Real-time Brand Valuation: Strong brands as a company’s capital

The importance of data 

In the 21st century, data is a key commodity, used to develop new products, services and business models. These days, consumers generate an abundance of data, particularly via the various public and social media platforms. But it’s not just the quantity of data that’s rising dramatically; data quality is improving as well. Companies can utilise this information to create added value for their customers and improve their own business processes. As a result, many companies are rethinking the way they interact with consumers and are increasingly heading towards data-driven marketing.

Brands build trust and security

In these times of stimulus and information overload, brands have a crucial role to play. A brand is far more than a logo: it builds customer confidence and trust. A company’s brand is its most valuable asset: it is a promise to the consumer that builds confidence and makes the company stand out against its competitors.

To build a brand, companies need to analyse customer experience in all aspects of the customer journey. Gaining a deep understanding is crucial for identifying unique brand associations that appeal to consumer.

Measuring brand value and how a brand contributes to the company’s success is a challenge. The CEO of a European car manufacturer expressed how important the monetary brand value is to his company:

Knowing what consumers think and feel about a brand in real-time 

Finding more efficient ways to value brands in today’s digital world requires a rethink. Brand valuation has so far been based on small-scale random samples of survey and panel data collected at different times at great cost. This data often bears no direct relation to what customers are thinking and feeling about a brand in real-time. Today, a holistic, continuous approach to brand valuation is required. Real-time Brand Valuation achieves this by using large amounts of public and social media data that is accessible via PwC’s Digital Intelligence Services.

PwC’s Digital Intelligence Services uses multiple digital channels with over 150 million data sources to record customer opinions of a brand as well as market sentiment. To do this, PwC developed the first global tool for measuring brand value in real-time: Real-time Brand Valuation. This tool is designed to establish the crucial correlation between real-time brand perception and monetary brand value. The innovative methodology allows PwC to measure key metrics such as brand awareness, brand strength, and brand relevance and integrate these directly into a trusted financial model.

Increasing value and creating new customer experiences

The result is an integrated solution that can be included in the routine decision-making process and used to make strategic business and investment decisions in real-time. That means decision makers can influence brand value as well as identifying the right marketing mix. They can directly identify areas where brand value is being created or damaged. They can use findings from real-time customer data to develop concrete actions, creating unique customer experiences along the customer journey, increasing brand value and responding immediately to any events that impair value. Real-time Brand Valuation offers companies the ability to keep one step ahead of the competition in an increasingly agile, data-driven business world.