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Case study Pet technology & international research

Influencer Marketing Research for Brand Ambassador Selection

Influencer Research

A global pet technology brand commissioned an influencer marketing research study to identify which types of brand ambassadors would best connect with audiences across eight international markets, including the UK, US, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

The objective was to support brand ambassador selection by moving beyond simple recognition and understanding which individuals genuinely drive trust, credibility, and engagement within the pet care category. The study explored how consumers perceive different ambassador profiles, with a focus on identifying those most likely to influence attitudes and behaviours across diverse global markets.

A quantitative approach was used, with online surveys conducted across each region and adapted to reflect local audiences. Participants were shown a range of potential ambassadors, including celebrities, influencers, and recognised professionals, and asked to evaluate them against key attributes.

This influencer marketing research approach generated a robust and structured dataset, providing the client with a clear and comparable view of how different ambassador profiles resonated within each market. All data was delivered to the client for internal analysis, supporting more informed and locally relevant brand ambassador selection decisions.

requirement

Compare potential ambassadors, including celebrities, influencers and recognised professionals, across international audiences.

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The client required a clear understanding of consumer perception across multiple international markets to support their influencer strategy and brand ambassador selection. This included evaluating a range of individuals, spanning celebrities, influencers, and recognised professionals, against key attributes such as trustworthiness, credibility, relatability, and familiarity.

The study needed to deliver consistent and reliable data across all regions while ensuring each survey was locally relevant. A sample of 1000 respondents per market was achieved, providing a robust foundation for influencer marketing research and supporting confident, market-specific decision-making. Each sample included a broad mix of age groups and a balanced representation of genders.

research

Use translated and culturally adapted surveys with a consistent evaluation framework and 1,000 respondents in each market.

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Online surveys were conducted across each market as part of a structured influencer marketing research methodology. Each survey was translated and culturally adapted to ensure relevance and consistency, allowing for accurate comparison across global markets.

Participants evaluated a selection of potential brand ambassadors, including celebrities, influencers, and recognised professionals. Each individual was assessed against key attributes such as trustworthiness, familiarity, credibility, and influence, providing a consistent framework for brand ambassador selection.

Participants also indicated how they recognised each individual, such as through media exposure or professional association within the pet care space. This added important context to the data, capturing both perception and the drivers behind it.

All responses were captured digitally, ensuring accuracy and completeness. The structured survey format supported large-scale participation while maintaining consistency across markets, strengthening the reliability of this influencer marketing research study.

result

Deliver comparable consumer-perception data that the client could analyse by market, ambassador and audience segment.

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A full sample of 1000 respondents per market was achieved, delivering a robust and consistent dataset across all regions. The structured approach ensured comparability between markets, enabling the client to assess how ambassador profiles performed across different international audiences.

The study captured detailed consumer perception data on a range of potential brand ambassadors, including familiarity, appeal, trust, and perceived credibility. All outputs were delivered as structured raw data, providing the client with full flexibility to conduct internal analysis and apply the findings to their influencer strategy.

The dataset enabled the client to explore differences between markets, compare ambassador performance, and identify which profiles resonated most strongly within specific regions. This provided a clear evidence base to support brand ambassador selection and a more targeted, market-specific approach.

The consistent structure of the data also supported cross-market comparison and broader influencer marketing strategy development. All data was delivered in a format suitable for internal analysis, integration into existing systems, and application across ongoing and future campaigns.

By Rachael Eckersley Published

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Project at a glance

Markets
8
Sample
1,000 per market
Method
Localised online surveys
Deliverable
Structured raw data

Project detail

1. Understanding Audience Perceptions of Brand Ambassadors

This influencer marketing research study was designed to explore how consumers perceive and respond to different types of brand ambassadors within the pet care category. Rather than focusing solely on recognition or popularity, the research examined the underlying attributes that influence perception, including trustworthiness, credibility, relatability, and emotional connection.

By capturing structured feedback across these attributes, the study created a comprehensive dataset reflecting how different ambassador profiles are positioned in the minds of consumers. This provided a strong foundation for brand ambassador selection, enabling the client to understand which profiles are most likely to influence engagement and brand affinity across global markets.

For a pet technology brand, this distinction matters: a familiar name and a credible voice in pet care need not be the same person. Exploring several attributes gave the client a richer decision framework than a single popularity ranking. It could consider how well a potential ambassador was known alongside the qualities that would make the association relevant to its category.

2. Multi-Market Survey Approach

A consistent quantitative influencer marketing research framework was deployed across eight international markets. Surveys were translated and culturally adapted to reflect local language nuances and category understanding, ensuring responses remained relevant within each region.

