Feature
The Gist
- Foster authenticity. Genuine brand communication and commitment to values enhance loyalty and trust, shaping consumer behavior positively.
- Manage perceptions proactively. Understanding and aligning with consumer expectations can safeguard brand reputation and drive purchasing decisions.
- Consistency is key. Across touchpoints, maintain transparency and authenticity to build enduring emotional connections with your audience.
Brand perception today has an increasingly immense influence on consumer behavior and market positioning. Defined as the collective opinions, beliefs and emotions held by consumers toward a brand, brand perception encapsulates how individuals perceive and interact with a company's products, services and values. Understanding brand perception is vital for businesses seeking to build meaningful connections with their target audience, as it shapes consumer trust, loyalty and purchase decisions.
This article examines the intricacies of brand perception, exploring its significance in shaping market perception, consumer behavior and long-term brand success.
Introduction to the Concept of Brand Perception
Brand perception encompasses the collective views, emotions, and attitudes that consumers have toward a brand, influenced by their experiences and interactions with a brand's products, services and communicated values. In today’s overly competitive environment, understanding and strategically managing brand perception can determine a brand's ability to build trust, loyalty and drive purchasing decisions.
Brand perception today impacts all businesses, not just those with a predominantly online presence. A consumer’s perception of a brand can be impacted by many factors, including experiences that occur both online and offline, such as:
- An experience on the brand’s website.
- An experience in the brand’s store.
- A documentary or video that was watched.
- The experience or opinion of an online influencer.
- The acts of a protest group.
- Commercials from the brand.
- Earnings reports, quarterly reports.
- A statement or response, or lack thereof, from the brand regarding a social or political event.
- A customer service response, or lack thereof, from the brand on social media.
- A customer service experience with the brand.
Any one of these, or a combination of one or more, can contribute to the public perception of a brand, and of course, that perception is likely to differ based on the personal identity of each consumer: Do they identify as liberal or conservative, young or old, rich or poor, their geological location, religion, etc. Many variables come together to form a customer’s personal identity, and all of them impact the way they view and perceive brands.
Stefanie Magness, publicist, and PR agent at Elevate U PR, a public relations and communications company, told CMSWire that brand perception is like the seasoning in a recipe — it's what gives a brand its flavor and makes it stand out from the crowd. "Just like how different spices can evoke different emotions and memories, a brand's perception shapes how consumers feel and think about it," said Magness.
The Components of Brand Perception
Along with most of the reasons listed above, brand perception is shaped by several key components that remain largely under the control of the business, including visual identity, customer experience and the values a company communicates. Visual identity, which includes logos, color schemes, and design, creates a memorable image in consumers' minds. Customer experience, influenced by the interactions at all of a brand’s touchpoints, directly impacts satisfaction and loyalty. Communicated values, reflecting a brand's principles and ethics, resonate with consumers on a personal level, building a deeper connection. Together, these elements construct the overarching perception of a brand, determining its position in the consumer's psyche and the broader market.
Kseniya Melnikova, founder and chief problem solver at Melk PR, a content marketing and communication strategy service, told CMSWire that at its core, brand perception is what a target audience thinks the moment they hear or see the name of a brand. "That's where your storytelling begins, and ideally, it serves as the foundation for pretty much all other marketing and communication initiatives by your company," said Melnikova.
Departmental silos can create confusing and overlapping perceptions of a brand. “Often, problems arise where there is siloing between teams,” said Melnikova. “A misalignment occurs when each team takes ownership of building its own framework of messaging values, creating a muddled brand perception when combined all together.”
Understanding and espousing a brand’s values is extremely important to brand perception. Tara Stoutenborough, principal at Strategies, a MarCom corporation, told CMSWire that maintaining brand perception is a day-by-day, breath-by-breath job and it’s more an inside job than an outside one. "If every person who works for the brand company doesn’t know, feel and live the brand, it will begin to slip,” said Stoutenborough. “That means internal communications are paramount and have to be both persistent and consistent. Every person from the CEO to the marketing intern has to be able to recite the gospel of the brand, know it and, hopefully, believe it. If the brand is ‘we’re the nerds, the geeks, the experts,’ then every person who represents the brand needs to be an expert or enthusiastically working to become one.”
