Where traditional brand tracking falls short
Traditional brand tracking relies heavily on self-reported measures, asking consumers to recall how they feel about a brand or why they chose it. The problem? People aren’t fully aware of what drives their decisions, and their survey answers often don’t align with real-world behavior.
At Behavio, we take a different approach. Instead of relying on conscious recall, we use behavioral science to measure subconscious brand perceptions. Since 95% of decision-making happens in the subconscious, our method focuses on what people actually do—not just what they say.
A behavioral approach to brand tracking
Our methodology is based on a simple principle: Task, don’t ask.
We leverage implicit testing and reaction times to capture fast, instinctive brand associations—providing a more accurate and predictive measure of brand strength.
This approach provides you with a more accurate picture of brand strength and what underlying factors are influencing your audience’s purchasing decisions.
The five key brand metrics we measure
To reveal a brand’s true market position, we track five core metrics using behavioral science techniques:
Implicit brand associations
A strong brand is defined by the mental shortcuts people form about it. We capture what traits consumers implicitly link to your brand, such as “high quality,” “eco-friendly,” or “luxurious.”
Unlike traditional association tracking, which relies on slow, deliberate answers, we weed out the non-implicit associations by tracking reaction times and discarding slow answers. This method filters out rationalized responses, ensuring that only instinctive, deeply embedded associations are captured.
These insights reveal whether your branding is creating meaningful, lasting impressions or if further work is needed.
By tracking associations over time, we can assess how your brand’s image is evolving and whether your marketing efforts are shifting perceptions in the desired direction.
Visual associations
Behavioral science shows that visuals often have a greater impact than words. That’s why we don’t just track what people say about your brand—we measure what they instinctively associate with your brand assets.
Brand salience
While awareness tells us whether people recognize a brand, salience tells us whether they think of it at the right moment.
Our research measures whether a brand comes to mind spontaneously when consumers think about a category—without being prompted. This is crucial because brands with higher salience are more likely to be chosen at the point of purchase.
To do this, we ask respondents to think about a specific buying situation, such as, “If you wanted to buy [product category], which brands come to mind?” They can list multiple brands, and the results show how often your brand is mentioned compared to competitors.
This metric is key for understanding how top-of-mind your brand is when it matters most. The stronger your brand’s salience, the more likely you are to secure a sale.
Brand likeability
Brand preference isn’t just rational—it’s deeply emotional.
We measure brand likeability by asking, “How do you feel about [brand name]?” Respondents select from a five-point emoticon scale, representing varying degrees of positive, neutral, and negative emotions.
The likeability score is based on the percentage of category buyers who choose positive emoticons, such as a heart or smiling face, and includes a breakdown of other emotional responses.
We then ask them to elaborate on their answer, which helps us gather direct quotes that provide valuable context for refining messaging and strengthening the connection between your brand and consumers.
Brand awareness
Your brand’s awareness in the market determines whether it can even compete for consumer attention. This is especially crucial for smaller brands that lack salience. For these brands, awareness should be at least 3.5 times higher than penetration to ensure they remain top-of-mind for consumers.
We measure brand awareness by asking respondents to recognize your brand from a list of names and logos. Specifically, we present the brand’s name and logo to respondents, asking, “Do you recognize this brand?” and they answer yes or no. The results show the percentage of respondents who recognize your brand compared to competitors.
Category buyers
Before you can grow your brand, you need to know how many people are even in the market for what you offer. By tracking category buyers over time, you can see whether your brand is keeping pace with a growing category or losing ground to competitors.
We measure the percentage of consumers who buy within your category—whether that’s streaming services, personal care products, or banking–by asking “How often do you buy [product category]?” with options like “almost daily,” “a few times monthly,” or “never.”
In addition to category buyers, we also track brand penetration—the percentage of consumers who have bought from your specific brand within a given timeframe. This helps you see how well your brand is converting category buyers into actual customers.
Final thoughts
Traditional brand tracking methods often miss the mark by relying on self-reported data, which doesn’t always align with real-world behavior.
By tapping into the subconscious, we help brands create stronger, more authentic connections with consumers. With Behavio, you don’t just track your brand’s performance—you uncover the powerful, underlying factors that drive real-world success.
Want to see how our approach can help your brand? Book a demo with us!
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