Brand Perception Insights

When I talk to founders and CEOs about perception, most assume it’s one big thing. But here’s the truth: perception is multi-layered. You’re not judged on one single dimension. You’re judged on multiple categories of perception, often subconsciously. Let’s break it down into six categories: 1. Competence Perception Do people believe you can deliver? This is the most basic form of perception. It’s about whether your track record, expertise, and body of work convince others that you know what you’re doing. Without this, no amount of storytelling matters. Signals of competence: clear case studies, industry recognition, demonstrable wins. 2. Character Perception Do people trust your integrity? If investors, clients, or employees suspect your values don’t align with theirs, or worse, that you cut corners, trust erodes. And once character perception is damaged, it’s almost impossible to rebuild. Signals of character: consistency between words and actions, transparency, and how you treat people when things go wrong. 3. Clarity Perception Do people understand your positioning? A lot of CEOs are competent and have integrity, but their message is muddy. They use vague, generic language, “innovative,” “disruptive,” “leading,” and wonder why people don’t remember them. Clarity perception is about whether people can quickly articulate what you do and why it matters. Signals of clarity: a positioning statement that’s simple, specific, and repeatable. 4. Scale Perception Do you look as big as you actually are? This is one of the biggest gaps I see. I’ve worked with companies doing $20M+ in revenue that still looked like scrappy startups online. Their reality had outpaced their perception. If your digital presence, branding, and narrative don’t reflect your true scale, the market underestimates you, and you don’t get invited into the rooms you’ve already earned. Signals of scale: updated digital presence, professional design, visible leadership, thought leadership at the right level. 5. Cultural Perception Does your team reflect your values? People don’t just look at you, they look at the culture you’ve built. The way your employees speak about you, the diversity of your team, how aligned they are with your stated mission, all of it shapes perception. Signals of culture: Glassdoor reviews, employee advocacy, alignment between internal values and external brand. 6. Emotional Perception How do you make people feel? This is the most underestimated category. Do you inspire? Do you intimidate? Do you bore? Do you connect? Emotional perception is the glue that turns competence into loyalty. Signals of emotion: storytelling that resonates, vulnerability when appropriate, the ability to anchor your brand in values that spark belief. A founder might have strong values internally but fail to project scale externally. Perception is the sum of these layers. And if even one is weak, it can quietly hold you back.

Brands are just one more post away from building an unforgettable perception. "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" I worked with a founder who posted consistently— 5 days a week, every week. She thought more posts = more visibility. The reality? Her numbers plateaued: ➡️ 500-600 impressions per post. ➡️ Less than 5 comments. ➡️ Engagement that felt like crickets. We pivoted. Instead of focusing on frequency, we focused on impact. In 4 weeks: ⇒ Her impressions jumped from 3k to 18k/post. ⇒ She started meaningful conversations in the comments. ⇒ A DM turned into a $20k collaboration. What changed? We rewired her approach to brand perception: 1️⃣ It’s not about volume—it’s about value. Posting daily isn’t the goal. Resonating deeply with your audience is. 2️⃣ Conversations > statements. We crafted posts that invited dialogue, not just views. Result? A single post sparked over 50 comments—a chain of authentic conversations. 3️⃣ Impact over impressions. One viral post won’t make your brand. A series of impactful posts builds trust, credibility, and connection. Your brand isn’t measured by the number of posts or conversations. It’s measured by the depth of the impact you create. That’s why: - A post that inspires one DM asking for your expertise > 100 likes. - A conversation where someone thanks you for clarity > 10 surface-level comments. - A visible brand that’s consistent in values beats one that’s “always posting.” P.S.: Building brand perception isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters. If you’re ready to shift your focus from content churn to meaningful impact, I’d love to help. DM me “Impact” or book a call from my featured section. Let’s turn your LinkedIn into a platform where your brand leaves a mark—not just an impression.

