Blog Post
Surveys Have a Branding Problem
by Edward Murphy
“𝗔 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 — 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹”

Let’s be honest: the word “survey” has taken a hit.

• Methodologically sound instruments
• Designed with purpose and precision
• Tools that uncover deep insights, not just surface-level data

That’s because I come from the world of 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 and 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 — where surveys are 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, and 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱.

But when most people hear “survey”?

They think:
• “That annoying pop-up asking me to rate my sandwich.”
• “A 20-question ‘how did we do?’ form after I clicked unsubscribe.”
• “Another NPS score nobody follows up on.”
And that’s the problem.

The Result?
People start saying things like:

• “Surveys are dead.”
• “We don’t need surveys — we have AI.”
• “Our VoC program is underperforming.”

But it’s not that surveys don’t work.
It’s that bad surveys have damaged the reputation of a proven method.

𝗔 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 — 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹

Real surveys — the kind built by trained insight professionals — do things like:

• Identify customer segments and needs
• Test new product concepts before launch
• Track shifting perceptions over time
• Connect CX metrics to actual business outcomes

They’re not just about listening — they’re about learning.
They’re not just “customer voice” — they’re customer truth.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗫, 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

If you throw out surveys based on bad experiences, you miss out on:

✅ Real-time, structured insight
✅ Statistically reliable data
✅ Actionable findings tied to revenue and retention
✅ The connective tissue between what customers say and what they do

You also confuse survey tools with VoC strategy — and that’s a whole different problem.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱

It’s time to reframe what “survey” means.
Not a checkbox.
Not a dashboard metric.
Not an automated email nobody reads.

A well-crafted, insight-generating instrument that helps you:

• Understand your customers
• Improve their experience
• Drive real business outcomes

That’s the survey I stand behind.


Ready to move from survey fatigue to survey impact?

Let’s rebuild the real value of surveys, one insight at a time.

Let’s connect and build better insights together.