Market Understanding, Brand & Strategy: Insight That Powers Long-Term Growth

Why brands choose Good Sense Research

Strong brands aren’t built on guesswork; they’re shaped by clear-eyed market intelligence, sharp positioning, and deep consumer understanding. Without these foundations, even the most creative campaign or innovative product can fail to connect.

At Good Sense Research (GSR), we combine market mapping, brand diagnostics, and consumer insight to give you clarity and direction. We uncover where your category is heading, where your brand stands now, and how to position for future success.

We work with

  • Farmers & Growers – building consumer trust through provenance, sustainability, and origin stories.

  • Manufacturers & Suppliers – shaping innovation pipelines and bringing new products to market with evidence-led confidence.

  • Brands & Own Label – differentiating in crowded categories and ensuring relevance across value, premium, and niche propositions.

  • Retailers & Supermarkets – optimising category strategies, pricing, promotions, and shopper experience to drive growth.

  • QSR & Delivery – understanding on- and off-premise decisions, from menu navigation to digital ordering journeys.

  • Casual Dining & Food-to-Go – balancing speed, flavour, and value while keeping propositions distinctive.

  • Hotels, Restaurants, Pubs & Bars – aligning menus, concepts, and brand stories with evolving guest expectations.

  • Travel & Leisure Foodservice – maximising conversion in high-footfall, time-pressured environments.

Our goal: To make your brand more relevant, more competitive, and more valuable. 

The three “truths” that guide our work

We believe the most effective strategies happen when three realities align:

  1. Market truth: A fact-based understanding of your category’s current state and future trajectory.

  2. Brand truth: What your brand genuinely stands for, where it’s strong, and where it’s vulnerable.

  3. Customer truth: The needs, motivations, and behaviours of the people you most want to reach.

When these truths intersect, your strategy becomes laser-focused, your messaging becomes sharper, and your growth becomes sustainable.

Close-up of vibrant tacos with guacamole, shredded meat, and pickled onions, representing how market understanding and brand strategy bring together layered insights and fresh perspectives to create standout foodservice concepts.

The three “truths” that guide our work

We believe the most effective strategies happen when three realities align:

  1. Market truth: A fact-based understanding of your category’s current state and future trajectory.

  2. Brand truth: What your brand genuinely stands for, where it’s strong, and where it’s vulnerable.

  3. Customer truth: The needs, motivations, and behaviours of the people you most want to reach.

When these truths intersect, your strategy becomes laser-focused, your messaging becomes sharper, and your growth becomes sustainable.

Plated dessert with tropical fruit and edible flowers, symbolising how market understanding and brand strategy blend creativity and insight to deliver foodservice innovation and brand growth.

What we deliver (and how)

1) Market landscape & category mapping

What we do:

  • Analyse category size, growth rate, and future forecasts

  • Map competitors by price point, positioning, and distribution

  • Identify trends, disruptors, and market gaps

  • Track shifts in channels and shopper missions

  • Deliver clear visual market maps

Why it matters: Without a shared market picture, internal teams often make decisions in silos; wasting time and budget.

What success looks like:

  • All stakeholders aligned on category realities

  • Prioritised, evidence-based growth targets

  • Clear focus on markets and subcategories worth winning

Supermarket aisle with juice bottles in focus, representing market understanding and brand strategy for food and drink brands to map categories and optimise positioning.

2) Consumer needs & white space identification

Outcome: Strategies built around what truly matters to your audience, with clear paths to competitive advantage.

What we do:

  • Conduct qualitative and quantitative research to identify consumer needs, drivers, and barriers

  • Analyse behaviour, missions, and mindsets to reveal demand patterns

  • Highlight growth opportunities and underserved market areas (replace “niches” with “market areas” or “spaces” to avoid jargon)

  • Map category gaps where consumer needs are not being met

  • Use competitor comparison to identify openings and vulnerabilities

  • Recommend positioning and product plays to capture these spaces

Why it matters: Needs are dynamic, and categories evolve quickly. Understanding what consumers value — and where competitors fall short — ensures your brand focuses on opportunities with real traction.

What success looks like:

  • Clear visibility of unmet demand and growth spaces

  • Focused investment in high-potential market areas

  • Stronger emotional and functional connection with priority audiences

  • Strategies that differentiate your brand where it matters most

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3) Brand positioning & value proposition

Outcome: A position that’s relevant, differentiated, and defensible.
What we do:

  • Define competitive set and points of difference

  • Explore multiple positioning territories

  • Test and validate with consumers

  • Craft value propositions that resonate in both B2B and B2C contexts

Why it matters: If your positioning isn’t clear internally, it won’t be convincing externally.

