Brand Usage Profile

Analysis (BUPA)
A ‘ C L I E N T - F R I E N D LY ’ E X P L A N AT I O N
 What kind of questions can BUPA help address?

 How do levels of brand familiarity in a category relate to levels of

brand usage, i.e. what is the average relationship in my category?

 Is there strong or weak conversion within my category?

 How do individual brands perform against the average relationship

in my category?

 Have there been any changes over time?

 How do I set appropriate future marketing actions, and how do I

assess whether current ones are working?
What is Brand Usage Profile Analysis?
BUPA investigates the relationship between pairs of brand health
measures. Typical examples are:
 Conversion of awareness to trial
 Conversion of trial to repertoire (current/recent usage)
 Conversion from repertoire to frequent use (preference)

It allows us to determine whether, for example, a brand’s awareness is

generating above or below the expected trial level compared to the
general relationship that is seen for the category.
It is most suitable for any pair of measures where one is believed to be a
(pre-)condition for the other.
The actual measures chosen will depend on the dynamics of the
category.
How does BUPA work?

 We create a scatterplot of the two measures chosen.

 The measure believed to be ‘causal’ (e.g. awareness) is plotted
on the horizontal axis. The measure believed to be the ‘response’
(e.g. trial) is plotted on the vertical axis.
 The analysis generates a curved best fit line that describes the
general category relationship (which in this case, aims to predict
the level of trial based on the level of brand awareness).
 Individual brands can then be assessed based on their difference
from this general relationship (their vertical deviation from the
curved best fit line).
Brand Usage Profile Analysis

90 This best fit line shows the

80 average category relationship
70
Usage

60
50
40
30
20
10

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Awareness

The strength/weakness of a brand is determined by its vertical distance from the

best fit line. Being above the line means the brand has higher usage than the
category relationship would suggest for this level of awareness. Being below the
line means the brand has lower usage than expected. Being on the line means
the brand is converting at the expected level for the category.
Different markets have different category
relationships

90

80 Kids Media
70

60
Trial

50 Feminine
40 Care
30

20

10
Investments

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Awareness

The shape of the curve will depend on the measures chosen, the range of
scores in the category and the relationship between them.
Different markets have different category
relationships
In this market, increases in awareness
90 are likely to generate substantial
increases in trial
80
In this market, higher levels of
70
awareness are needed before
60 substantial trial is achieved
Trial

50 In this market, increases in

awareness alone are unlikely to
40 generate substantial trial, or it
30 may take longer to do so

20

10

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Awareness

When setting expectations for a brand in a category, it is vital to recognise the

nature of the category relationship identified.
An interpretation example (Trial vs Recent Usage)

Brand A’s high level of trial is reflected in high

usage levels, exactly in line with the value
30
expected by the average category relationship
A
Used in the last 4 weeks

Although lower than Brand A, Brands B

25 B & D both have good trial and are
converting to higher levels of usage J
D C
than the average relationship expects
20
for their respective levels of trial
E
15 G
Brand F has a lower level of
H
10 usage than ought to be
F
expected for its level of trial
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Tried in the past year
 A word about confidence bands....
Some BUPA charts show confidence bands around the best fit line. Please be aware that the
confidence band relates to best fit line; and not to the plotted points.
This may seem like a fine distinction; after all, the position of the best fit line is based on the
plotted points, but the confidence
interval shows the area in which
Brand V

the model is 95% certain that the

Brand H

40 best fit line sits.

Brand Z

It does not take into account the

sample size on which each point
30
is based, but it is this which, in
Drink Regularly

Brand F

part, determines the confidence

20 band for each point.
Brand X
Please be very careful about how
Brand R
you interpret the plotted positions
10
versus these bands.
Brand Q
Brand T
Possibly better would be to sig
Brand S
Brand Y
test the actual position versus the
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 position expected (the matched
Ever Tried vertical value of the best fit line).