At the same time, the core structure of the survey remained consistent, enabling reliable cross-market comparison. This approach ensured that the dataset could support global influencer strategy development while still accounting for regional differences in consumer perception.

The study covered markets including the UK, US, Sweden and the Netherlands. Local adaptation and a shared core questionnaire served different purposes: the first supported comprehension within each audience, while the second retained a basis for comparing responses. This enabled the client to consider international consistency without assuming that a profile with strong recognition in one country would have the same standing elsewhere.

3. Evaluating Different Ambassador Profiles

Participants were presented with a structured set of potential brand ambassadors, including celebrities, influencers, and professionals with recognised expertise. Each profile was evaluated against a consistent set of predefined attributes, including trust, credibility, relatability, and perceived expertise.

This standardised evaluation framework ensured that all profiles could be directly compared, supporting a data-led approach to brand ambassador selection. In addition, participants indicated how they recognised each individual, providing context around familiarity and the sources of influence.

Including different types of public figure widened the decision beyond a choice between well-known celebrities. The client could consider recognition, professional credibility and relatability as separate dimensions of fit. Using consistent attributes also made the trade-offs easier to examine: one profile might be more familiar while another was perceived as more credible within pet care, rather than one overall score explaining everything.

4. Recognition and Context

The research captured how and why participants recognised each ambassador, providing additional depth to the consumer perception data. This included whether familiarity was driven by media exposure, social platforms, or professional relevance within the pet care space.

Understanding this context helped differentiate between visibility and credibility, ensuring the dataset reflected not just awareness, but the underlying drivers of trust and influence within each market.

Knowing the source of familiarity made the assessment more useful for planning. Recognition associated with professional expertise carries different context from recognition through entertainment or social media. Capturing that distinction helped the client interpret why a person was known and consider whether the basis of that recognition suited the role it wanted an ambassador to perform.

5. Strong Sample Base

Each market achieved a sample of 1000 respondents, providing a robust and consistent dataset for this influencer marketing research study. The sample included a broad mix of age groups and a balanced representation of genders, ensuring coverage across a wide cross-section of the target audience.

This consistent sample structure strengthened the reliability of the data and supported accurate comparison between markets, enabling more confident brand ambassador selection decisions.

Achieving the same 1,000-response target in each of the eight markets gave the project a consistent starting point for country-level comparisons. Age and gender coverage also gave the client scope to explore differences within audiences. More detailed subgroup analysis still needs to take account of the number of responses behind each comparison, rather than relying only on the size of the total study.

6. Flexible Data Delivery and Strategic Application

All findings were delivered as structured raw data, allowing the client full flexibility in how the results are analysed and applied. The dataset was organised to enable straightforward comparison of ambassador performance across markets, attributes, and audience segments, supporting a consistent and scalable approach to internal evaluation.

This enabled internal teams to compare ambassador performance across regions, identify consistent high-performing profiles, and assess how different attributes resonate within specific markets. The structured format also supported efficient filtering and segmentation of the data, helping to inform evidence-based brand ambassador selection and broader influencer marketing strategy development.

The agreed deliverable was a research dataset for the client's own analysis, rather than a claim that a particular ambassador had already improved campaign performance. Its value was in retaining the detail needed to examine different selection questions. Internal teams could return to the same evidence when considering local fit, international consistency or the balance between recognition and credibility.

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MRFGR have been absolutely brilliant! The videos we have received from their respondents have been perfect - they clearly brief their people really well and you can tell from the content we receive. They give clear communication & are on hand to help at all times. We give them some crazy tight timelines and they turn things around for us so quickly and without stress - even when the respondents are coming from multiple countries.

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RichardVodafone

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LukeSky

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We have used MRFGR to recruit participants for multiple research projects with varied samples sizes and sometimes challenging recruitment criteria. They have a calm and professional manner, providing us with regular updates in the lead up to and on the day of research projects. Multiple touch points with participants approaching the study date ensures drop-out rates are extremely low with replacements usually being found very quickly if necessary. I look forward to working with MRFGR in the future.

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Useful context

Questions about this project

Was the sample 1,000 in total?

No. The study achieved 1,000 respondents per market across eight international markets.

How did the surveys account for local differences?

Surveys were translated and culturally adapted for local audiences, while retaining a consistent core framework for comparing ambassador attributes.

What did the client receive for its analysis?

MRFGR delivered structured raw data covering ambassador familiarity, trust, credibility and recognition. The consistent framework allowed the client to compare markets, ambassadors and audience segments in its own analysis.

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