The CMO's Guide to Data-Conscious Brand Strategy - Brand Health
Matt Bowen • October 27, 2020
At Brandigo we have been pioneers of what we have named data-conscious brand strategy. In our new series of articles, blogs, and podcasts, The CMO’s Guide to Data-Conscious Brand Strategy, we’re going to take a deep dive into what that really means, why it will set your brand and marketing apart from your competition, and break down some of the steps we take to inform the amazing journey we take our clients’ brands on.
And to start things off we shall begin by taking a look at the first stage in the process – ascertaining the health of your brand.
What is data-conscious brand strategy?
Most marketing fails because agencies and in-house teams don’t invest in understanding the authentic desires of customers. So the expensive messaging and content they produce runs wild with irrelevance, often damaging a brand’s health. What they call ‘strategy’ is often a grab bag of semi-educated guesses, lazy attempts to replicate another brand’s wins, and generic ‘insights’ pulled from ubiquitous 3rd party market reports.
Here at Brandigo, we believe there is a different way. A better way that makes use of a potent combination of primary research and a creative vision that ensures brands consistently and powerfully speak to what customers care about most. There are no shortcuts. Speaking with hundreds of customers in tailor-made studies, we uncover the true emotional value a brand’s products and services deliver, as well as the gap between what customers say and what actually drives their buying decisions.
The results shift paradigms. Data-conscious strategy elevates brands above the competition and inspires entire organizations. It cultivates equity—the kind investors, entrepreneurs, and the C-suite fawns over. The kind that leads to real revenue gains and lasting legacies.
Why your brand needs a health check
Measuring brand health helps us to understand exactly how a brand is perceived in the minds of stakeholders, be that customers, employees, competitors, and so on. It goes beyond simply asking if they know of your brand and looks in more detail as to whether or not they know of your brand, and if so, are they compelled to make a purchase for example. It also represents the starting point for developing a truly data-conscious brand strategy.
At Brandigo we use our brand health metrics to measure the awareness (aided and unaided), familiarity, consideration, and usage of a brand, as well as exploring loyalty. And we define each benchmark as follows:
Awareness – has the respondent heard of your brand before?
Familiarity – if they have heard of it, do they know anything about the brand beyond just the name?
Consideration – if they are familiar with your brand, will they consider using you if they are looking for a supplier of your products or services?
Usage – is the respondent currently, or have they ever been, a customer of your brand?
Loyalty – how likely is the respondent to recommend your brand?
How does the health check help formulate a data-conscious brand strategy?
Once you have an idea of how aware, familiar, etc., your stakeholders are of your brand, you can then start to make informed decisions about where to focus your marketing resources.
Let’s say our brand health research has uncovered that although your brand has high awareness and familiarity amongst stakeholders, your consideration metrics are low. As you can see in the graphic below, this data would suggest that your strategy should include a focus on developing a compelling brand promise and communicating this effectively to the market. You might also want to examine how your pricing strategy relates to the perceived value your brand is projecting.
In summary, contributing factors to a fall in the consideration brand health metric can include:
A lack of a singular and/or compelling brand promise
A perceived drop in relevance of service offerings
Ineffective messaging or sales saliency
Off-balance price / value perception
Negative PR, product failures, poor reviews or referrals
What this demonstrates here is that just by taking the first step towards data-conscious brand strategy development with a robust brand health analysis, marketing leaders can identify 5 potential points of focus that will genuinely impact on their offer and ultimately their business growth.
The next stage of the process is to focus on your brand’s value drivers. And that will be the topic of our next article. In the meantime, to find out more about data-conscious brand strategy and how it can revolutionize your marketing, get in touch with us via email or join us on our social media.
For many companies, the fourth quarter is both a sprint and a launchpad. You’re closing out revenue goals, but you’re also laying the groundwork for the year ahead. The brands that finish strong and start fast aren’t lucky — they’re intentional. They know their customers, they have a clear positioning strategy, and they operationalize that strategy across every part of the business. There are currently a lot of economic factors that need to be considered – from consumer uncertainty to tariffs. If you want your brand to stand out in 2026, here’s your Q4 readiness checklist, built on the principles we use at Brandigo: deep customer insight, data-conscious positioning, and smart use of tools — including AI — to make your marketing more effective and scalable. 1. Revisit Your Customer Research Why it matters: Markets shift quickly. According to Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer report, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. Action : Review customer and prospect data from the last 12 months. Conduct a quick pulse survey or a set of short customer interviews to understand evolving needs, priorities, and challenges. Look for gaps between what you think your customers want and what they’re actually telling you. 2. Audit Your Brand Positioning Why it matters: Even the most powerful creative loses steam if it’s not anchored in a clear, differentiated brand position. McKinsey research shows companies with strong, consistent brand positioning achieve up to 20% higher profitability than competitors. Action: Review your current positioning statement and messaging pillars. Ask: Are we still saying something truly unique? Is it backed by proof points customers care about? Test your positioning with a sample of your target audience before rolling into new campaigns. 3. Align the Organization Around the Brand Why it matters: A brand strategy that only lives in the marketing department won’t move the needle. Operationalizing your brand means integrating it into sales conversations, customer service interactions, hiring practices, and product development. Action : Host a Q4 “brand alignment” session with leaders from every department. Provide a simple one-page “brand playbook” that outlines tone of voice, value propositions, and core messaging. Encourage each department to share how they’ll bring the brand to life in their own work. 4. Review and Refresh Content for Q4 Campaigns Why it matters: The end of the year is noisy. To stand out, you need content that’s relevant, timely, and connected to your brand story. HubSpot reports that companies publishing 16+ blog posts per month generate about 3.5 times more traffic than those publishing 0–4. Action: Map your content to both year-end offers and early-year positioning. Refresh high-performing evergreen content with updated data, visuals, or CTAs. Plan for post-holiday engagement — not just pre-holiday promotions. 5. Embrace AI to Accelerate Marketing Workflows Why it matters: AI isn’t replacing brand strategy — it’s amplifying it. According to PwC, 86% of CEOs say AI is a “mainstay” in their offices, with the biggest gains coming from productivity and personalization. Action : Identify 1–2 AI tools that can help you speed up specific workflows, like content drafting, image creation, or data analysis. Set clear rules for how AI will support — not replace — your team’s strategic and creative decision-making. Train your team to use AI ethically, ensuring your brand’s authenticity is never compromised. 6. Set Measurable Goals for the New Year Why it matters: The best time to plan Q1 is before Q4 ends. Brands that start January with clarity waste less time “warming up” and more time gaining market share. Action : Define key brand metrics for Q1: awareness, consideration, engagement, and conversion. Align these with broader business goals, ensuring they’re measurable and trackable from day one. Set up dashboards or reporting tools so progress is transparent across the organization. In Short… Your Q4 is more than just the final quarter of the year — it’s your brand’s launchpad into the next. By combining deep customer insight, differentiated positioning, internal alignment, and the smart use of tools (including AI), you can finish strong, start stronger, and keep your brand ahead of the curve.
