More Than a Logo: Why Smart Brand Strategy Starts with Research
The Idea in Brief
THE CHALLENGE
In a crowded marketplace, brands struggle to stand out and sustain growth without a clear strategy. Inconsistent messaging, unclear value, and lack of differentiation hinder success.
THE SOLUTION
A research-driven brand strategy acts as a north star, defining what a brand stands for, promises, and how it connects with customers. By leveraging market research, brands can uncover customer motivations, identify competitive advantages, and align their positioning with consumer priorities.
THE BENEFITS
Brands with strong strategies see measurable outcomes, including increased revenue, loyalty, and market share. Research-backed insights clarify value, align teams, and drive long-term growth, ensuring brands remain credible, distinct, and impactful.
"Brand success is never luck; it’s research, insight, and execution."
— QWERRY & ONR
BY QWERRY & ONR
Introduction
In today’s crowded marketplace, successful brands don’t just stand out—they stand for something. A powerful brand strategy makes that possible, and market research makes it real. In this article, ONR (experts in turning customer feedback into strategic action) and Qwerry (leaders in brand positioning and strategy) show how smart research leads to brand strategies that drive measurable business outcomes.
What Is Brand Strategy And Why Does It Matter?
A brand strategy is your north star. It defines what you stand for, what you promise, and how you show up to customers. Without one, your messaging may be inconsistent, your value unclear, and your growth harder to sustain.
WHY IT MATTERS:
Brands with a consistent message see a revenue increase of up to 23% (Forbes)
77% of B2B marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth (LinkedIn B2B Institute)
Strong brands deliverA 31% greater shareholder returns than weaker ones (Interbrand)
WHAT DOES A GREAT BRAND STRATEGY INCLUDE?
This blueprint becomes your foundation for brand experience across all channels.
Isn’t Branding Just For Consumer Brands?
Not anymore. Branding is just as essential in B2B as in B2C, especially in competitive, commoditized, or high-trust industries.
B2B brands with strong reputations command price premiums of 20% or more (McKinsey)
Emotional connection drives more than 50% of B2B buying decisions, despite the stereotype of rational-only buyers (Google/Motista/CEB)
| Brand Positioning | Brand Example | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| B2B | HubSpot | Known for being helpful, educational, and empowering |
| B2B | Salesforce | Positioned as a transformation partner for enterprise growth |
| B2C | Trader Joe’s | Focuses on quirky value and neighborhood intimacy |
| B2C | Patagonia | Deep purpose-led brand equity—70% of its customers buy for its environmental mission (Harvard Business Review) |
What You Need To Know When Developing A Brand Strategy:
Effective brand strategy requires diagnosing the present and designing the future. Key areas include:
Brand Funnel/Pyramid Location (Awareness → Consideration → Loyalty)
Category Shopping Drivers: What your audience cares about most
Brand Strengths: What customers already associate with you
Competitor Strengths: Where others outperform and where you can win
White Space: High-value attributes where customer demand exceeds brand delivery
According to Nielsen, brands that meet consumer needs in just 2 additional areas can increase market share by 2x.
Using Market Research To Inform Brand Positioning
Here's where ONR and Qwerry go deep. We translate complex customer research into meaningful brand differentiation.
WHAT WE UNCOVERED:
| Differentiator | Description |
|---|---|
| Category Motivators | Why people buy in your space |
| Competitive Benchmarking | Where you rank vs. peers |
| Category Driver Studies | Attribute-level insights that explain customer decisions |
| Perceptual Gaps | The "importance vs. performance" delta |
Fact: Brands that align customer priorities with their brand promise outperform competitors by up to 60% in loyalty and repurchase rates (Qualtrics XM Institute).
