Brand Barometer

Significant research* on a wide variety of customer satisfaction metrics found that a single powerful question has the greatest ability both to measure current resident satisfaction and predict future community growth.

That question, “Would you recommend Everytown, USA to a friend or colleague as a place (to live… to work… to visit)?” is powerful because it surpasses the basic model of economic exchange and measures a combination of citizen loyalty and community performance. People who score their community high on the Brand Barometer actively recruit new residents, visitors and businesses through positive word-of-mouth marketing. It is very personal. By making a strong recommendation, they are willing to risk their own character, trustworthiness and overall reputation for no tangible reward.

How does it work?

• North Star will field the survey to a random sampling of residents in your community with the goal of 400 completed surveys. Surveys will be administered through a combination of electronic/online surveys and telephone interviews.
• Respondents will answer three questions:
  • Would you recommend living in Everytown, USA to a friend or colleague?
  • Would you recommend conducting business in Everytown, USA to a friend or colleague?
  • Would you recommend traveling to Everytown, USA to a friend or colleague?
• Responses are measured on a 10-point scale with 0 being “Not at all likely” and 10 “Extremely likely.” 
• Your results will be presented to you on an individual respondent level as well as an aggregate Brand Advocacy Score. All scores are calculated according to response percentages in the following categories:
  • Promoters (9 or 10) – Loyal residents who will continue fueling your growth and promoting your brand.
  • Passives (7 or 8) – Satisfied but unenthusiastic residents who are vulnerable to other opinions and brands.
  • Detractors (0-6) – Unhappy residents who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative referrals.
• Your Community Advocacy Scores can also be compared to each other. How does reputation for business compare with your reputation as a travel destination or as a place to live? Conducting this study annually will allow you to track this relative performance over time to learn how well you are influencing perceptions.
• Your Community can also be compared to a national average. National results are gathered by North Star on an ongoing basis using telephone interviews, electronic surveys as well as mailed surveys. National trends are analyzed and reported on a quarterly basis. You can use your results to track your community’s standing as a place to live, to work and to play relative to the national average and gauge the trending for all three sectors over time.

Click here for a sample Brand Barometer report

* Research conducted by Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld, author of “The One Number You Need to Grow,” Harvard Business Review (Dec. 2003).

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