• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 18, 2013

Costco, Cisco and Movado are the three most financially promising pure-play, publicly traded brands in the eyes of U.S. consumers. 

That's per Vision Critical, which combines consumer perceptions with financial results as well as data about product, pricing, communications, distribution and service to determine which brands have the most potential upside.  
 
The consumer sentiment data comes from VC’s weekly surveys of 20,000 Americans to determine how they view some 4,000 brands across a variety of categories, including brands they already buy, might buy, and would never buy.

The brands mentioned above scored highest on two key measures in VC’s “brand equity relationship assessment”: first, a large proportion of consumers who have not used the brand said they would “greatly consider” using it, and second, a large proportion of those surveyed believe the brand has a “brighter future” beyond its current position.
 
According to Ryan Barker, Vision Critical’s executive vice president for marketing and decision analytics, the goal of its brand relationship equity assessment (BERA, for short) is helping brands uncover hidden strengths and untapped potential that might be missed by traditional brand assessments, many of which are retrospective rather than forward-looking. This should enable marketers to make optimal use of limited resources, “bridging the gap between CMOs and financial” -- even for “some of the little brands that can’t afford the more sophisticated models and platforms.”
 
Barker added that Vision Critical’s BERA analysis can also help marketers understand the nature of the brand relationship life cycle and deepen their engagement with consumers by drawing on established brand traits.
 
For example, Vision Critical suggests that Costco, a well-established brand, leverage its reputation for good customer service (including hands on taste-testing and product interactions) with even more personal in-store attention. Brands that are still raising awareness and polishing their image may need a different strategy: VC suggests that Movado, for example, highlight its unique design and brand stamp with line extensions and a closer connection between design and celebrity endorsements.
 
The BERA analysis can also help marketers adjust strategy to react to a changing environment, using longitudinal data for “real-time course correction” and exploring new areas for growth -- while not distancing themselves from the core elements that distinguish their brand. In this vein, Barker pointed to Amazon’s recent move to enter the fresh grocery delivery market, noting that consumer expectations for this service seem to align well with brand perceptions for Amazon .