Most organisations have more data than ever before, yet many still struggle to turn that data into better decisions. Brand tracking is often part of the problem. Too frequently, trackers become reporting machines that generate KPI dashboards without changing business actions.
At Esomar Congress 2026, IKEA and NielsenIQ will share how they challenged this paradigm by transforming IKEA's global brand tracker from a measurement tool into a strategic decision system spanning more than 60 markets.
The session, "The Ripple Effect: Turning a 60+ Market Brand Tracker into a Strategic Decision System," explores the development of Brand Pulse, IKEA's new global approach to understanding and managing brand growth. Built around evidence-based marketing principles such as Mental Availability, Physical Availability and Category Entry Points, the programme was designed not just to monitor performance but to actively inform business priorities, creative development and market strategy.
Replacing a tracking system that had been embedded in the organisation for over two decades required much more than methodological redesign. The project involved aligning multiple stakeholders across the IKEA franchise system, creating a shared measurement framework and embedding new ways of working across global and local teams.
The result is a modular and scalable system that now captures more than 440,000 consumer interviews annually across 64 markets, delivers monthly insight through Power BI and provides a single source of truth for brand performance across the IKEA value chain. More importantly, it has helped shift the role of insights from reporting the past to shaping future growth decisions.
The session will share practical lessons on redesigning global tracking programmes, managing large-scale organisational change and increasing the strategic impact of insights functions.
Where to see the presentation at Esomar Congress (Valencia)
The Ripple Effect: Turning a 60+ Market Brand Tracker into a Strategic Decision System
Date: 2 September 2026
Time: 12:05 - 12:25
Stage: Impact
Speakers:
Muge Vardar Lopez Ramirez, NielsenIQ
Alexander Shmelkov, Inter IKEA Systems
Sylvia van der Waal, Inter IKEA Systems
