How to build a value-led marketing capability that wins share, earns a price premium, and strengthens loyalty.
Most marketing teams can describe their customers. Fewer can quantify what customers value most – and link it to market share, loyalty, and willingness to pay with enough precision to guide investment decisions.
Large-scale consumer research suggests that brands that consistently deliver more “elements of value” (discrete benefits customers recognize) tend to see materially stronger market-share gains – and can often sustain higher prices than rivals.
What the data says
A survey of 45,000+ US consumers across 190 companies and 22 categories measured how strongly each brand delivered specific value elements (respondents rated brands on a 0–10 scale). Brands that delivered 4 or more elements to a majority of customers showed significantly stronger market-share growth than those delivering 0–1 elements (illustratively, 4.8% vs −2.1% CAGR in the analysis shown).
Even more important: the research finds that adding emotional elements over time can have disproportionately large impact – estimated as ~50% more valuable than adding functional elements alone.
A practical framework: the “value stack” customers actually choose on
Research popularized a hierarchy of 30 elements of consumer value, grouped into four layers:
- Functional (e.g., saves time, reduces effort, avoids hassles, quality)
- Emotional (e.g., reduces anxiety, fun/entertainment)
- Life-changing (e.g., motivation, wellness)
- Social impact (e.g., self-transcendence, provides hope)
This hierarchy is useful because it translates “brand love” into specific, actionable value claims you can design, measure, and improve.
Why this matters now: customers will pay more – if the value is explicit
Independent CX research consistently finds customers are willing to pay a premium for experiences that reduce friction and improve outcomes – for example, one major study reported 81% of consumers are willing to spend more for a better customer experience.
A separate consumer intelligence study found large shares of customers would pay more for specific experience qualities like convenience and a welcoming experience.
The implication for marketing capability: you don’t “raise prices.” You earn price by delivering and proving value.
The capability playbook: 5 steps to make “value” measurable and monetizable
1) Build your Value Profile (what customers think you deliver)
Run a structured measurement approach where customers rate your brand against a defined set of value elements (0–10). The consumer research above used a threshold approach (e.g., “delivered” when a majority rates the brand 8+ on an element).
Output: a value heatmap by segment (e.g., new vs loyal customers, premium vs value buyers).
2) Link value to economics (so investment decisions become obvious)
The same research explicitly ties value-element strength to outcomes like market share, loyalty, and willingness to pay.
What this enables:
- Identify which elements are “table stakes” in your category
- Identify which elements actually differentiate you
- Quantify where strengthening a value element is likely to move the needle (vs “nice to have” brand work)
3) Prioritize “friction killers” first, then add emotional lift
Across categories, functional elements like reduces effort and avoids hassles often act as loyalty accelerators – because they remove day-to-day pain.
Once friction is reduced, emotional and life-changing elements become a powerful way to sustain differentiation – consistent with findings that emotional additions can outperform purely functional additions.
Practical rule:
- Fix the experience that frustrates customers (functional)
- Then build the experience customers remember (emotional)
4) Turn value into an “earned premium” (pricing + packaging + proof)
If you can demonstrate that customers perceive you as delivering more high-impact elements, you can often defend a premium. The value research includes analyses showing increased willingness to pay for brands delivering more elements.
What changes operationally:
- Packaging shifts from feature bundles to value bundles
- Sales enablement shifts from “product talk tracks” to value proof points (ROI, risk reduction, time saved, reduced anxiety)
- Pricing governance shifts from list-price debates to realized-price discipline tied to value delivery
5) Operationalize value with cross-functional ownership
Value is rarely created by marketing alone. Many elements – like “avoids hassles” or “reduces effort” – are delivered through service design, policies, fulfilment, and digital journeys.
Best-practice operating model
- Journey owners accountable for value outcomes (conversion, retention, complaint rate, cost-to-serve)
- A test-and-learn cadence (weekly insight, rapid iteration)
- A “value backlog” that ranks initiatives by measurable economic impact
Metrics that keep value real (not a brand workshop)
Use a balanced scorecard that connects perception → behavior → economics:
- Perception: element scores (0–10), trust/clarity, value-for-money
- Behavior: conversion, repeat rate, churn, adoption of key journeys
- Economics: price realization, margin mix, share change, CAC payback
If you use NPS, use it carefully: academic research suggests its relationship to growth can vary by industry and measurement approach – meaning it’s most useful when paired with behavioral and financial outcomes.
A 90-day launch plan for value-led marketing
- Days 1–30: measure value elements by segment; build competitor/value benchmark; identify 3–5 “value gaps” with the biggest economic upside.
- Days 31–60: redesign 1–2 priority journeys to eliminate friction; build value proof points and messaging aligned to the winning elements.
- Days 61–90: launch with pricing/packaging guardrails; instrument results; expand to adjacent journeys and segments based on impact.
