Brand Health Metrics | Functional CPG

Overview

This tracker is designed for practical, performance-oriented categories such as cleaning products, home care, over-the-counter healthcare, pet food, and paper goods.

These categories are habitual and utilitarian - consumers expect products to work reliably and rarely seek variety unless a brand fails to deliver.

Metrics	Questionnaire
Spontaneous/Unaided Brand Awareness Prompted Brand Awareness Brand Attributes Primer Brand Attribute Association Brand Usage Frequency Brand Consideration Brand Barriers Brand Appeal Brand Favorite Brand Substitutability Brand Meets Needs Prompt Ad Awareness Touchpoint Recall Category Purchase Drivers Category Purchase Frequency Past Purchase Channel Category Purchase Drivers Category Agreement Statements Custom Questions: + max 5 of your choice added at the set-up stage.	Thinking about [category name], please list all the brands that come to mind. Which of the following [category name] brands have you heard of before today? Next, you will see some situations or uses that people have linked to brands of [category name]. Please review each statement and indicate which, if any, of the listed brands you associate with that statement. You can select as many or as few brands as you like. It does not matter if you have actual experience with that particular brand or not; it is your opinion we are interested in. Which of these brands do you link with the situation below? Remember that you can select as many or as few as you like, or none of these, if none are relevant to the statement. Which of the following brands did you buy in the [category name]? How often do you buy each of the following brands? Thinking about the next few months, how likely are you to buy each of the following brands when you’re choosing [category name]? For which, if any, of the following reasons might you not consider these brands? Overall how much do you like each of these brands? Which of these [category name] brands would you be most likely to choose first? If your preferred brand was not available, which of these might you buy instead, if any? How well does each of these brands meet your needs when it comes to [category name]? Which of the following brands of [category name] have you seen, heard or come across in advertising, promotions or other communications recently? Where do you think you came across or heard about these [category name] brands recently? Below is a list of situations that people have linked to [category name]. Please read through the list and select those situations of greatest importance to you when you buy [category name]. How often do you buy [category name]? How or where do you typically buy [category name]? When thinking about [category name] to what extent do you agree with each of the following statements? In your own words, please describe the most recent time you used or bought a [category name] brand.

Metrics

Questionnaire

Spontaneous/Unaided Brand Awareness
Prompted Brand Awareness
Brand Attributes Primer
Brand Attribute Association
Brand Usage Frequency
Brand Consideration
Brand Barriers
Brand Appeal
Brand Favorite
Brand Substitutability
Brand Meets Needs
Prompt Ad Awareness
Touchpoint Recall
Category Purchase Drivers
Category Purchase Frequency
Past Purchase Channel
Category Purchase Drivers
Category Agreement Statements

Custom Questions: + max 5 of your choice added at the set-up stage.

Thinking about [category name], please list all the brands that come to mind.
Which of the following [category name] brands have you heard of before today?
Next, you will see some situations or uses that people have linked to brands of [category name]. Please review each statement and indicate which, if any, of the listed brands you associate with that statement. You can select as many or as few brands as you like. It does not matter if you have actual experience with that particular brand or not; it is your opinion we are interested in.
Which of these brands do you link with the situation below? Remember that you can select as many or as few as you like, or none of these, if none are relevant to the statement.
Which of the following brands did you buy in the [category name]?
How often do you buy each of the following brands?
Thinking about the next few months, how likely are you to buy each of the following brands when you’re choosing [category name]?
For which, if any, of the following reasons might you not consider these brands?
Overall how much do you like each of these brands?
Which of these [category name] brands would you be most likely to choose first?
If your preferred brand was not available, which of these might you buy instead, if any?
How well does each of these brands meet your needs when it comes to [category name]?
Which of the following brands of [category name] have you seen, heard or come across in advertising, promotions or other communications recently?
Where do you think you came across or heard about these [category name] brands recently?
Below is a list of situations that people have linked to [category name]. Please read through the list and select those situations of greatest importance to you when you buy [category name].
How often do you buy [category name]?
How or where do you typically buy [category name]?
When thinking about [category name] to what extent do you agree with each of the following statements?
In your own words, please describe the most recent time you used or bought a [category name] brand.

Core Brand Metrics

Spontaneous / Unaided Brand Awareness

Measures which brands come to mind first when consumers think about the category. This reflects spontaneous brand salience, how easily a brand surfaces in memory without prompting.

Unaided awareness is a strong indicator of mental availability but not its entirety, since mental availability also depends on the range of buying situations and needs where the brand comes to mind.

Prompted Brand Awareness

Captures recognition once a list of brands is shown. Together with unaided awareness, this shows the brand’s reach in memory and whether people recognize it when cued.

