Brand tracking is the data-driven measure of how often, and in what way brands are portrayed in entertainment.

Having this information is vital to understand viewers’ perception of a brand.

While direct marketing is still the primary method of shaping the public perception of a brand, entertainment marketing is becoming more and more important.

Direct marketing is highly controlled and the resulting brand perception thoroughly studied through consumer research. However, the brand portrayals that emerge from entertainment are studied much less.

In order to fully understand how people are forming their perception of a brand, its managers must also have a clear view of its portrayal in entertainment. Without this, they are only seeing half the picture.

While product placement is now integral parts of entertainment, it does not allow nearly the same level of control as direct marketing. As such, the intended message can be distorted and hence, must be closely monitored.

Furthermore, a fundamental part of brand tracking is analyzing a brand’s presence and portrayal relatively to competitors.

So, the question brand tracking answers is: how are brands being shown to people in entertainment?

And this information is important because it allows a more complete understanding of how the public’s perception of your brand is being influenced.