The Survey Questioned

Surveys have been a cornerstone of market research. Historically, they have provided meaningful insight for brands into crucial  metrics such as awareness, consideration, intention and action.

While the survey methodology itself has evolved significantly, transitioning from face-to-face interviews and telephone surveys to sophisticated online platforms and advanced restech tools, the fundamental principle of directly questioning consumers about their familiarity with brands, their purchase intentions and post-purchase perceptions remains unchanged.

However, the application of data analytics and text analytics tools has led us to question whether the traditional survey is becoming redundant for brand metrics. These techniques enable publicly available datasets to be mined, unlocking brand insights previously accessible only through primary research. But can these methods fully replace the traditional survey?

Measuring Brand Awareness and Engagement

Today, social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok provide valuable opportunities for marketing departments to gauge brand awareness, campaign impact and depth of consumer engagement. On a basic level, comparative follower analysis provides quick insight into market positioning against competitors, while tracking follower growth over time can effectively measure the success of marketing campaigns.

Online review platforms such as Amazon, Trustpilot and TripAdvisor have become important sources of consumer feedback. Unlike surveys, which rely on participants’ recollection and self-reporting, consumer reviews capture nuanced insights from customers on product strengths, weaknesses and competitive positioning.

Advanced analytical techniques such as sentiment analysis and topic modelling offer marketers deeper and more nuanced insights from social media and review site data. Sentiment analysis applies machine learning algorithms to automatically interpret the tone and emotional context of posts and comments, providing marketers with a clear view of public perceptions and brand sentiment.

Topic modelling identifies key themes emerging from user-generated content, highlighting consumer priorities, preferences and emerging trends. These techniques enable marketers to understand not only who is engaging with their brand but also how they feel and what specific aspects resonate most strongly. Complementing this, tools like Google Trends track shifts in search volumes, revealing dynamic trends in consumer interest, engagement intensity and brand relevance.

The Continuing Value of Surveys

Despite these capabilities, news of the survey's death is premature. Surveys retain many strengths in relation to brand metrics that analytics and existing datasets cannot fully replicate. Specifically, surveys offer:

1. Detailed Brand Awareness Metrics: Surveys can precisely distinguish between spontaneous and prompted brand awareness, providing clarity on consumer recall and recognition.
2. In-Depth Attitudinal and Perception Data: Surveys enable marketers to explore what different consumer segments   think about brands, products, or services and uncover specific usage contexts.
3. Comprehensive Engagement Metrics: Surveys can capture the frequency, motivation and touchpoints within the customer journey which can be used to provide predictive insights into intentions.

Additionally, surveys facilitate advanced statistical analyses such as key driver analysis and conjoint (trade-off) analysis, which identify consumer preferences on product features, pricing structures and promotional strategies which are critical insights for optimising product-market fit.

Integrated Insights for Complete Business Intelligence

We should not view techniques such as text analytics as a rival to the survey but rather as valuable complements to traditional survey methodologies. While analytics offer rapid, cost-effective and genuine consumer insight at scale, surveys provide essential detail, brand-specific depth and causal linkages missing from purely observational data.

The most effective strategy for a brand is to utilise an integrated research strategy, combining the immediacy and authenticity of data analytics with the robust depth and structured insights of surveys. By applying both approaches in tandem, brands can achieve comprehensive and actionable business intelligence, better positioning their brands in an increasingly competitive marketplace.