Can You Afford to Be Considered? What Changing Consumer Behaviour Means for Brand Tracking
Consumer behaviour is changing, but is brand tracking changing with it? Colin Auton explores why traditional measures of consideration can miss the situations, needs and barriers that actually shape decisions, and how Category Entry Points can deepen consumer understanding. Consumer confidence is up. Well, sort of. The latest GfK Consumer Confidence Index jumped six points […]
Benchmarks are B*llocks. Mostly.
Benchmarks are a staple of customer experience and brand tracking programmes. They promise context, comparison and a quick answer to the question every insight team eventually faces: is our score good or bad?
But in market research, benchmarks are rarely as robust as they appear. Differences in methodology, category expectations and cultural response styles can turn a seemingly objective comparison into little more than noise.
In this article, Andrew Wiseman explores why CX and NPS benchmarks often mislead organisations – and why the most valuable insight usually comes from understanding your own customers, rather than comparing your scores with everyone else’s.
Client-Side Market Research in 2026: The 9 Biggest Challenges Facing Insight Teams
Client-side insight has never been more important — or more stretched. Richard Walker outlines the nine biggest challenges facing market research and insight teams in 2026, from ROI pressure to AI anxiety, and offers practical ways forward.
Net Promoter Score: Simple. Popular. Misleading?
Net Promoter Score is simple and popular — but does it truly reflect how and why people recommend brands? Colin Auton explores the limitations of NPS, why it can mislead decision-makers, and what a more holistic approach to measuring word-of-mouth really looks like
Is Your Brand Tracker Broken? Mustard’s 3 Smart Fixes Inspired by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
Is your brand tracker showing strong scores… but weak sales? Mustard’s Claire Borthwick explores how to refresh tired tracking studies with thinking from Ehrenberg-Bass, including CEPs, mental availability, and smart segmentation.
Brand Perceptions: Lessons in turnaround and failure
Perceptions make or break brands, but they don’t always reflect reality. In this blog, Andrew Wiseman explores what Skoda, BrewDog, Vodafone and others can teach us about brand perception, emotional relevance, and what research can do to help brands rebuild or reinvent themselves