How Consumer Sentiment and Brand Health Shape Growth Strategies

With endless choice at our fingertips, keeping your brand health in check and driving consideration & purchase comes down to three things: familiarity, consistency, and relevance. 

Yes, national pride can influence consumer decisions, but it’s not the whole story. Winning today takes more. So, the million-dollar question we always hear is: 

Where should I focus to truly understand my brand health and uncover real opportunity? 

Cut Through the Noise. Focus on What Matters. 

To keep your brand strong and find room to grow, you need clarity. That starts with knowing what to measure, and why it matters. 

The most powerful insights are grounded in critical success metrics. They give you a sharp view of how you're doing, where you're winning (or losing), and who you’re resonating with (or not). But the real magic happens when you layer in consumer verbatims throughout the process, that’s when data becomes actionable direction. 

Let’s break it down. 

What Really Matters 

Your brand health depends on a mix of metrics. When you focus on what moves the needle, you know where to focus to drive growth. 

Awareness 
You can’t be chosen if you’re not known. With 2,500+ daily touchpoints shaping everything from what we eat to what we believe, visibility isn’t optional. If you're not showing up, you're invisible, and being invisible is the greatest challenge for any brand or business. 

Familiarity 
Awareness puts you in the running, but familiarity is the game changer.  Do people actually know who you are, what you offer, and why you matter? If not, your awareness doesn’t matter, and you’re leaving opportunity (and dollars) on the table. 

Consideration 
This is the tipping point, where curiosity turns into intent. To earn a spot in the final decision set, you need to connect to what really matters to your consumers. 

Purchase 
The outcome we’re all aiming for. Purchase is the proof point that everything before it - strategy, positioning & connection - worked. It’s where talk turns into action. 

Recommendation 
Deliver consistently and people will advocate for you. There’s nothing more powerful than a genuine recommendation that is free, credible and trusted. It builds momentum and multiplies your reach. 

Don’t Forget the "Why" 

Breakthrough and behavior tell you what’s happening. Attitudinal insights explain why. Here’s what else matters: 

Trust 
It doesn’t happen overnight. On average, it takes five years to build, but once it’s there, trust becomes your biggest brand asset. It drives loyalty, lifts purchase and reduces price sensitivity. (Need proof? Check out our deep dive in “Trust Exposed” and “The Power of Brand” series).  

Reputation 
This is how people talk about you when you're not in the room. Reputation is built on actions, consistency, and experiences. We’ve seen it time and time again - there’s often a major disconnect between what brands think they stand for and how consumers actually see them. 

Brand Equities 
These are the values, promises and attributes that define you. But do you know which ones truly matter to your audience and how well you're delivering on them? 

If you want to accelerate, it is important to understand that consumers purchase brands that consistently show up, driven by core attributes such as “a brand that makes me feel good” and “supports community”. Consumers connect emotionally with brands that deliver value beyond the product - trust, inspiration, consistency, and personal alignment matter more than ever. 

Your Opportunity Is in the Details 

Top-line numbers are great, but growth lives in the specifics: 
 
National vs. Regional 
Where are you thriving? Where are your challenges and where do you need to focus to accelerate? Get granular to find the gaps and the opportunities. 
 
Competitive Context 
Your performance only matters in context. Are you more relevant, more compelling, and better than your competitors? (Spoiler: it’s not about being unique—it’s about being better.) 

Cohort-Level Focus 
Yes, the big picture matters. But winning brands know their key audiences inside and out, whether it’s retaining your current high value consumers, converting competitors’ customers, or attracting new recruits. Who are they? What drives them? Are you delivering? 

The Bottom Line: Everything Else Is Noise 

There’s more data than ever but most of it can be a distraction. The key is to focus on your fundamentals, what is essential and leveraging the ‘why’ behind these essentials. When you do, the path forward is clear. 

We help brands and businesses remove the noise and focus on what matters. Salient, actionable solutions that fuel brand health and drive business results. 
  
Ready to uncover opportunity and ignite growth? 
Let’s talk about what’s working, what’s not and where your brand should focus next. We deliver dividends for our clients. Let’s do the same for you.