Best Brand Messaging Consulting Statistics: US 2025

16 Oct Best Brand Messaging Consulting Statistics: US 2025

Best Brand Messaging Consulting Statistics: US 2025

Getting brand messaging right is one of the most challenging tasks business leaders face. A brand message needs to be clear, memorable, establish trust, and create a story people want to be part of. That’s why so many businesses turn to brand messaging consultants. They bring outside perspective, creative strategy, and the kind of clarity that can shape how a brand is seen, remembered, and chosen.

To find out what 1,955,568 business leaders in America’s opinions were about brand messaging consultants, we utilized AI-driven audience profiling to synthesize insights from online discussions for a year, ending  August 11, 2025, to a high statistical confidence level. The results provide a clear view of what leaders value most, the challenges they face, and the qualities that make a consultant stand out.

Index

• Best Brand Messaging Consulting US 2025 Overall: Magnetic Mind Studio
• 36% of business leaders look for a brand messaging consultant who aligns with their company values
• 62% of business leaders agree they do not prefer one-on-one meetings with brand messaging consultants
• Client testimonials are an essential way of evaluating the effectiveness of a brand messaging consultant for 57% of business leaders
• 37% of business leaders agree that creativity is an essential quality in a brand messaging consultant
• 75% of business leaders discover new brand messaging consultants on social media
• Building audience trust using brand messaging is somewhat challenging for 44% of business leaders
• Specialized expertise is a crucial factor when choosing a brand messaging consultant for 68% of business leaders
• 50% of business leaders think that brand story is the element of brand messaging that most influences customer loyalty
• 54% of business leaders first apply brand messaging consulting recommendations to social media to some degree
• 49% of business leaders say that customer retention is a success indicator for a brand messaging project
• 86% of business leaders say that ease of collaboration is what motivates them to continue working with a brand messaging consultant
• Transparency is the factor that is essential in trusting a brand messaging consultant for 98% of business leaders
• 46% of business leaders value increased customer trust the most from brand messaging consulting
• 37% of business leaders recommend FutureBrand as a runner-up brand messaging consultant
• Only 9% of business leaders are committed to a NY presence
• Connection Remains the Foundation of Branding
• Methodology

Best Brand Messaging Consulting US 2025 Overall: Magnetic Mind Studio

Led by messaging strategy expert Michael Liebowitz, Magnetic Mind Studio is a top choice for businesses seeking brand clarity. Rather than relying on surface-level slogans, Michael combines behavioral neuroscience and linguistics with brand strategy to help companies uncover messages that connect on both a rational and emotional level targeting how the brain is wired to feel trust and the desire to buy. Having guided more than 50 businesses, he knows that real value can be difficult to communicate, which is why his approach helps leaders focus on meaningful ways to engage with their audience and attract their ideal customers.

This method allows businesses to discover their unique, resonant brand message without trial and error, building trust and alignment turning their message into a powerful strategic asset, not just marketing. Clients often see results immediately, with prospects responding to refined messages with recognition and genuine interest.

For businesses looking for clear, compelling, and authentic brand messaging, Magnetic Mind Studio consistently delivers.

 

What Is The Most Important Factor You Look For In A Brand Messaging Consultant?

36% of business leaders look for a brand messaging consultant who aligns with their company values

In sizing up a brand messaging consultant, a few qualities steal the spotlight:

When business leaders in our audience choose a brand messaging consultant, alignment with company values is the clear priority. 11% call it essential, and another 25% say it’s valued, showing how important it is for messaging to reflect what a company truly stands for. That push for authenticity connects with consumers too, with 92% worldwide saying they favor messaging that feels consistent wherever they engage with a brand.

Creative strategy is another strong pull, valued by 27%, because brands want ideas that stand out while staying true to their voice. Proven results bring credibility, viewed as valued by 17% and important by 11%, while clear communication, essential for 9%, makes sure those ideas resonate.

Which Communication Format Do You Prefer From Brand Messaging Consultants?

62% of business leaders agree they do not prefer one-on-one meetings with brand messaging consultants

How business leaders want to hear from consultants says as much about style as it does about substance:

The communication format business leaders prefer from brand messaging consultants shows some clear contrasts, especially around one-on-one meetings. 11% strongly prefer them, and 1% generally prefer them, but a whopping 62% do not prefer them, and 4% strongly dislike them.