Stoutenborough suggested that if your brand is famous for quality, then every product needs to reflect that concern and any failure in quality should be loudly recognized, apologized for and reversed.
Related Article: Rising Costs, Happy Customers: How to Achieve Balance
Impact of Brand Perception on Consumer Behavior
Brand perception significantly impacts consumer behavior, shaping purchasing decisions, brand loyalty and advocacy. A positive perception can motivate consumers to choose one brand over another, foster a sense of loyalty that encourages repeat purchases and drive them to recommend the brand to others. Conversely, negative perceptions can deter potential purchases and damage loyalty. This dynamic underscores the importance of managing brand perception proactively to align with consumer expectations and values, thereby influencing their behavior in favor of the brand.
Brand perception not only influences immediate consumer actions but also affects long-term brand equity. Deeply embedded perceptions can become self-reinforcing through social proof, where the popularity of a brand attracts new customers. In addition, the emotional connection formed through shared values can elevate a brand from a mere option to a part of a consumer's identity, intensifying the impact on behavior.
"Brand perception is an invisible force that impacts human behavior including purchasing decisions, brand loyalty, and referrals through word of mouth," said Katya Varbanova, brand marketing expert and CEO at Viral Marketing Stars, a social media marketing service. "If the perception of the brand and the status of the brand is positive, it creates trust within the consumer. But it's not enough to earn a client's trust once, trust needs to be constantly re-earned.” Varbanova explained that this kind of trust is what leads a consumer to become loyal to a brand and purchase anything new that the brand releases.
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When a brand faces a public setback, the fallout on brand perception can be disastrous, as seen with Bud Light in April 2023. Bud Light faced a boycott triggered by its partnership with transgender advocate and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. The controversy began when Mulvaney featured Bud Light in a video, aiming to rejuvenate the brand among younger consumers. This move sparked significant backlash, notably from conservative figures, leading to a widespread boycott. Critics argued the campaign was overly politicized due to Mulvaney's activism for transgender rights, affecting Bud Light's perception among a more conservative segment of its consumer base.
As one can imagine, negative PR events often lead to a swift decline in consumer trust and loyalty, potentially alienating a segment of the market. Brands might face backlash on social media, impacting their reputation and leading to a loss of sales. Recovering from such incidents requires thoughtful, genuine responses and actions that demonstrate empathy, understanding and respect for the concerned communities, aiming to rebuild trust and repair the brand's image.
Related Article: Relevant, Real-Time CX: Consumer Perception vs. Brand Reality
Measuring and Analyzing Brand Perception
As a publicly held belief, the assessment of brand perception involves various methodologies that provide insights into how consumers view a brand. Most of these approaches fall into the category of tools that are used within a Voice of Customer strategy, and simply involve paying attention to what customers have to say about a business. These methodologies include tools such as:
- Surveys, which provide direct feedback on customer attitudes and experiences.
- Social media analysis, which enables brands to gauge public sentiment and trends in real time.
- Customer feedback, collected through reviews and service interactions, offers qualitative insights into satisfaction and areas for improvement.
- Online reviews on sites such as Yelp, Google reviews, Amazon, and industry-specific platforms, are analyzed for themes in positive and negative reviews.
- Focus Groups, which facilitate in-depth discussions with a small group of customers, and can provide deep insights on motivations.
- Website analytics, which enable brands to track rate, time-on-page, and conversion rates across different customer acquisition points to understand potential areas of friction, confusion or strong appeal.
Together, these approaches allow brands to paint a comprehensive picture of their market perception, informing strategies to enhance their positioning and connection with the audience.
Strategies for Improving Brand Perception
Authenticity in brand perception is one of the most critical factors that influence customer loyalty, engagement and overall perception of a brand. In an era where consumers are bombarded daily with countless marketing messages, the authenticity of a brand stands out as a beacon of trust and reliability. This concept transcends mere product quality or value for money; it delves into the genuineness of the brand's communications, its steadfastness to its values and its commitment to fulfilling its promises. In layman’s terms, authenticity shows that a brand can “walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.”
