A Global Brand Performance Framework for a Leading Coatings Manufacturer

The Client

A leading global manufacturer of coatings, the client operates across all continents and in over 70 countries, serving a wide range of sectors—from construction and automotive to aerospace, industry, and residential markets. With a strong legacy of innovation, a deep focus on sustainability, and a diverse portfolio of trusted brands, the client is recognized for its technical expertise and commitment to performance in the global coatings industry.

The Challenge

Strategic Objective

To strengthen its global and local branding strategies, the client aimed to harmonise brand KPI tracking across markets and business segments. Historically, brand performance was monitored through varied regional methods, leading to inconsistencies in data comparability. The client required a robust, standardised approach that would provide:

• Unified performance measurement of brands across diverse product types and markets

• Benchmarking capabilities to assess performance against key competitors

• Actionable insights to support strategic brand and marketing decisions globally and locally

Market Complexities

The complexity of this engagement was amplified by:

• Diverse consumer trends and expectations across regions

• A highly competitive market landscape

• A large brand portfolio composed of both global and locally positioned brands

• The need to integrate data from two distinct customer types: homeowners (retail) and professionals (trade)

The Approach

USP designed a comprehensive, multi-layered research program tailored to address the client’s ambition of achieving operational excellence in brand management.

Scope & Methodology

• Geography: 25 countries across four global regions: Europe, North America, Mexico, and Australia

• Segments: Homeowners (CAWI methodology, N=300–1600 per country) and Professionals (CATI methodology, N=100–400 per country)

• KPI Framework:
  • Brand Funnel Metrics: Awareness, Consideration, Usage, Preference

  • Brand Experience: Net Promoter Score (NPS), Price Perception

  • Brand Imagery: Key brand value attributes

  • Additional country- and region-specific indicators

Execution & Delivery

The project was USP’s largest to date, bringing together two specialised Business Units—Construction and Home Improvement. Spanning nearly an entire year, the project followed these key steps:

1. Preparation & Alignment: Over 2–3 months of intensive online workshops with client teams worldwide to develop harmonised questionnaires and a globally consistent project setup, that still served local markets’ needs.

2. Data Collection & Monitoring: Large-scale fieldwork with daily progress tracking and data validation ensured consistent quality across all markets and respondent types.

3. Insightful Reporting: Deliverables included detailed country-level reports, regional summaries, and interactive PowerBI dashboards at regional and global levels—enabling deep dives into brand performance.

4. Client Engagement: Insights were presented in region-specific workshops attended by regional managers, marketers, brand experts, and portfolio strategists.

5. Ongoing Support: USP remained available for follow-up advisory, market-specific deep dives, and planning for the next phase of research in 2025.

The Outcome

While brand strategy initiatives typically take time to show measurable business impact, early signs suggest that the insights are actively being used by the client as a foundation for marketing and brand planning.

The project equipped the client with:

• A centralised platform for tracking brand KPIs across markets

• Strategic and tactical recommendations per brand and market

• A harmonised approach for ongoing trend monitoring and benchmarking

Client Feedback

Though formal outcomes are pending, the client shared the following feedback:

“USP’s insights have helped us accelerate business growth … the USP team was consistently dedicated to the project and worked to meet our needs, even as timelines or specifics changed.”

Why USP

With over 30 years of experience in the construction and home improvement industry—and nearly two decades of collaboration with the client in the EMEA region—USP was uniquely positioned to scale its partnership to a global level. The client trusted USP for its:

• Deep industry specialisation

• Reliable, high-quality execution

• Professional and engaged team

• Strong advisory capabilities