Designer Wraps, Consumer Traps. Ever found yourself drawn to a luxury brand, or catching yourself judging a product purely by its packaging? If so, Wheat is Wheat is Wheat by Peddy Mergui is likely to change how you see the shelf next time you shop. Packaging has an extraordinary ability to shape how we value things, often before we realise it's happening. Long before a label is read or a price is compared, a judgement has already formed, nudged into place by visual cues rather than rational thought. That's exactly what Mergui sets out to examine. The exhibition takes everyday staples and dresses them in the visual language of luxury. Flour appears wrapped like Prada, eggs are branded by Versace, baby formula wears Gucci. The contents stay the same, yet perception shifts instantly. The contrast is deliberate. Nothing about the product changes, but its perceived value does. The work lands because it exposes something the industry rarely says out loud. Perception is not an extra layer applied to a product. It's the engine behind the entire read. Design codes begin shaping meaning long before a word is read. Finish, typography, colour and balance all carry signals that guide interpretation. Matte surfaces suggest premium. Serif typography leans on heritage. Gold accents imply worth. Together they form a visual language that works faster than conscious thought. Behavioural science backs this. Research shows that colour, texture and typography influence how we judge quality, price and even taste. Metallic tones are linked with craftsmanship. Lighter palettes suggest purity. Balanced layouts signal trust. These stories form quickly, often without us noticing. Mergui amplifies that mechanism by making it impossible to ignore. His work visualises the halo effect, where a single strong cue shapes overall judgement. When flour carries a luxury logo, the prestige transfers automatically, driven by instinct rather than logic. That's where the tension sits. Packaging does far more than protect or inform. Identity, aspiration and belonging sit at the heart of its influence, using the same shortcuts luxury branding has perfected for decades. Everyday products become desirable not because they've changed, but because their wrapper has. Wheat is Wheat is Wheat holds up a mirror to that system. It shows how easily meaning outweighs material, and how narrow the line can be between persuasion and manipulation. Next time a beautifully designed pack catches your eye, it might be worth asking whether you are choosing the product, or the story wrapped around it. Wheat is still wheat. Design just knows how to dress it. 📷Peddy Mergui

"Your brand isn't what you say it is. It's what they say it is." - Marty Neumeier The duality of brand existence 👇👇👇 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆: 1. The objective realm of products, services, and measurable performance 2. The subjective realm of perception, emotion, and cultural meaning This duality creates a complex reality where success depends not just on what a brand does, but on how it resonates in the collective consciousness of its audience. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Core Essence vs. Expression A brand's ontology can be understood through two philosophical lenses: 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲) Core purpose Foundational values Brand promise Organizational culture 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀) Visual identity Marketing campaigns Product iterations Communication styles A brand's essence exists independent of its temporal expressions. Nike's essence of athletic excellence and human potential remains constant, while its campaigns and products evolve. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻? Brand knowledge forms through three primary channels: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Product usage Customer service interactions Physical touchpoints 𝟮. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Marketing communications Social media presence Third-party reviews Cultural conversation 𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 Brand heritage Shared experiences Cultural associations Community narratives ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗽 The space between a brand's objective reality and its perceived reality requires careful navigation: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝟭. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 Build from authentic capabilities Demonstrate before claiming Under-promise, over-deliver 𝟮. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Consistent storytelling Experience design Community building Cultural participation 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Continuous improvement Innovation aligned with perception Closing experience gaps ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Practical implementation - Building brand truth 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 What unchanging purpose drives your brand? What values are truly non-negotiable? What unique value do you provide? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Craft consistent narratives Design meaningful experiences Engage in authentic dialogue Build community connections 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 & 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 Track perception gaps Listen to customer stories Evolve while maintaining essence Respond to cultural shifts A brand's reality exists at the intersection of objective truth and collective belief. Success comes not from controlling this reality, but from understanding its dual nature and working skilfully with both dimensions.

What if choosing a brand is really choosing a version of yourself? Not long ago, I came across a fascinating insight: Coke is just soda. Starbucks is just coffee.. Levi's are just jeans. Yet, millions of us actively choose them over nearly identical alternatives. Why? A study from Duke University had participants subliminally exposed to either the Apple or IBM logo. What happened next was extraordinary. Those who saw the Apple logo performed better on creative tasks. Not because of any magical power, but because of what Apple represents: creativity, individuality, innovation. That’s when it hit me. We don't just buy products. We buy stories. We buy identity. We buy belonging. And neuroscience backs it. In another study, iPhone users showed family-level empathy toward Apple when inside an MRI machine. Samsung users? Not so much. In fact, they only lit up when hearing bad news about Apple, reverse empathy in action. What's more intriguing? Most participants weren't even aware of how strongly their brains were reacting. This tells us something critical: ✅ Our choices aren’t always rational ✅ Brands aren’t just logos, they’re mirrors of who we are ✅ Even saying “I don’t care about brands” is... branding This leaves me both awed and cautious. The power of branding is real. It shapes perception, emotion, behavior, even identity. So next time you're reaching for a product, take a second to pause. Ask yourself: “Am I buying this for what it is, or for what it says about me?” Because whether we like it or not, in a world overflowing with options, brands are our new language of self-expression.

