Like marmite, one-number brand scores tend to divide opinions – clients either love them or hate them. We believe there are more effective ways to drive brand growth beyond simply measuring it.

One-number brand equity scores offer a straightforward measure, but typically apply a one-size-fits-all approach regardless of the brand type or category. While these scores can quantify brand equity, what they often fail to do is provide insights on how to grow it.

The one-number score methodology is valued by some brands for its simplicity in assessing brand health, useful for quick comparisons and presentations. It aids benchmarking against competitors or standards and simplifies decision-making by condensing complex research data. Additionally, it may help with tracking brand performance trends, offering insights into whether a brand’s strength is improving, declining, or stable.

However, relying too heavily on such an approach has its drawbacks. This method, while convenient, risks oversimplifying the complex dynamics of brand health. This approach tends to ignore detailed insights into a brand’s specific strengths and weaknesses, assuming a universal set of metrics applies to all brands equally. Such a generalised method does not account for individual brand strategies or positioning, nor does it provide guidance on how to improve brand equity effectively.

By relying solely on this scoring system, brands may miss out on critical nuances that could inform more tailored and strategic decision-making to drive growth and differentiate in the market. If your competitors are also receiving the same one number scores, how do you truly gain competitive advantage?

Beyond one-number scores: Three ways for insights to inform brand growth

1 ) Use a blend of core and bespoke metrics.
Most agencies have a brand equity model. While nuanced and packaged differently, they generally all recognise proven brand growth drivers, including the proven impact of mental availability and emotion in driving brand equity and growth.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all model and a single-number score, a more effective approach is to use a strategic framework built around everything people see, feel, think, and do. Such a framework should incorporate proven growth drivers and go beyond core metrics by integrating deeper diagnostics and tailored drivers specific to clients’ unique brands and categories.

For example, to help improve mental availability, try focusing on evaluating distinctive brand assets, advocacy, and social proof, using principles from behavioural science. Targeting these specific elements often proves more beneficial than concentrating solely on mental availability.

We know from Binet & Field and others that emotion is a key driver of long-term brand growth. However, our experience shows that the specific emotions driving equity and growth vary across brands and categories.

Identifying and setting targets for these specific emotions is more actionable than just an overall measure of emotion, another reason to move beyond one-number scores.

2 ) Create a bespoke brand growth roadmap and strategy
Guide clients in creating bespoke brand growth roadmaps, incorporating both proven equity drivers and bespoke brand and category attributes. Using pathway or structural equation modelling, direct and indirect drivers of brand equity are identified. It’s essential not just to advise clients to build emotional appeal, but to provide clear guidance on how to achieve this.

If specific and nuanced metrics are more actionable, the question arises: do we still need a generic one-number score, or are bespoke, tailored key performance indicators proven to drive growth for your brand more valuable?

3 ) Measure and optimise your brand equity flows
One number equity scores typically focus on evaluating a masterbrand’s equity. While it’s imperative to measure this, it’s also important to acknowledge that many clients have sub-brands, variants, and various product and service lines that can impact overall brand equity.

Common questions that clients often seek assistance with include:

• What role do my sub-brands or variants have on our brand equity?
• What combination of masterbrand versus sub-brand/variant marketing is optimal for our brand?
  
• How do different products and services influence brand equity?

Equity flow analytics are employed to model and inform these questions. This approach quantifies both the flow and level of equity between masterbrand, sub-brands and variants, providing valuable insights to inform investment decisions.

Simple and usually validated, one-number scores can provide a convenient and quick summary of brand strength, but often fail to consider the nuances of different brands and categories, resulting in generic brand recommendations, grounded in high level metrics only.

A strategic framework incorporating proven equity metrics and bespoke metrics aligned to your brand and category, coupled with smart analytics can provide richer insights and more actionable guidance.

Farid Jeeawody is partner at Hall & Partners