Philip Treagus-Evans, CEO and founder at Giraffe Social Media, a social media management and influencer marketing agency, told CMSWire that more than ever, consumers are seeking authenticity from brands. "We are entering an era where focusing on the humans behind the brand will be the most important factor when it comes to brand perception. Consumers want to purchase products and services from people, not faceless brands. The key marketing strategy for enhancing brand perception in the next five years will be adopting a human-first approach to marketing with a heavy dose of authenticity."
Additionally, brands benefit from fully understanding the values they advocate and the core audience they attract because of those values. Before embarking on any new PR campaigns or influencer collaborations, brands must ensure that they are not going to offend their core audience while trying not to alienate those who are not part of that audience. They should be authentic and transparent in their marketing and advertising campaigns and be proactive in their response to any criticism they face, whether on social media or direct feedback.
“Consumers today crave authenticity like never before, and brands that can authentically connect with their audience tend to build stronger relationships and loyalty. On the flip side, what doesn't work is trying to be something you're not,” said Magness. “Just like how trying to pass off imitation vanilla as the real deal never quite works out, brands that try to fake authenticity often end up being seen through by consumers.”
Challenges in Managing Brand Perception
Managing brand perception is challenging when it comes to negative publicity, which can swiftly damage a brand's image, and the need for brands to constantly adapt to evolving consumer expectations. Successfully navigating these challenges involves proactive reputation management, such as addressing issues transparently and swiftly, and staying attuned to consumer trends and feedback to align the brand's values and offerings with its audience's needs.
Delivering a unified brand experience across marketing, social media, in-store interactions, websites, and other customer touchpoints is also a significant challenge. Inconsistencies in messaging, visuals, or overall brand expression can lead to consumer confusion and erode trust in the brand's authenticity. As companies grow and evolve, it becomes easy to inadvertently deviate from the core brand values, personality, or key messaging that initially resonated with customers and formed the foundation of their brand perception. Maintaining consistency in these fundamental brand elements over long periods is critical for preserving the meaningful connections that have been cultivated with the audience.
Consumers today have a much louder voice when it is amplified by social media platforms and online review sites. Negative reviews, social media scandals, or the spread of misinformation can rapidly tarnish a brand's reputation if not addressed promptly and effectively. Brands are increasingly being held to very high ethical standards by their customers. Past mistakes, controversial statements, or actions by company leadership that clash with the values of their core audience can swiftly ignite calls for boycotts and backlash, severely damaging brand perception.
With so many brands vying for consumer attention across industries, it has become exceedingly challenging for individual brands to create a truly unique and distinctive brand perception that enables them to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Competitor brands may attempt to imitate successful branding elements such as logos, colors, taglines, or overall brand identities, leading to consumer confusion in the marketplace and potentially diluting the unique associations and emotional connections a brand has cultivated.
Consumers are progressively expecting brands to take clear stances on prominent social and environmental issues, putting increasing pressure on companies to ensure their actions and overall brand purpose authentically align with the values and expectations they are projecting through their brand messaging. There is growing consumer demand for genuine honesty and transparency from brands regarding their business practices, product sourcing, employee treatment, and other operational realities. Any hint of obfuscation or deception in these areas can trigger a severe backlash and critically damage brand perception if exposed.
Additionally, the proliferation of deliberately false or misleading information targeting brands online poses an escalating threat, as damaging misinformation can rapidly spread through social channels and impact public perception before brands can properly formulate corrective responses. The emergence of advanced AI that is capable of creating hyper-realistic media such as fake videos or audio recordings has introduced a new area of risk for brand impersonation and reputational harm that may prove difficult to combat.
Finally, as brands increasingly operate across international markets, the need to appeal to diverse cultural perspectives shapes brand perception in nuanced ways. Maintaining sensitivity and awareness of how cultural contexts influence attitudes is crucial for global brand management. Significant international events spanning politics, economic disruptions, conflicts, or other world developments can dramatically shift how a brand is perceived by audiences in different regions based on its unique relationships to the events in question.
Final Thoughts
Brand perception today is a strong catalyst for consumer trust, loyalty and purchasing decisions. In an environment of changing expectations and increased scrutiny, it is crucial for businesses to proactively shape and protect their brand's perception. Through consistency across touchpoints, embracing transparency and authenticity, and actively engaging their audiences, brands can forge deep emotional connections that resonate beyond transactions while building and maintaining a positive brand perception.
