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The Brand Intelligence Method

How we understand, assess and build brands.

A brand is only as strong as the company behind it, the market around it and the mind it lands in. So we measure all three, before we design anything.

Act one

Understand.

We learn the business, the market and the people before we form an opinion. Interviews, category mapping and research that tell us what the brand has to do for the company.

Act two

Assess.

We score the brand on twelve factors across three lenses: inside the company, in the market and in the mind. You see the score, the evidence and the gaps.

Act three

Build.

We fix what the score found, in order of what it is worth: position, express, test, launch, compound. Then we score it again.

Act one

Understand.

The business

How it makes money, where it wants to go, and what the brand has to do to help it get there.

The market

Who else is in the category, what they all say, and the ground nobody owns yet.

The people

Who buys, what they believe, what they fear and what would make them choose.

Brand leverage

How much of the decision actually rests on the brand, against price, features and access. This tells us how hard the brand has to work, and where to spend first.

Act two

Assess.

The Brand Intelligence Index scores twelve factors across three lenses. Each lens uses different evidence, because a brand can be loved and still be badly run.

Inside

Can the company carry the brand?

Scored from founder and team interviews and a review of how decisions get made.

  1. Conviction

    A clear point of view on why the brand exists and where it is going.

  2. Cohesion

    The team acts on the brand, not just the marketing team.

  3. Listening

    The brand hears customers early and changes because of it.

  4. Speed

    The brand can move when the moment arrives.

Market

Does the market see it?

Scored from a touchpoint audit, competitor mapping and public data.

  1. Ownability

    Assets, words and experiences no competitor could use.

  2. Continuity

    It feels like one brand everywhere it shows up.

  3. Findability

    It turns up when people look, including in search and AI answers.

  4. Proof

    It delivers on what it claims, with evidence people can check.

Mind

Does it land in the brain?

Scored with Synapse, our neuro-response simulator. It is a simulation built on published research, not a brain scan, so we read it as direction.

  1. Attention

    The eye lands on the right thing in the first second.

  2. Feeling

    It creates trust and desire, without stress.

  3. Memory

    It is still there after a day and a week, linked to the name.

  4. Decision

    The next step feels easy and worth it.

Reading the score, out of 100
0–39

Forming

The brand exists, but the market can't yet tell it apart.

40–59

Emerging

Something is working. It isn't repeatable yet.

60–79

Distinct

People can tell it apart and remember it.

80–100

Iconic

The brand pulls demand towards the company.

Self-check

Score your brand.

Twelve statements. Rate each from 1 (not true) to 5 (completely true). It takes about two minutes, and nothing is sent unless you choose to send it.

Inside · ConvictionWe can say what we stand for in one sentence, and everyone would say the same one.
Inside · CohesionProduct, sales and support make decisions using the same brand idea.
Inside · ListeningIn the last quarter, something we heard from customers changed what we do.
Inside · SpeedWhen the market shifts, we can respond within days, not quarters.
Market · OwnabilityCover our logo and people would still know the work is ours.
Market · ContinuityOur site, ads, product and sales deck all feel like the same company.
Market · FindabilityWhen someone looks for what we do, in search or an AI assistant, they find us.
Market · ProofWe can back up our biggest claim with evidence a stranger would accept.
Mind · AttentionIn the first second on our site or ad, people see what we want them to see.
Mind · FeelingPeople feel something about us, and they can say what it is.
Mind · MemoryA week after seeing us, people remember our name and what we do.
Mind · DecisionIt is obvious what to do next, and it feels worth doing.
0 of 12 answered
Act three

Build.

Position

Choose the ground the brand will own, and what it will give up to own it.

Express

Turn it into identity, language and experience people can recognise without the logo.

Test

Run the work through Synapse before the market sees it, and fix what loses attention or trust.

Launch

Take it to market with a go-to-market plan, on the channels the audience already uses.

Compound

Hand it over to the team running it, ask for feedback 90 days after launch, and score it again.

What it isn't

The Index tells you where to act. It doesn't put a money value on your brand, and it isn't a financial valuation.

Start here

Tell us what you're building.

Share the idea, the stage you're at and what's in the way. On the first call we'll tell you, for free, where the brand is leaking value and what it would take to fix it.

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