Kantar’s Meaningful Different Salient (MDS) Framework, a conceptual and practical model to measure and diagnose brand equity, has achieved metric certification by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) according to its Marketing Metrics Accountability Protocol, a formal process for connecting marketing activities to the financial performance of the firm.
Applicable to all types of brands across the world, Kantar’s new framework uses brand perception measures gathered from surveys to calculate seven metrics: Meaningful, Different, Salient, Demand Power, Pricing Power, Activation Power, and Future Power. Collectively these metrics quantify consumers’ predisposition towards the brand and are used to explain the brand’s impact in supporting a price premium, in capturing both penetration and volume, and in increasing the likelihood of revenue growth. They’re included in strategic deep-dives and brand tracking as indicators of brand equity.
“When the Kantar system was first certified in 2017, it compared favorably with the 10 Characteristics of an Ideal Metric,” explained Allan Kuse, MASB Metric Certification lead. “In the 2024 recertification, the Kantar MDS system has fared even better. It’s encouraging to see a marketing metric supplier whose offerings are strong and are improved over time.”
“This updated assessment documents the continued evolution of the Kantar MDS Framework in tying marketing metrics to monetary outcomes,” said MASB Executive Director Frank Findley. “The updated framework incorporates metrics like Demand Power, Pricing Power, Activation Power, and Future Power which extend the framework’s utility beyond the original dimensions of Power, Premium, and Potential. The links from these to market share, price premiums, penetration, revenue growth, financial brand value, and stock price were all demonstrated.”
“This certification of our Meaningful, Different and Salient framework by MASB reinforces the true power of brand. Progressive CEOs know that brand equity drives growth today and tomorrow, and our data drives insights into where brands can adopt an ‘always getting better’ mindset,” stated Jane Ostler, EVP Solutions Marketing and Thought Leadership at Kantar.
MASB offers the only independent certification of marketing measurement metrics. Its Marketing Metric Accountability Protocol includes the conceptual linking of marketing activities to intermediate marketing outcome metrics to cash drivers of the business – plus a review that examines how the metrics meet the 10 Characteristics of an Ideal Metric. As both problems and opportunities are identified, the process often results in a metric’s improvement. MASB metric certification has been earned by some of the top marketing measurement firms in the industry.
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