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Brands & Markets

Clients rely on us to provide intelligent research solutions to their business issues in the corporate market.  Similarly, our expertise in brands and branches makes us the natural choice for research in these area.

Providers need to understand the buying process to maximise the chance of their brand being considered and then chosen.  Regulators need to help consumers make better, more informed decisions about their finances. 
Example projects include:

The purchase decision

Longitudinal research has been conducted across a range of financial purchase decisions to understand the key stages, influences and opportunities to delight available to suppliers. These studies are extremely useful in pinpointing brand choice factors and moments of maximum openness to alternative offers.

Decision modelling

Occasionally a decision is of such importance that a quantitative ‘what if’ model is required.  We have conducted studies like this in the savings and personal loans markets. These can determine what drives inertia and provide a test-bed for simulation modelling. 

To find out more please contact one of the team.

Ian Stevens 020 7400 1005

Tony Wornell 020 7400 1003

Shiona Davies 020 7490 9124

The global banking crisis has helped to push the issue of financial regulation onto the front page, as consumers and businesses are offered new rights, and responsibilities 

BDRC Continental is on the roster of The Pensions Regulator, PADA and also COI, through which we work for a range of government departments. As a result, we have conducted a number of projects to inform regulators about the financial marketplace. Projects include:

Access to Finance  

We have undertaken a number of ‘Access to Finance’ surveys for Government departments.Following the first SME Access to Finance Survey, conducted in 2007, BDRC Continental has carried out three follow up surveys among SMEs on behalf of the Scottish Government, and two surveys among mid-cap businesses for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

 The latest mid-caps finance report is published at the following link: 2010 Finance Survey of Mid-cap Businesses

Life after RDR  

A major qualitative study for a high street bank to evaluate scenarios for financial advice after the removal of commission payments.  Included interviews with consumers, tied advisors and IFAs.

Panel construction 

A qualitative study for an advisory business moving from whole of market to a market representative panel, to evaluate consumer reaction to alternative supplier panels.

Conformance to TCF  

A series of studies for insurers, lenders and others measuring conformance of advertising and consumer literature to TCF requirements.   

To find out more please contact one of the team.

Shiona Davies 020 7490 9124

The emergence of electronic platforms and exchanges continues to revolutionise the global trading & brokerage of all types of financial asset classes.

We conduct research among both retail and institutional customers across asset classes. Where there are technical or terminology issues, a precursor stage of staff research may be important in order to inform researchers before they go out to speak with customers.

Retail customer satisfaction with share trades

A tracker study of satisfaction levels among recent users of an online, execution-only share dealing service. The study was conducted among customers completing recent trades, to ensure currency of results.

Institutional customer satisfaction with share trading platforms

A global study that we have conducted for some years, via online interviews in a choice of languages. The study goes into detail on highly technical aspects of systems, so verbatim diagnostic comments are important.

Client perception of a trading brand 

A major qualitative project assessing client and staff views of a branded trading platform. The study looked both at imagery and functionality, and identified a number of heritage problems that needed to be addressed through a revised communications campaign.  Specific guidance was offered to the client on steps to improve their standing among the target audience.

To find out more please contact one of the team.

Richard Smith
020 7400 1018

Cris Tarrant
020 7400 1001 

BDRC Continental’s Branch Marketing Effectiveness Monitor allows you to benchmark the impact and effectiveness of all forms of branch marketing activity against your competitors.

Using large samples of consumers visiting YOUR branches in the last few days, benchmark your branch marketing activity against your competitors:

  • Maximise your branch marketing expenditure

  • Understand your relative strengths and weaknesses versus high street peer group

  • Assess the role played by branch-based advertising in product purchase journey and longer term brand consideration

  • Assess impact on purchase propensity and brand between recent branch visitors and those NOT in a branch recently

  • Test responses to individual in-branch campaigns:

  • Learn what defines effective in-branch promotional activity and drive improvements to materials based on consumer insights

  • Assess the quality of staff engagement in-branch, and the extent to which colleagues use marketing collateral to secure consumer interest.

  • Monitor branch visitors on their journey from entering to leaving the branch

 

This study is based on large, representative samples of very recent branch visitors and matched sample of non-visitors to assess campaign impact and reach across audiences.

To read more, click here.

For more details, please contact a member of the team

Mark Long
020 7400 1016

Tony Wornell
020 7400 1003

Tracking Lenders’ Marketing Effectiveness and Brand Standing Among Mortgage Intermediaries

 

"Project Mercury is at the heart of our advertising analysis. This is why we have continued to support the study even in these challenging times.  Recently, understanding the differences between creative executions online and offline has been a key learning from Project Mercury - something which click thru analysis alone could not give us.  
.....Project Mercury continues to be essential in ensuring our advertising delivers best value, whatever channel we are using.  I would not hesitate to recommend Project Mercury as a research study that continues to deliver actionable findings."

Spencer Clarke, Senior Manager - Marketing Communications, Nationwide (Sep 2009)


The aims of Project Mercury Brand & Marketing Analysis are to:

  • evaluate the effectiveness of lenders’ intermediary marketing

  • provide lenders with robust, up-to-date measures of brand standing among mortgage intermediaries

 

To find out more please contact  Mark Long  07966 454 958.