Abstract:

This paper starts by discussing the nature of brands. Brands appear to have human-like characteristics. This is now reasonably well-known and accepted by professionals, and the authors briefly refer to earlier work adapting and applying concepts exploring the human-like brand from academic and other sources, and developing new measurements. The concept of a 'toolkit' for measuring brands, christened BrandWorks©, is then described, with its concentration on different facets of brand perception. After examining data interpretation issues - particularly the need for several stages of analysis and a holistic approach to the data - and data collection, where the ideal of replicating respondents' own mental processes and expressivity is stressed, the authors list and describe the most important facets of brand perception. Case studies are interspersed. The paper ends with a review of further areas for enquiry in progress, and in emphasising the practical applications of the approach in building brand communication and marketing programmes.