Brand equity refers to the value premium a company generates from a product with a recognizable name compared to a generic equivalent. It is built on consumer perception, which includes knowledge and experience with a brand and its products, and can result in either positive or negative effects. Positive brand equity benefits an organization's products and financials, while negative brand equity has the opposite effect.
Brand equity holds significant importance as it leads to increased customer loyalty, higher perceived value, and a competitive advantage in the market. It directly impacts sales volume and a company's profitability. By understanding brand equity, businesses can develop effective marketing strategies, create strong brand associations, and improve customer retention. Additionally, investors can evaluate the strength and performance of a company in public markets.
Positive brand equity generates loyal customers who promote the brand and are more likely to buy multiple products or services from the company. Conversely, negative brand equity can make it difficult for a company to recover and attract new customers.
Building strong brand equity involves creating memorable products, maintaining consistency in branding, and ensuring positive customer experiences.
Measuring brand equity involves evaluating three basic components: consumer perception, positive or negative effects, and the resulting value. Consumer perception, which encompasses knowledge and experience with a brand, directly impacts brand equity. Positive brand equity can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher perceived value, and a competitive advantage in the market, while negative brand equity has the opposite effect.
Challenges in measuring brand equity include quantifying abstract concepts like brand awareness and brand experience, determining the impact of branding investments on sales and conversions, and blending different types of models for measurement. Successful brand equity measurement examples include Apple and Coca-Cola, both known for their strong brand equity and loyal customer base.
Real-world applications of brand equity can be observed in various successful companies.
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that gathers and organizes customer data from various touchpoints into a single, unified profile.
Average Order Value (AOV) tracks the average dollar amount spent each time a customer places an order on your website or mobile app.
Load testing is a type of performance testing that determines how a system behaves under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is the total revenue a business expects from a customer throughout their entire relationship with the company.
Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organization by its staff members, who share positive messages and content through their personal networks.
Dynamic data is information that updates in real-time. Unlike static data, it reflects the most current state of information automatically.
Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Real-time data processing is the method of analyzing data the instant it's generated, enabling immediate actions and decision-making.
Expansion revenue is the extra money a business makes from its current customers via upgrades, new products, or additional services.
A Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) API is a web service that uses XML to exchange structured information between different applications.
Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.
CRM analytics is the process of analyzing data from your CRM to uncover insights that help you better understand and serve your customers.
A lead magnet is a free incentive offered to potential customers in exchange for their contact details, like an email, to generate sales leads.
Competitive intelligence (CI) is the ethical gathering and analysis of market data to inform strategic business decisions and gain an advantage.
Sales engagement is the sum of all interactions between a seller and a prospect, aimed at building a relationship and moving a deal forward.
Pipeline management is the process of tracking and managing potential customers as they move through the different stages of your sales process.
A drip campaign is a series of automated messages sent to prospects or customers over time to nurture leads and drive engagement.
Low-hanging fruit are the most obvious and easy-to-tackle tasks or goals that provide a quick, valuable return for minimal effort.
A sales script is a pre-written guide of talking points that helps salespeople navigate conversations with potential customers.
A sales enablement platform centralizes content, training, and analytics to help sales teams engage buyers and effectively close deals.
A commission is a service charge paid to an agent for a transaction. It's typically a percentage of the sale, rewarding performance directly.
Customer data analysis is the process of examining customer information to uncover insights that drive business decisions and improve experiences.
Sales forecast accuracy is a key metric that compares your predicted sales revenue against the actual sales revenue you ultimately achieve.
A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a software that collects and organizes audience data from various sources for targeted marketing efforts.
On-Target Earnings (OTE) is a salesperson's total potential pay, combining base salary and commission for hitting their sales quota.
Learn about below the line, including key strategies for below the line marketing, & distinguishing above and below the line tactics.
A cold email is an initial outreach sent to a potential customer with whom you've had no prior contact, aiming to introduce your business.
Learn about B2B marketing attribution, including challenges in B2B marketing attribution, & key metrics for effective attribution.
A value chain is the series of business activities required to create and deliver a product or service, from conception to the final customer.
Cohort analysis is a behavioral analytics tool that groups users with common traits to track their actions and engagement over time.
Signaling is using credible actions to convey information about quality or intent to a less-informed party, effectively building trust.
SPIN selling is a sales technique using a sequence of questions—Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff—to uncover a buyer's needs.
Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.
Predictive lead scoring uses AI to analyze data and rank leads by their likelihood to convert, helping sales teams prioritize their efforts.
White labeling is when a company puts its own branding on a product or service that was actually produced by a different company.
Lead generation tactics are the strategies and methods used to attract potential customers and convert them into leads for your sales team.
Marketing metrics are quantifiable values that marketing teams use to measure and track the performance of their campaigns and efforts.
Territory management is the process of segmenting customers into groups by geography or other factors to optimize sales efforts and resources.
Price optimization is the process of finding the ideal price for a product or service to maximize profitability or other business objectives.
Product recommendations are a marketing strategy that uses customer data to suggest relevant products, boosting sales and customer engagement.
A persona map visually outlines a target customer, detailing their goals, behaviors, and pain points to help your team build genuine empathy.
