful, impactful experiences that boost positive perceptions and encourage long-term brand loyalty.
The real-time tracking of brand experiences marks a significant shift in how marketers understand and respond to consumer perceptions. As consumer behavior evolves, this holistic, real-time approach provides the immediate insights brands need to stay competitive and build lasting connections.