According to the June 2025 Consumer Economic Pulse study from Angus Reid , Americans are starting to see glimmers of hope in the economic landscape. Positive sentiment about the U.S. economy has reached its second-highest level since early 2023, and fewer people now expect the situation to worsen in the next six months. That’s the good news. But dig a little deeper, and a more complex story unfolds. While economic outlook is trending upward, consumer behavior reveals lingering caution, financial stress, and a pullback on spending. Half of Americans have switched brands to save money this year. Three-quarters have cut back on dining, entertainment, and other non-essential spending. Nearly one in three is accumulating more personal debt. And 41% have scaled back or cancelled summer travel plans due to economic concerns. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers. In this liminal moment—where hope is rising but hardship remains—brands must evolve how they speak, sell, and serve. Value Is Non-Negotiable In today’s marketplace, value doesn’t just mean low prices. It means helping consumers feel smart, secure, and seen. The fact that more than half of consumers are switching brands to save money signals that brand loyalty is fragile. People aren’t abandoning brands out of disinterest—they’re doing it out of necessity. This creates an opening for smart challengers and private labels to win on value, transparency, and quality. But it also gives established brands a chance to double down on relevance. Marketers should resist the temptation to race to the bottom on price. Instead, consider how to enhance perceived value—through bundling, loyalty rewards, subscription offers, or stronger emotional positioning. People are willing to invest in brands that align with their values, solve real problems, and offer tangible, repeatable benefits. Empathy Is the New Differentiator Brands that acknowledge the consumer’s reality—without exploiting it—will earn trust. With 77% of Americans cutting discretionary spending and 49% saying their debt is growing or stagnant, there’s a prevailing sense of financial fatigue. Tone-deaf or overly aspirational messaging risks alienating your audience. Instead, brand communications should reflect humility, optimism, and empathy. Think: practical luxury, not excess. Thoughtful convenience, not indulgence. Hopeful messaging grounded in the now—not the fantasy of pre-2020 normalcy. Brands that humanize the experience—by showing they understand and are here to help—can become beacons in uncertain times. Strategic Adjustments to Brand Positioning In light of this shifting sentiment, here are four strategic pivots marketers should consider: Reassess Category Role: Is your product a necessity, an affordable indulgence, or a delayed purchase? Adjust the way you frame your offering accordingly. Shift Messaging from Aspiration to Empowerment : Replace glossy perfection with realistic outcomes. Focus on how your brand helps people solve a problem, save time, or make smarter decisions. Lean into Purpose—but Make It Practical: Consumers still care about sustainability, inclusivity, and social impact—but they’re also watching their wallets. Connect your brand purpose to tangible, everyday outcomes. Elevate Financial Fluency: In categories like financial services, consumer goods, and health & wellness, brands that help consumers make confident financial choices will gain favor. Educational content, budget calculators, or simplified comparison tools can differentiate your offering. A Note on Travel and Experience Spending Interestingly, while travel budgets are being adjusted, 41% of Americans still plan to take a vacation this summer. Domestic destinations are thriving, and international travel is slowly rebounding. For hospitality, entertainment, and CPG brands, this signals an opportunity to tap into the consumer’s desire for escapism—just with a tighter grip on spending. Brands in these sectors should emphasize ease, affordability, and memory-making. Offer flexible packages, small indulgences, or community-focused experiences. Even small upgrades—like “staycation bundles” or “budget-friendly luxury”—can go a long way. As We Always Say: Top Into The Functional & The Emotional In uncertain times, consumers are not seeking perfection. They are seeking dependability. Brands that offer security—emotional, functional, or financial—will win. Now is the time to audit every consumer touchpoint and ask: Are we building trust? Are we helping our customers feel in control? Are we making life easier or harder? Because if we’ve learned anything from the latest Consumer Economic Pulse, it’s this: people are ready to believe again. But they need brands to meet them halfway—with clarity, compassion, and value they can count on.