Analytics That Help You Find Your Brand’s Place
Every market is different, which is why the methodology matters. For example, regression analysis is a well-known and proven technique to determine the relative importance of category drivers. While this can be powerful, it’s not always the best fit especially when brand awareness is uneven across the category. For example, smaller or newer brands can distort regression results if they’re unfamiliar to many respondents. In these cases, we test the model’s stability by removing low-awareness brands or rerunning the analysis with only “in-market” buyers. This helps ensure that we’re not mistaking brand familiarity for importance.
And when regression isn’t appropriate, for instance, if there’s not much difference in brand perceptions, we lean into a decision-tree framework that helps teams understand how different analytic methods (like stated importance, perceptual maps, or factor analysis) can still provide brand clarity. This ensures we’re not defaulting to one-size-fits-all analytics, but tailoring the approach based on the data.
TAILORING ANALYTICS TO MATCH EACH CLIENT & MARKET’S SITUATION
| Situation | What It Tells Us | Strategic Action |
|---|---|---|
| Strong regression model (e.g. high R2) | Derived importance aligns well with brand choice behavior | Prioritize the most predictive attributes in positioning |
| Model weakens when low-awareness brands are included | Familiarity may be skewing results | Re-run with high-awareness or in-market brands to clarify drivers |
| No strong regression pattern emerges | Consumers may not have clear mental models or use many variables | Use alternative techniques like stated importance, clustering, and perceptual mapping |
What if regression doesn’t work? It’s not a failure; it’s a signal. Often, it means you’re in a fragmented or emerging category. That’s where strategic interpretation matters most.
In ONR’s experience, layering both approaches increases strategic clarity and confidence. Mixed-method brands report a 35% higher success rate in launching new positioning or messaging strategies (source: ONR client data analysis, 2023).
Connecting Research To Brand Strategy
A brand strategy needs more than instinct or a single afternoon workshop. It should be rooted in a clear understanding of what drives people to notice, consider, and choose. That’s where research becomes more than validation it becomes a tool for focus, differentiation, and long-term growth.
We use research to uncover not just what people say, but why they act. We start by identifying the moments and motivations that bring people into a category. Our Discovery Surveys are designed to crowdsource these triggers known as Category Entry Points, or the moments people think about brands in the category so your brand can show up at the right time. It’s a fast, effective way to move beyond internal assumptions and start thinking like your customers.
Once we’ve uncovered how people enter the category, we add analytic layers that clarify what matters, where your brand stands, and how to position it:
Stated vs. Derived Importance reveals what customers say matters and what actually predicts brand choice. This helps identify attributes that are both compelling and credible; ones your brand can own in a way competitors can’t.
Perceptual Mapping shows how customers mentally organize brands making it easier to spot white space and understand how crowded or differentiated the market really is.
Factor Analysis uncovers deeper, often hidden patterns in how people think. In complex categories, this helps simplify decision-making and can even shape early positioning directions by revealing core themes or tensions in the market.
Together, these methods inform not just the insights but the decisions that go into creating a brand strategy. And the real magic happens in synthesis. It’s not just about identifying strong attributes it’s about weaving all your insights into a cohesive, distinctive story about:
| Who You’re For | What You Promise | How You’re Different | Why You’ll Be Believed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which audiences to prioritize | Which functional and emotional benefits to own | How your brand stands apart from the rest of the category | How to balance aspiration with credibility |
Whether your brand is repositioning or launching, these insights will form the foundation of a brand strategy that’s both bold and believable. Research strengthens your market and brand understanding so you can set your north star and show up in a way that is credible, distinct, and designed to last.
A Forrester study found that brands using data-backed personas and positioning increased marketing effectiveness by 28%.
Summary: Research-Driven Strategy Drives Real Results
Brand success is never luck; it’s research, insight, and execution. A powerful brand strategy helps you:
Clarify your distinct value
Align teams and touchpoints
Build loyalty and long-term growth
ONR provides the insights. Qwerry translates them into strategy. Together, we turn market research into your most valuable brand asset.
Your brand can’t just exist. It must mean something. Let’s find that meaning and make it matter.