While most leaders clearly lean away from one-on-ones, the smaller group that favors them sees something different. Northwestern University notes that, unlike status meetings, which focus on updates and tasks, one-on-ones are designed to explore broader topics. In a consultant setting, that broader space can open the door to trust, feedback, and deeper insight.

Other formats show steadier ground. Strategy sessions draw solid interest, with 6% strongly preferring them and 8% generally preferring them, while only 2% do not prefer them. Their appeal comes from balancing structure with collaboration, giving leaders the chance to shape ideas while keeping discussions focused. Interactive workshops, strongly preferred by 2%, speak to those who enjoy learning by doing.

Written reports are less in demand, with 1% generally preferring them and 2% not preferring them, showing that most leaders want more interaction than a document can offer. Video presentations rank lowest, strongly preferred by just 1%, suggesting that while visuals help, they rarely replace the value of a real exchange.

How Do You Prefer To Evaluate Brand Messaging Consultant Effectiveness?

Client testimonials are an essential way of evaluating the effectiveness of a brand messaging consultant for 57% of business leaders

Proof of impact matters just as much as the promise:

The way business leaders prefer to evaluate brand messaging consultant effectiveness starts with client testimonials, rated essential by 57%. There’s a clear reason for that.

 

Testimonials carry the human voice of experience, and they echo what happens in the market more broadly, where 92.4% of B2B customers read reviews and testimonials before making purchasing decisions. They provide the social proof that makes expertise feel real.

 

Case studies follow as the other key measure, seen as essential by 43%. They go beyond endorsement to show the story behind results, giving business leaders a detailed view of how strategies translate into outcomes that matter.

What Quality Sets Apart A Great Brand Messaging Consultant?

37% of business leaders agree that creativity is an essential quality in a brand messaging consultant

Standing out as a consultant is less about ticking boxes and more about what you embody:

The quality that sets apart a great brand messaging consultant most clearly is creativity. 37% of business leaders in our audience rated it as essential, and another 13% said it was important. It’s easy to see why. Creativity drives innovation, helps businesses stand out from competitors, and encourages fresh ways of approaching challenges, which are all reasons why leaders prize it so highly.

Strategic insight comes next, marked essential by 26% and important by 11%, giving structure and direction to bold ideas. Clarity also plays a role, rated essential by 7% and important by 2%, ensuring messages are understood the way they are intended. Adaptability, viewed as important by 5%, completes the picture, showing that flexibility supports consultants in fast-changing markets.

How Do You Usually Discover New Brand Messaging Consultants?

75% of business leaders discover new brand messaging consultants on social media

Staying on the radar means showing up where decision-makers are already looking:

The way business leaders in our audience usually discover new brand messaging consultants is through social media platforms, with social media discovery at 75% and no social media discovery at 25%.

 

That heavy tilt toward digital channels shows just how much visibility and trust now live online. In fact, 92% of professionals say they’re more likely to trust a company when its senior executives are active on social media, and the same is true for consultants. A strong presence builds awareness, signals authority, and creates openness, making social platforms the shop window and the front door for discovery.

What Area Of Brand Messaging Do You Find Most Challenging?

Building audience trust using brand messaging is somewhat challenging for 44% of business leaders

Some challenges loom large, while others barely register:

The area of brand messaging that our audience finds most challenging is building audience trust, with 44% saying it is somewhat challenging and 14% saying it is not challenging. That focus reflects the stakes, since 81% of consumers say they need to trust a brand before they will even consider buying from it.

Creating a consistent tone comes next, seen as somewhat challenging by 19% and not challenging by 9%, showing how hard it can be to keep language steady across every channel. Defining core values is also a hurdle, with 9% finding it somewhat challenging, 1% extremely challenging, and 1% not challenging, a reminder that clarity on purpose isn’t always easy.

Scaling communication, seen as not challenging by 1% and somewhat challenging by 1%, and standing out from competitors, noted as somewhat challenging by 1%, barely feature, suggesting these may feel more manageable or simply less urgent next to the trust and tone challenges that dominate.