Sales development is the process of identifying and qualifying potential customers to create a pipeline of sales-ready leads for closers.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
An early adopter is a user who embraces a new product or technology before the majority, helping to validate and popularize the innovation.
Learn about B2B demand generation strategy, including key elements of demand generation, & crafting your demand generation plan.
Discount strategies are pricing tactics used to attract customers and boost sales by temporarily reducing the price of products or services.
A Sales Manager leads a sales team, setting goals, analyzing performance, and developing strategies to drive revenue and meet targets.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses software bots to mimic human actions and automate repetitive, rules-based tasks on digital systems.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model where affiliates earn a commission for promoting another company’s products or services.
A Request for Quotation (RFQ) is a document that a company sends to one or more suppliers to get a quote for specific products or services.
Going dark is when a once-responsive prospect suddenly stops all communication, leaving you wondering what went wrong.
Deal closing is the final step in a sales cycle. It's when a prospect signs a contract and officially converts into a paying customer.
Voice search optimization is the process of optimizing your content, SEO, and online listings to appear in and rank for voice-based searches.
Forecasting uses historical data to make informed predictions about future trends, helping businesses anticipate outcomes and plan accordingly.
Sales Performance Management (SPM) is a suite of tools and processes that help businesses monitor, analyze, and boost sales team performance.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
Sales metrics are quantifiable data points that track and measure a sales team's performance against specific goals and objectives.
A hybrid sales model blends traditional and digital sales methods to engage customers across multiple channels and buying preferences.
Account Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of individuals from a target account who click on a link in an ad, email, or on a webpage.
Accounts Payable (AP) is the money a company owes its suppliers for goods or services bought on credit. It's listed as a current liability.
Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system that uses voice and keypad inputs to interact with callers and route their calls.
Target Account Selling is a focused sales strategy where teams identify and pursue a specific list of high-value accounts.
A sales dashboard is a visual tool that centralizes and displays key sales data, metrics, and KPIs to help teams track performance and goals.
A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of tools that allows developers to create applications for a specific software package or platform.
The buyer journey maps the path a potential customer takes, from first learning about a product to the final decision to buy.
A warm email is a message sent to a prospect with whom you have a pre-existing connection, like a mutual contact or a prior interaction.
A Marketing Qualified Account (MQA) is a target company that has shown significant engagement, indicating it's ready for the sales team to pursue.
Learn about branded keywords, including identifying your branded keywords, & strategies for optimizing branded keywords.
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.
A draw on commission is an advance payment a salesperson receives against future earnings, which is later repaid from earned commissions.
A Master Service Agreement (MSA) is a foundational contract that sets the general terms for an ongoing business relationship between two parties.
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is the ideal order quantity a company should purchase to minimize its total inventory-related costs.
Amortization is the process of spreading out a loan or the cost of an intangible asset over a specific period for accounting and tax purposes.
A knowledge base is a self-serve online library of information about a product, service, department, or topic.
Logo retention is a key B2B metric that measures a company's ability to retain its customers, or 'logos,' over a specific period.
Learn about business development representative, including skills and qualifications for BDRs, & roles and responsibilities of a BDR.
Intent data tracks a user's online behavior—like searches and site visits—to identify signals that they are ready to make a purchase.
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, like images, videos, or text, created and shared by users on online platforms.
Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) measures the mean annual growth of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year.
Average Selling Price (ASP) is the average price at which a particular product or service is sold across different markets and channels.
Learn about B2B leads, including identifying quality B2B leads, generating B2B leads effectively, & B2B leads vs. B2C leads: understanding the differences.
A sales intelligence platform is software that provides sales teams with data and insights about prospects to help them sell more effectively.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
A sales demonstration is a presentation showing a prospect how a product or service works and how it can solve their specific problems.
Call disposition is the process of labeling the outcome of a call. It helps sales teams track interactions and plan their next steps effectively.
Data visualization is the practice of translating information into a visual context, like a map or graph, to make data easier to understand.
Learn about buyer, including identifying your ideal buyer, understanding buyer's journey, & evaluating buyer decision processes.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) benchmarks are key metrics used to measure the performance and success of your targeted account strategies.
Sales pipeline management is the process of organizing, tracking, and managing potential deals through every stage of your sales funnel.
Warm calling is contacting prospects with a prior connection, like a referral or social media interaction, to make your outreach more relevant.
An email cadence is a scheduled sequence of emails sent to prospects over a specific period to nurture leads and drive engagement.
Gamification applies game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards to non-game activities to boost engagement and motivate users.
A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a tech platform used to collect and manage data, mainly for digital marketing and advertising campaigns.
Event tracking is the method of collecting data on specific user actions, or 'events,' on a website or app, such as clicks or downloads.
A buying committee is a group of stakeholders within an organization who are jointly responsible for making major purchasing decisions.
Data appending is the process of adding new data fields to your existing database records to enrich and complete your information.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
Page views count the total number of times a page on your website is loaded. This metric is a key indicator of your site's overall traffic.
CRM enrichment is the process of adding third-party data to your existing customer profiles to make them more complete and accurate.