Your brand perception is like a ship navigating the vast ocean of public opinion. But what happens when you lose sight of how others perceive your course? Nobody wants the Titanic to happen again.
Misaligned perceptions can lead to lost customers, a rusted reputation, and lower trust.
The stakes are high and the challenge is real. One missed step can lead to a negative overall brand perception.
But by employing PR-centric strategies to measure and manage brand perception, you can steer your brand toward positive associations and lasting loyalty.
Prowly can help you do just that. Start monitoring your brand perception right away—or keep reading.
Brand perception measurement: the basics
Brand perception refers to what the public thinks and feels about your brand, regardless of the messages you put out. It’s created by customer experiences, word-of-mouth, media coverage, and countless other factors beyond your direct control.
We are living in the age of social media, 24/7 news cycles, and online reviews. So brand perception has never been more significant or fragile.
A single post or negative review can go viral and influence how millions view your brand in a flash. This is where PR teams play a crucial role. They are cast as the lead of shaping, measuring, and maintaining brand perception.
By monitoring public sentiment, tailoring strategic messaging, and managing crises effectively, PR professionals ensure that positive brand perception not only enters the room but stays for the long haul. And to do that, the right tools make all the difference.
What is brand perception (and how is it different from brand identity)?
The brand perception meaning reflects the public’s collective opinion and emotional response to a brand. It is shaped by experiences and interactions. It can be influenced by media and reviews.
Unlike brand identity, which reflects how a company defines itself, brand perception is entirely owned by the audience. Trust and reputation hinge on this perception, as it directly impacts consumer sentiment and media coverage.
Moreover, a positive public image boosts investor and partner confidence, making collaborations and financial backing more accessible. Perhaps most critically, strong brand perception fosters resilience during crises, helping brands maintain loyalty and recover faster.
So what is brand perception?
In essence, while brand identity is what you say about yourself, the brand perception definition centers on what others believe about you. And that makes a difference.
Changing brand perception–examples
#1 United Airlines
United Airlines faced a severe backlash after the 2017 incident where a passenger was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight. The video went viral and sparked outrage.
About 67% of surveyed frequent travelers reported a negative perception of the airline afterward.
This incident highlighted how poor customer treatment and inadequate crisis management can erode trust, damage reputation, and influence consumer sentiment for years. A negative brand perception example in a nutshell.
💡 For more real-world insights into how brands navigate crises, explore these 16 PR crisis management examples to learn what worked (and what didn't).
#2 Patagonia
On the other end of things, Patagonia has built a strong, positive brand perception.
How? By aligning its identity with environmental activism and ethical practices. This one is known for its initiatives, like profit donations to environmental causes and sustainable production promotion.
Patagonia has fostered trust and loyalty among consumers who value social responsibility. This brand perception regularly strengthens customer relationships. And thus position the brand as resilient during market challenges or crises.
What influences brand perception?
To measure brand perception, you need to get your hands on the metrics first. So which ones should you consider while doing your brand perception research?
Media coverage
Positive or negative press can significantly influence a brand's perception.
Social media commentary
Real-time feedback and trends on platforms like Twitter (X) and Instagram can amplify or challenge a brand's image and raise some brand perception questions. Brand perception studies show that Gen Z prefers to do their consumer research on IG, while Boomers stick with Google.
Customer experience
Interactions with your customers can be the foundation of your brand. You should deliver consistent and high-quality communication.
Influencers and media mentions
Support from trusted figures can lend credibility and visibility to a brand. This works both ways though, unreliable influencers mentioning your brand may downgrade your brand perception metrics.
Word of mouth and reviews
Peer recommendations and online reviews often hold more sway than traditional advertising.
How PR teams can shape brand perception with Prowly
Prowly gives PR teams the tools they need to take control of how people see their brand. Here’s how:
#1 Use earned media to tell you the right story
When it comes to brand perception, a coherent storyline is crucial. You need to present it across various channels.
Prowly helps you stay on top of media coverage and brand mentions both offline and online. You can analyze sentiment and track how your brand is being talked about.
Making it easier to shape positive, strategic stories that reflect your brand in the best light.
#2 Share clear messages via press releases
Press releases give you a great force to tailor the perception of your company.
With Prowly’s built-in press release creator and distribution tools, you can craft professional messages and send them directly to the right media contacts.
No matter if you're launching a new product or handling a PR crisis. Your messaging stays clear, consistent, and on-brand. What is more, it reaches the right people at the right time.
#3 Contact the right media people
Staying on the press release and media a topic.
Prowly makes it easy to manage and organize your media contacts. You can use targeted outreach to find journalists and influencers related to your niche.
The ones who will be most likely to be interested in your story and help you shape the image of your brand.
How to measure brand perception
Now, let's break down some ways of measuring brand perception:
👉 Social listening - by following raw, unfiltered people's opinions you gain an honest point of view of your brand.
👉 Media analysis - by pursuing brand perception analysis, you can get an overview of how your brand is presented across the media.
