A new standard for brand equity measurement: MASB certifies Kantar’s Meaningful Different and Salient framework

The commercial value of a strong brand is clear. Organisations which invest in their brand equity deliver better results for shareholders, are more resilient in times of crisis, and consistently outperform indices like MSCI World Index and the S&P 500 in the long term.   

This clear link between brand strength and shareholder returns cannot be ignored in a hypercompetitive economic landscape. Yet less than a third of organisations use brand equity metrics at a board level.  

Kantar’s Meaningful Different and Salient (MDS) Framework bridges this gap, measuring the value of brand equity accumulated in the minds of consumers: its impact on penetration and market share, on willingness to pay, and on future growth potential. It is this framework which underpins Kantar’s approach to shaping brands’ futures. 

And the MDS framework now has the added accolade of being fully certified by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB), the independent reviewer of marketing metrics. 

MASB’s Marketing Metric Accountability Protocol is a formal, industry-recognised process for connecting marketing activities and metrics to financial performance. This means our MDS framework is independently verified to deliver commercial outcomes and pinpoint long-term measures of brand value growth.  

Applicable to any brand, anywhere, MDS comprises seven metrics: meaningfulness, difference, salience, demand power, pricing power, activation power, and future power. Together, these quantify consumers’ predisposition towards a brand and can be used to explain its impact in justifying a price premium, in capturing penetration and volume, and in increasing the likelihood of revenue growth.  

The MASB panel was particularly impressed with the quality of our validation work and its link to the Blueprint for Brand Growth, Kantar’s evidence-based framework for brand growth. Frank Findley, MASB’s Executive Director noted, “This updated assessment documents the continued evolution of the Kantar MDS Framework in tying marketing metrics to monetary outcomes. The updated framework incorporates metrics like demand power, pricing power, activation power, and future power, which extend the framework’s utility beyond the original dimensions of power, premium, and potential. The links from these to market share, price premiums, penetration, revenue growth, financial brand value, and stock price were all demonstrated.” 

“This certification of our Meaningful, Different and Salient framework by MASB reinforces the true power of brand. Progressive CEOs know that brand equity drives growth today and tomorrow, and our data drives insights into where brands can adopt an ‘always getting better’ mindset.”