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It's time for a new perspective on measuring brand identity and awareness.

If you're a marketing leader in any industry, any country, your top priorities are to protect and enhance your brand's competitive position and drive its growth. The data-rich brand measurement strategies the industry has come to rely on are a thing of the past, however. So, what data can tell the story?

Perhaps we never needed all that data on individual users. Could information from a smaller pool of identified users address the same questions? And if media agencies are evaluated by measuring campaign and brand successes, do they have to know whom they are reaching? Or is it simply enough to know they are reaching the right prospects and customers?

Every signal out there indicates that the answer to those questions is yes.

Therefore, to achieve success, the marketing discipline needs to level-up.

The Evolution of Measuring Brand Awareness

The strategy for measuring brand awareness and reputation has evolved radically in the past few decades.

Marketers traditionally relied on focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and benchmark studies across a defined, consistent database that matched the customer profile. Through the recruitment process and the face-to-face nature of in-person interviewing, brands and agencies knew exactly from whom feedback was being derived.

Flash-forward to the recent past: Through digital marketing, brands and agencies could save time and money by gathering all that information virtually through readily available data, including cookies. Third-party cookies provided even more insight than focus groups. Drawing conclusions from all the details of a user's Web browsing habits, marketers could build and analyze a comprehensive profile of almost any person and use that data to their advantage.

Now we are in a situation where people are becoming aware of and concerned about their privacy. Fully 64% of consumers said their concern or awareness about data privacy had increased in the past 12 months, one survey found. Two-thirds of consumers say they want personalized ads, but 45% are uncomfortable sharing data.

So how can we reach those privacy-conscious users with ads relevant to them? Therein lies the challenge.

But are we even asking the right question?

The cookie revolutionized brand advertising. Now we're at a new turning point, struggling to redefine brand measurement. Google may have delayed third-party cookie retirement once again, but marketers are still working to fill the void that will be created—and not just in campaign measurement.

The best marketers are now looking for data to demonstrate evidence of growth in the brands themselves.

But the question they should be asking is not who is being reached over time but where the company needs to advertise to reach the right audiences.

Tracking Brand Identity: The New Challenge

There is no perfect solution to monitoring brand identity in the new privacy-centric landscape.

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Reframing Brand Measurement: It's Not Who, But Where

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Patti Boyle

Patti Boyle is the CMO at Dstillery, a custom audience solutions company. She is also the CEO of Sapience Leadership, a joint venture with the University of Pennsylvania's Pennovation Center.

LinkedIn: Patti Boyle

Twitter: @boylepatti