👉 Surveys and polls - brand perception survey questions shouldn't be biased. It should give room for the recipients to share their honest opinions.
👉 Reviews - people want to share their opinions about you, analyze them and learn.
👉 Feedback - here you may have a chance too dig deeper with follow-up questions to learn the core of their opinions.
| Method | What it Captures | Tools |
| Social listening | Unfiltered public opinion | Prowly, Brandwatch, Meltwater |
| Media sentiment analysis | The tone of earned media coverage | Prowly (media monitoring) |
| Surveys & polls | Perceived values, trust, message recall | SurveyMonkey, Google Forms |
| Review tracking | Customer feedback | G2, Trustpilot, Google Reviews |
| Direct feedback (interviews) | Deeper emotional and narrative insight | One-on-one sessions or focus groups |
Brand perception in action: real-life examples
👍 Positive example - Nike and Colin Kaepernick Campaign
👀 Brand perception
Bold, socially aware, aligned with youth and activism.
What happened?
Nike launched a controversial ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick (former NFL quarterback). He is known for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. The ad included the tagline:
“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Why it worked
➕ Nike aligned itself with a cause that resonated deeply with its core demographic: young, diverse, socially conscious consumers.
➕ Despite initial backlash (boycotts and the burning of Nike gear), the move strengthened Nike’s brand loyalty among its key audiences.
➕ It showed conviction and brand bravery, which consumers increasingly value.
Nike is still famous for its "Just do it" tagline and all of their actions resonate with it.
👎 Negative example - Pepsi ft. Kendall Jenner ad
👀 Brand perception
Tone-deaf, opportunistic, out-of-touch.
What happened?
Pepsi released an ad with Kendall Jenner as the main character in which she resolves a protest by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi. It was widely criticized for trivializing social justice movements like Black Lives Matter.
Why it failed
➖ First, it misused symbolism from real protests.
➖ Moreover, it was perceived as exploitative and performative.|
➖ And the cherry on top - it lacked authenticity or a real connection to the cause.
There was no backstory. No cause. Just Pepsi.
Neutral turning to positive example - LEGO & brand suitability
👀 Brand perception and the challenge
LEGO had a neutral-to-positive brand perception for decades. But let's be honest, not necessarily associated with social responsibility or environmental leadership. Especially as a manufacturer of plastic toys.
Turning point
Around 2015, LEGO made a commitment to public sustainability.
- Pledging to invest $400 million over three years in sustainability efforts
- Began developing plant-based plastics made from sugarcane
- Switched to recyclable paper bags inside boxes
- Partnered with organizations like the WWF to reduce its carbon footprint
Why it worked
➕ LEGO didn’t make empty promises—it backed them with long-term R&D investments
➕ It remained transparent about challenges in making durable, kid-safe sustainable bricks
Stayed true to its core values (creativity, quality) while adapting to new expectations
How to improve brand perception (a PR-tailored checklist)
Improving brand perception starts with ensuring message consistency across all touchpoints. Your brand voice, values, and visuals should be aligned across every channel, from social media to customer service.
A strong PR strategy also requires proactively managing media relations.
Start building trust and maintaining open communication with journalists. You must monitor and respond to feedback in real time. This is how you show consumers they’re listening and you want to make things better for them.
A powerful way to shift perception is to use storytelling. You can do it both via owned media (blogs and newsletters) and earned media (press coverage and influencer mentions).
Lastly, run reputation-focused PR campaigns that reinforce your brand’s purpose and values.
💡 Pro Tip: Prowly supports this by helping to create consistent, on-brand press releases, and manage journalist relationships within a centralized CRM. It helps you also monitor real-time media sentiment to stay on top of reputation risks and opportunities.
Common mistakes that hurt brand perception
Even strong brands can damage their reputation by falling into avoidable traps. Some of the most common mistakes include:
- Being overly reactive or defensive – responding quickly is crucial but keep your emotions in line. Answering criticism with aggression or denial often escalates the issue instead of resolving it. Be open and calm.
- Not listening to audience sentiment – ignoring public feedback, especially on social media, can make a brand seem unbothered. It also may give your audience a sense of you being out of touch or indifferent.
- Messaging inconsistency – when a brand’s values or tone vary across platforms, it creates confusion and undermines trust. Being consistent shows you to be truthful and honest.
- PR silence during controversy – crises are part of a brand's life cycle. Failing to address them or being too reckless with them translates to a lack of accountability. Allowing negative narratives to take control.
💡 Tip: Explore this article to learn more about how reactive PR compares to proactive PR—and how to put it into action. And if you want to make your PR strategy truly robust, learn how to measure, report, and protect your brand with this article on brand reputation management.
Brand perception - to sum up
So what is brand perception? How to measure and manage it?
The above article may help you create a strategy to navigate all of these aspects. As well as a good tool.
Prowly offers PR professionals everything you may need to monitor media coverage, craft consistent messaging, and engage with the right media contacts.