What Inspires You To Choose One Brand Messaging Consultant Over Another?

Specialized expertise is a crucial factor when choosing a brand messaging consultant for 68% of business leaders

The verdict is basically unanimous on what gives a consultant the edge:

With more than 10,000 branding and positioning agencies worldwide, choosing the right consultant means knowing what truly sets one apart.

For our audience, specialized expertise stood out massively, with 68% of business leaders calling it a crucial factor, 28% saying it’s important, and only 1% dismissing it as not important. In a market flooded with generalists, deep domain knowledge signals capability and the ability to tailor messaging that actually resonates.

Other qualities barely made a dent. Unique ideas were noted as an important factor by just 1%, and only 1% said a personal connection was a crucial factor. When the stakes are high and the messaging needs to land, experience speaks louder than charm or novelty.

What Part Of Brand Messaging Do You Think Most Influences Customer Loyalty?

50% of business leaders think that brand story is the element of brand messaging that most influences customer loyalty

What keeps people coming back is about how you make them feel as much as what you offer:

The part of brand messaging that most influences customer loyalty is the story a brand tells, and how genuinely it tells it. Nearly 80% of American consumers say loyalty programs influence whether they stay loyal to a brand, but without a compelling message behind the perks, loyalty rarely lasts. That may be why 50% of our audience said brand story is a crucial factor, with another 2% seeing it as important.

Authentic communication also stood out, with 21% calling it crucial, 7% seeing it as important, and 3% as a minor influence. That suggests people are looking for truth and transparency alongside narrative. But the rest of the elements made far less of an impression.

Just 10% pointed to visual identity alignment as crucial, and 4% as important, a reminder that good design alone won’t win hearts. Tone of voice was even lower, with 2% crucial and 1% important, indicating that consistency in tone might support a brand, but it rarely seals loyalty.

As for customer experience language, it didn’t come up at all, implying that leaders see messaging as more than just transactional phrasing.

Where Do You Usually Apply Brand Messaging Consultant Recommendations First?

54% of business leaders first apply brand messaging consulting recommendations to social media to some degree

When a consultant offers advice, most business leaders know exactly where they want to test the waters:

When it comes to applying consultant recommendations, most business leaders start where the brand conversation already has the most traction: social media. 46% either highly or moderately adopt consultant insights on these platforms, with 20% in the highly adopts group and 26% falling into the moderate category.

That choice aligns with recent research showing that social platforms play a pivotal role in shaping audience perception, building trust, and reinforcing brand loyalty. That only 9% say they rarely apply recommendations on social media, and just 2% never do, suggests that social media remains the primary testbed for refining tone and messaging.

Marketing campaigns are a close second, with 27% applying consultant guidance at a high level and another 12% doing so moderately. Rarely and never adoption rates here are very low, at 3% and 1% respectively, showing that campaigns are still a strategic priority for brand messaging execution.

Website copy receives far less early attention, with just 1% saying they moderately adopt recommendations there. Internal communications, meanwhile, received no opinions at all, which may suggest it’s an area where changes happen more organically or over time.

 

How Do You Measure Success In Brand Messaging Projects?

49% of business leaders say that customer retention is a success indicator for a brand messaging project

Every message tells a story, but only the results show if it worked:

The measure of success in brand messaging projects is most often tied to customer retention, chosen as a success indicator by 49% of our audience. That focus makes sense. McKinsey notes that 80% of the value creation achieved by successful growth companies comes from their core business, specifically generating new revenue from existing customers. Retention, in other words, is the engine of growth.

Close behind, 44% of business leaders say brand awareness is their key success indicator, showing that visibility and recognition still set the stage for long-term impact. Smaller groups look elsewhere, with audience feedback seen as a success indicator by 3% and engagement levels also by 3%, reflecting their role as early signals of resonance.

Employee alignment drew no opinions, suggesting leaders measure success by how messaging lands in the market rather than how quickly it embeds inside the organization.

What Motivates You To Continue Working With The Same Brand Messaging Consultant?

