Market Intelligence
Build a repeatable research loop for customer, competitor, category, and channel signals.
Market intelligence is the input system for brand decisions. It prevents the team from confusing internal opinion with market reality.
Signal Map
| Signal | Source examples | Marketing use |
|---|---|---|
| Customer language | Calls, tickets, reviews, surveys | Copy, objections, persona pain |
| Competitor moves | Websites, pricing, ads, content, launches | Differentiation and positioning |
| Category narratives | Analyst notes, communities, search demand | Category entry point |
| Channel behavior | Search terms, social conversations, referral paths | Distribution planning |
| Sales feedback | Lost reasons, objections, champion comments | Proof and enablement |
Research Loop
- Define the decision that research must support.
- Collect sources with date, owner, and confidence level.
- Extract repeated language, tensions, and unmet needs.
- Convert findings into hypotheses for message, channel, or offer.
- Test the hypothesis in content, sales, search, or ads.
- Archive what changed in the brand context pack.
Intelligence Board
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Signal | Raw observation or quote summary |
| Source | Where it came from |
| Confidence | Strong, medium, or weak |
| Implication | What should change |
| Test | Campaign, page, post, or sales script to validate it |
Quality Checks
- Do not treat one loud customer as a whole market.
- Separate stated preference from actual buying behavior.
- Keep competitor analysis focused on customer choice, not feature copying.
- Attach source dates so old signals do not look current forever.