B2B has a brand measurement advantage over B2C marketers. We just haven’t been using it to its full potential, and I don’t know why. Here's one things I've loved learning over the past 8 years in my role. I can hear on calls when someone has been familiar with our brand, I can hear why they reached out, and I can listen for tells that indicate what other agencies they've talked to. B2B should be leveraging call data more to learn about their brand and how they are being perceived. In consumer markets, you need surveys, focus groups, and social listening to get a read on brand perception. In B2B, we get something far more valuable: direct conversations with prospects and customers, every single day. Think about it: 📞 Account manager catch-ups reveal how customers are discovering and adopting new features. 📞 Sales calls uncover how prospects first heard about you, what sparked their interest, and who they’re comparing you to. This is brand intelligence that comes straight from the source. And now, with AI, we can scale it: 🎧 Transcribe and analyze hundreds (or thousands) of calls. 🎧 Detect sentiment shifts over time. 🎧 Spot the words, competitors, and triggers that signal brand strength (or weakness). Real examples of what’s possible: ☎️ Listen to call transcriptions to see if prospects and customers are talking about your branded products and terms. ☎️ Understand if they’re asking for things unique to you—or unique to your competitors. ☎️ Recently launched a brand initiative? See if they’re using the language your campaign focused on. We can analyze these calls to get brand sentiment, track brand lift, and capture feedback... without running a single extra survey. This is one area in research and insights where GTM engineering can compress product marketing cycles and turn what used to be qualitative data into quantitative.

𝗧𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗣𝗚 and constant pressure by 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 to match competitors' 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼 strategies? Your Differential Value is Your Secret Weapon I talk to many mid-market CPG brand leaders, and the story is often the same: they're constantly battling price pressure from tactical retail buyers. Brands within a category/sub-category get treated interchangeably, and suddenly, you're fighting for shelf space based solely on the lowest price (or most frequent promos and deepest investments). It's a race to the bottom that erodes margins and brand equity. But what if I told you there's a better way? A way to prove your product's worth, justify your pricing, and even gain an advantage when competitors lower prices? It all comes down to understanding and communicating your differential value – the unique perceived benefits your brand offers that others don't. • We recently worked with a mid-market dairy brand. They're not just selling a commodity but a premium product with specific, demonstrable benefits (like sourcing, animal welfare, and a commitment to sustainable practices). Their customers value that difference, and our research showed they're willing to pay a premium. Their perceived value can even increase with a slight price increase, a phenomenon seen with "Veblen goods" (think luxury items where higher price signals higher quality). • On the other hand, a frozen dessert brand a number of years ago learned the hard way about the importance of independent consumer research. They thought they understood their product's perceived value, but internal assumptions led to misaligned pricing and lost profits (they increased prices only to deal it all back in incremental promotions). Third-party research uncovered consumer insights, unlocking a more effective pricing strategy. Price Value Mapping is a powerful visual tool that shows you exactly where your brand sits relative to competitors in terms of perceived value and price. Are you "value advantaged" (offering more for the price) or "value disadvantaged" (potentially overpriced)? Imagine plotting your product and your competitors on a graph. The "Value Equivalence Line" (VEL) represents the market's trade-off between price and perceived value. I'm giving away two resources to help you get started (link in comments) • Price Value Mapping Tool: This Python-based tool helps you build and interpret Price-Value Maps based on pricing data and consumer survey responses. It uses machine learning (Random Forests) to quantify attribute importance and calculate a "perceived value" score. It even includes scenario analysis to see how price or value adjustments could impact your positioning. • Van Westendorp Analysis Template: This template helps you understand consumer price sensitivity and identify optimal price ranges. Stop letting price be the only factor in the conversation. Take control of your brand's narrative and prove your value.