What success looks like:

  • Alignment on brand promise across teams

  • Consistent messaging that builds equity

  • Distinction from competitors in ways that matter to customers

Consumer comparing plain yogurt packaging while shopping, highlighting how market understanding and brand strategy inform brand positioning and value proposition.

4) Portfolio strategy & brand architecture

Outcome: A coherent, customer-centric brand system.
What we do:

  • Audit existing portfolio for clarity and efficiency

  • Reduce overlaps and eliminate cannibalisation

  • Create logical naming, tiering, and sub-brand strategies

  • Align portfolio with consumer navigation and decision-making

Why it matters: A confusing portfolio costs sales; and wastes marketing spend.

Supermarket pasta aisle showing product ranges and packaging, illustrating how market understanding and brand strategy shape portfolio strategy and brand architecture.

5) Strategic growth planning

Outcome: A roadmap for where to play and how to win.
What we do:

  • Synthesise insight into actionable strategies

  • Model growth scenarios and potential ROI

  • Prioritise channels, markets, and customer segments

  • Define KPIs for tracking success

What success looks like:

  • Clear, actionable plans

  • Measurable milestones

  • Internal alignment on priorities

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Trend tracking & future-proofing

Markets evolve; and brands that evolve with them thrive. We help you:

  • Identify emerging consumer behaviours and needs

  • Monitor competitive innovation

  • Forecast potential disruptors

  • Build agility into your strategy so you can adapt quickly

Chocolate bars with pistachio filling on rustic board, representing how market understanding and brand strategy use trend tracking and future-proofing to inspire innovation.

Common Mistake in brand strategy

Over-reliance on internal opinion: We keep decisions anchored in real consumer data.

  • Ignoring small competitors: Disruptors often start small; we keep them on the radar.

  • Treating brand tracking as a tick-box exercise: We turn data into action, not just reports.

  • Mistaking awareness for preference: We measure both and know how to shift one into the other.

Two slices of toast with cut-out faces on a white plate. One is lightly toasted with a happy smile, the other burnt with a sad frown, against turquoise background.

What makes GSR different

Food & Drink expertise: We work across FMCG and foodservice, combining industry specialists with our in-house innovation team to bring a unique “food-first” lens and fresh perspectives.

  • Action-first approach: We focus on what you can do with the insight.

  • Integration-ready outputs: Our findings slot straight into your planning cycles.

Global reach, local nuance: We understand both the broad picture and local details.

Vibrant food bowl with fish, rice, greens, and chillies on wooden table, symbolising how market understanding and brand strategy highlight cultural flavour trends and consumer preferences.

Turning insight into action

We don’t leave you with a static deck. Every project ends with:

  • A prioritised opportunity map

  • Clear strategic implications

  • Tailored recommendations for NPD, marketing, and channel strategy

  • Workshops to embed insight into daily decision-making

  • Ongoing tracking where needed

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Typical projects

·       Identifying opportunities for brand stretch for leading UK Dairy brand

·       Segmenting the QSR buyer to open doors for international market expansion

·       Exploring brand perceptions for a U.K. restaurant chain to determine who to target to increase audience

Shopper browsing chilled dairy aisle, illustrating how market understanding and brand strategy identify consumer needs and guide typical research projects for food and drink brands.

Deliverables

  • Market maps & competitor matrices

  • Brand health dashboards

  • Positioning & proposition frameworks

  • Portfolio architecture blueprints

  • Strategic growth plans

Data visualisation with charts and growth analytics overlaid on fresh produce, representing how market understanding and brand strategy use insights to guide food and drink brand decisions.

Results we target

  • Increased market share

  • Stronger brand loyalty

  • Higher marketing ROI

  • Faster decision-making

  • Sustained competitive advantage

Cheesecake slice removed to form a pie chart metaphor, illustrating how market understanding and brand strategy identify category share, consumer insights, and growth opportunities.

FAQs

Do you work internationally?
Yes; across UK, Europe, and global markets.

Do you handle both start-ups and large brands?
Absolutely; we adapt our process to fit your scale.

Do you integrate qualitative and quantitative work?
Yes; our mixed-method approach ensures depth and statistical confidence.

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Let’s put your brand on the strongest footing possible

If you want your market strategy built on truth, not guesswork, we can help.

Talk to us about your market and brand challenge

  • Book a discovery call

  • Request a case study

  • Arrange a brand health audit

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Let’s get started, shall we?

Talk to our team today about your research needs, we’d love to help.