Are you really in a league of your own?

Level set with quarterly landscape monitoring.

Organizations often have tunnel vision when considering the broader landscape in which they operate. Who are your true peers? What are they doing online? And when’s the last time you really looked?

In brand work, differentiation and specificity are everything. Early market research surfaces analogous organizations or offerings, while you refine your positioning and presence to stand apart. Over time, that peer set and the relevant insights fade into the background. Meanwhile, those same organizations evolve, experiment, and redefine the space around you.

That’s where quarterly landscape monitoring comes in. It keeps you grounded in what’s changing across your field and helps you understand how the wider web is shaping your audience’s expectations. 

Three questions to guide your quarterly review.

1. Who does your audience associate you with?

Your peers aren’t just who you think they are—they’re who your audience associates you with.

If you work at a foundation with a global presence, your audience may compare you to major international NGOs. If you’re focused on climate policy, advocacy groups might be your de facto peers even if you don’t fundraise like they do. Understanding those associations helps you see your brand through your audience’s eyes.

2. Where does your audience spend their time?

We live in an interconnected digital landscape. The experiences your audience has with consumer brands shape what they expect from every brand.

Google’s effortless search, Amazon’s personalization, the seamlessness of Apple Pay, and The New York Times’ immersive storytelling—these set the baseline for usability, relevance, and timeliness. Fair or not, they define the context in which people experience your organization’s digital presence.

3. Who do you wish your audience associated you with?

Who’s your ‘brand crush’? Which organizations embody the tone, experience, or values you aspire to?

Think aspirationally. If innovation is your goal, perhaps Apple or a rising tech company makes sense. If social responsibility is essential, Patagonia might fit. This isn’t imitation—it’s inspiration that clarifies where you want your brand to grow.

Define and monitor your peer set.

For each category above, define 3–5 organizations to monitor. Then, based on your focus area, such as website experience, content strategy, and social engagement, identify 6–8 heuristics to track each quarter.

Over time, these insights will surface the trends shaping your audience’s expectations and help you steer your brand with confidence and relevance.