You can track up to 15 Brands.

Category Entry Point / Attribute Association

Respondents link brands to Category Entry Points (CEPs) or simple need-based statements and attributes.

This measure maps the contexts and situations that bring each brand to mind, forming the foundation of mental availability and mental equity. The more diverse the associations, the greater the likelihood the brand will be thought of across many buying occasions.

You can track up to 15 Category Entry Points.

Mental Market Share (derived from Category Entry Point / Attribute Association)

From Category Entry Point / Attribute Association, we calculate Mental Market Share — the proportion of all category entry point associations in the market that belong to each brand.

While traditional market share measures what is purchased, MMS measures what is thought of. It indicates a brand’s relative mental footprint within the category.

Tracking MMS over time allows users to see whether mental penetration is expanding or shrinking, and whether marketing activity is helping the brand come to mind in more buying situations, not just by more people and therefore the likelihood to grow.

Brand Usage Frequency

Tracks how often each brand is bought or used. It reflects physical availability and the brand’s penetration and repeat purchase rate - both key outcomes of sustained salience and accessibility.

Brand Consideration

Measures how likely consumers are to buy a brand in their upcoming purchase occasions.

It bridges mental and behavioral measures, showing whether a brand is not just known but also thought relevant and acceptable for future choice.

Brand Barriers

Identifies the main reasons consumers do not consider a brand - from practical constraints (price, availability) to perceptual issues (“not for me,” “poor quality”). Addressing these helps remove friction and expand the brand’s reachable customer base.

You can track up to 10 Brand Barriers.

Brand Appeal

Brand appeal typically reflects perceived reliability and trust in these categories rather than emotional warmth. It measures how much consumers feel a brand consistently delivers on its promise.

First Choice Brand

Identifies the brand consumers would most likely choose if all were equally available. This serves as a sharper indicator of habitual preference in categories where loyalty is built on performance, not personality.

A high “first choice” share suggests strong habitual repeat purchase, while shifts away from it can indicate emerging issues with performance or price perception.

Brand Substitutability

Asks what alternatives people would choose if their usual brand were unavailable. Low substitutability signals habitual loyalty or distinctiveness, while high substitutability suggests a more interchangeable position within the repertoire.

This measure may also help reveal the competitive set within the competitive set and a brand’s truest rivals.

Brand Meets My Needs

Assesses whether each brand is seen to fulfill its intended purpose effectively. This metric captures the functional equity of the brand - whether it solves the problem it’s purchased for. It complements Brand Appeal and First Choice, providing a bridge between perception and behavior in performance-led categories.

Brand Touchpoint Recall

Measures which brands have been noticed in advertising or promotions recently. In functional categories, high ad awareness should be evaluated in light of credibility and clear communication of function rather than pure visibility.

Touchpoint Exposure

Captures where people remember encountering brand communications - across social, digital, in-store, outdoor, and interpersonal contexts. It helps diagnose which routes to memory activation are currently most visible and which channels reinforce the brand’s presence most effectively.

Category Metrics

Category Entry Point Importance

Respondents select which Category Entry Points (CEPs) or simple need-based statements and attributes most influence their brand choice. These represent the category’s dominant entry points, the frames of reference within which brands must compete to be recalled, and provide valuable context to associations captured at a Brand level.

Category Purchase Frequency

Tracks how often people buy within the category overall. Understanding category-level frequency provides context for interpreting brand usage changes, indicating whether growth is brand-specific or category-wide.

Past Purchase Channel

Identifies where purchases typically occur (e.g. supermarkets, convenience stores, online). This reveals how consumers physically access the category and helps align distribution and shopper marketing strategies with real behavior.

You can track up to 10 Purchase Channels.

Category Purchase Drivers

In functional CPG, this question helps reveal the core rational cues driving choice, such as performance, safety, price, ease of use, or environmental credentials.

These are the entry points where brands must be mentally available.

Associating with the right drivers (“works first time,” “good for sensitive skin,” “value for money”) is key to being thought of when functional needs arise.

Category Agreement Statements

These statements describe the habitual, low-risk decision processes typical of functional CPG categories, and provide essential context for interpreting loyalty and switching measures.

I stick with what I know works rather than thinking too much about it.	Captures habitual purchase and inertia, reflecting the category’s low deliberation and high trust in proven options.
I usually choose based on what offers good value for money.	Indicates price–performance orientation, helping users interpret how price sensitivity and functional expectations coexist.
I only change brands if I have a problem with my usual one.	Highlights barrier-based switching, and whether change is reactive rather than exploratory.