“Are we playing where we can win, or just playing where it’s crowded?” This is the very question I ask every founder, along with asking them to create a market map. And you’d be surprised to know how many of the founders do this activity for the first time. This reveals so much about their brand and the competition. It stops the guessing and forces us to look at the landscape with radical transparency. Here is what usually happens when we put the data on the wall and the three specific things this exercise reveals: 1. The "Messy Middle" Trap Founders almost always place their brand in the top-right corner: High Quality, Premium Price. But when we map the actual competitors, we often find the brand is actually sitting in the "messy middle," pricing that is too high for the value players but brand equity that is too low for the luxury players. The Lesson: You can’t command a premium price if the consumer views you as a commodity. The map reveals if your "perceived value" matches your "price tag." 2. The "Ghost" Competitor I ask founders to list their top three competitors. They usually list the brands that look like them. But the market map often reveals that their biggest threat isn't a direct copycat, it’s a substitute product they ignored. The Lesson: For example, at Oakley, we didn't just compete with other sunglasses; we competed for "share of mind" in the sports performance world. If you ignore the outliers, they will eventually eat your lunch. 3. The Untapped "White Space" (My favorite) This is where the magic happens. When you visualize the market, you don't just see where everyone is, you see where everyone isn't. For example: When I was at Oakley, we looked at the Golf Apparel market. It was crowded with traditional, conservative styles. The map showed a massive gap for "Youthful, Athletic Performance." We used that insight to pivot, leveraging Bubba Watson to capture a younger, edgier audience. That single insight helped turn a struggling $5M category into a $47M success story in 14 months. The Bottom Line: You cannot dominate a market you haven't defined. Don't assume you know where you sit. Map it. Validate it. Then, attack the white space. Truth wins. Always. #BusinessStrategy #MarketMapping #BrandBuilding #Leadership #SteveHarden

We have been looking deeper at Creators and Brands using our Insights platform Tellagence. I wanted to share some take aways for those of you working with brands and creators from a report we recently ran using 100+ recent pieces of content from one creator and the reactions/comments from their audience. 🛑 The 100-Post Blind Spot: Why Your Creator Strategy is Only 10% Effective A challenge to all Creator Analysts & Strategists: We need to stop checking just the last 10 sponsored posts for risk. The real signal, whether good or bad, is buried in a creator's last 50-100 organic and cultural conversations. New data from the our Pulse Report confirms a vital truth: Creator success hinges on adjacent cultural traction and values alignment, not just reach. 1. Decoding True Audience Resonance (The Opportunity) Analyst Question: Does the audience react in line with the brand, or are they finding other things to discuss? The Data Answer: They are passionately discussing adjacent cultural topics. The biggest thematic conversation wasn't about a product, but "Culinary and Cultural Reflections" (a massive 19.3K record count) focused on debates like tamale quality and sushi etiquette. Strategic Takeaway: The debate is hotter than the pitch. Your brand's opportunity is not to interrupt, but to host this existing, high-passion conversation (e.g., launching a "Food Rules" debate series). 2. Quantifying Brand Risk (The Gap) Analyst Question: How do consumers react to non-brand, values-based topics? The Data Answer: High-intensity, value-based critique is the true risk signal. While 30% of the overall sentiment was negative, the critical volume tied to an entertainment brand's "Controversial Practices" (ethical failings, employee treatment) was small but potent: only 1.5K records. Strategic Takeaway: This small volume of high-intensity negativity is the true measure of brand risk. Deep analysis surfaces these values conflicts before a campaign, allowing you to proactively turn risk into a trust-building effort (e.g., a transparent "Brand Principles" content pillar). 3. Campaign Opportunities: Focus on Replicable Emotion When presenting this insight to a client, shift the focus from who to hire to what emotion to replicate. Opportunity A: Low-Friction Joy. A single viral piece (12.6K records) drove massive positive engagement purely on shared joy and humor. Actionable Idea: Don't chase the next topic; chase the next feeling. Replicate low-barrier success with UGC series (e.g., "Sounds of Joy") to tap into universal positive experiences. Continued in comments...