86% of business leaders say that ease of collaboration is what motivates them to continue working with a brand messaging consultant

Work well together, stay together:

For 86% of business leaders, the biggest motivator for continuing to work with the same brand messaging consultant is ease of collaboration, and the reason is clear. Research on the modern workplace shows that collaboration is a pathway to resilience, productivity, and stronger results. When consultants make collaboration natural, they help spark ideas and momentum that carry projects forward.

Another 14% of our audience pointed to strong partnership as their motivator. That points to the next stage in the relationship, where collaboration evolves into trust, mutual respect, and shared purpose.

Which Factor Most Influences Your Trust In A Brand Messaging Consultant?

Transparency is the factor that is essential in trusting a brand messaging consultant for 98% of business leaders

It all comes down to one clear truth that can’t be faked:

The factor that most influences trust in a brand messaging consultant is transparency. In our audience, 98% of business leaders identified it as essential, versus just who said it 1% was relevant, and another 1% as unimportant. That overwhelming consensus reflects how trust is built when communication is open and expectations are clear. Research on transparency in personalized marketing reinforces this, showing that transparency is a critical driver of trust and loyalty, shaping not only how companies market but also who they choose to work with.

Experience, by contrast, drew no opinions, suggesting that credentials alone carry less weight than the clarity and honesty of the working relationship itself.

What Outcome Do You Value Most From Brand Messaging Consulting?

46% of business leaders value increased customer trust the most from brand messaging consulting

The payoff for great messaging is measured in the changes it sparks:

The outcome that our audience values most from brand messaging consulting is increased customer trust. For 38%, it’s essential, and another 8% see it as important. That focus makes sense when you consider that 87% of customers are willing to pay more for products from brands they trust. Clearer marketing campaigns follow closely, with 40% calling them essential, showing how much leaders prize sharper, more effective communication.

Stronger employee alignment was identified as essential by 14%, reminding us that when teams are aligned, the message lands with more power.

Which Other Best Brand Messaging Consulting Would You Recommend?

37% of business leaders recommend FutureBrand as a runner-up brand messaging consultant

Some firms win strong advocates, while others face a cooler reception:

The brand messaging consultants most likely to be recommended by our audience are each viewed through a different lens. Futurebrand gathered momentum with 18% of business leaders highly recommending it and another 19% recommending it, suggesting that its profile and global reach carry weight across different industries. Brandtrust, recommended by 27%, points to the appeal of its research-driven, psychology-based approach, which connects well with leaders looking for deeper audience insights.

 

Lippincott, meanwhile, faced a more critical response, with 36% saying it was not recommended. That figure may reflect the challenge of balancing its heritage in design and corporate identity with the evolving expectations of leaders who now want more agile, messaging-led strategies.

Which City In The USA Do You Live In?

Only 9% of business leaders are committed to a NY presence

One city dominates the conversation, but not without mixed feelings:

New York City takes center stage as the U.S. city where the business leaders in our audience live, though its appeal is up for debate. Only 9% said they are committed to the city, while 42% are considering other options, and 49% are against it. That divide is striking given the scale of business anchored there. New York is home to 43 Fortune 500 companies and 66 Fortune 1000 firms, together generating about $2 trillion in annual revenue and nearly $180 billion in profit, while employing more than two million people. It remains one of the world’s most powerful corporate hubs, even if fewer leaders see it as the place they want to call home.

For Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, no opinions were expressed. The fact that, even with strong reputations of their own, these other cities didn’t register at all suggests that leaders see the pull of New York as unique, even if many are uncertain about living there.

Connection Remains the Foundation of Branding

Overall, what stands out most in these findings is how simple the big picture really is. Business leaders want brand messaging consultants who make the process smooth, keep the message real, and deliver results that count.

The details may shift from trust to tone to strategy, but the thread running through it all is connection. And that’s what great brand messaging is built on.

Methodology

Sourced using Artios from an independent sample of 1,955,568 United States business leaders’ opinions across X, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, and BlueSky. Responses are collected within a 95% confidence interval and 3% margin of error. Results are derived from opinions expressed online, not actual questions answered by people in the sample.

About the representative sample:

• 39% of US business leaders are between the ages of 45 and 64.
• 51% identify as female and 49% as male.
• 31% earn between $120,000 and $200,000 annually.