BrandSpark
BrandSpark International is a Toronto-based B2B market research agency that provides brand health tracking, concept testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting to CPG, services, and powersports clients across Canada, USA, and UK, powered by a 12-year longitudinal trust dataset and three consumer-voted award programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BrandSpark does
BrandSpark International is a Toronto-based B2B market research agency founded in 2001 that delivers brand health tracking, concept and product testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting to enterprise and mid-market clients primarily in consumer packaged goods, services, financial services, telecom, retail, hospitality, e-commerce, powersports, durables, and other high-involvement categories across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Its core technical asset is a primary research platform built around a 12-year longitudinal brand trust dataset covering 20,000+ consumers per country annually, 292 categories, 4,000+ brand-category combinations, and 100,000+ open-end trust reasons per year, operationalized through the proprietary Hierarchy of Trust™ diagnostic framework (Build Value, Reassure, Differentiate, Connect), Trust Share measurement, Trust Resilience assessment, and quadrant positioning (Dominant, Fortified, Vulnerable, Precarious). The firm also operates three recurring consumer-voted award programs — BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards (since 2013, 300+ categories), Best New Product Awards (since 2004, 6,000+ products evaluated), and WorthIt! Awards (since 2025, 290 inaugural winners) — through sister company Best New Product Awards Inc., with Newsweek as media partner in the USA and UK.
The business operates a dual revenue model: (1) custom B2B research engagements sold through direct inquiry and inside sales, scoped as professional services projects at undisclosed pricing, and (2) recurring licensing of award seals (Most Trusted, BNPA, WorthIt!) to winning brands for use on packaging, retail displays, and digital channels. Marketing is primarily earned-media driven through the Newsweek partnership and ongoing coverage of award results. The firm is privately held and Canadian-owned, with 11-50 employees and a senior leadership team including President and founder Robert Levy, four VPs (Client Service, Strategy, Insights, and an Executive VP), and a Research Director. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or restructuring events are disclosed, and the company has remained bootstrapped and operationally stable since founding.
BrandSpark firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BrandSpark
- Legal name
- BrandSpark International Inc.
- Website
- https://brandspark.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BrandSpark International is a Toronto-based B2B market research agency that provides brand health tracking, concept testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting to CPG, services, and powersports clients across Canada, USA, and UK, powered by a 12-year longitudinal trust dataset and three consumer-voted award programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BrandSpark industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Market Research Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ)
Keywords
Where BrandSpark is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BrandSpark business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Research Services: B2B research engagements including brand health tracking, concept testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting for CPG, high-involvement products, services, and powersports sectors. Custom programs are built to solve specific client business challenges.
- Award Program Licensing: Licensing fees for brands to use award seals (Most Trusted seal, BNPA seal, WorthIt! seal) on packaging, retail displays, and digital channels. Programs include BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, Best New Product Awards, and WorthIt! Awards.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
BrandSpark product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BrandSpark International is a market research agency that delivers brand health tracking, concept and product testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting to CPG, high-involvement products, services, and powersports clients across Canada, the USA, and the UK. The firm also operates three consumer-voted award programs (BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, Best New Product Awards, and WorthIt! Awards) and licenses the resulting seals to winning brands for use on packaging, retail displays, and digital marketing.
Product overview
BrandSpark International operates three consumer-voted award programs (BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, Best New Product Awards, and WorthIt! Awards) built on a foundation of rigorous primary research. These programs are complemented by four connected research service practices: Brand Health Tracking (longitudinal tracking across CPG and other categories), Concept and Product Testing (pricing, package design, concept evaluation), Brand Trust Research (powered by the proprietary Hierarchy of Trust framework), and Strategic Consulting. All research is contextualized against the company's 12-year longitudinal trust dataset covering Canada, USA, and UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards (BMTA) Annual consumer-voted award program identifying the most trusted brand in hundreds of product and service categories across Canada, USA, and UK. Winners earn the right to carry the Most Trusted seal on packaging, retail displays, and digital channels. Since 2013, covering 300+ categories annually with Newsweek as media partner in the USA and UK.
- Best New Product Awards (BNPA) North America's largest consumer-voted new product awards program where shoppers evaluate new launches across hundreds of CPG categories in Canada and the USA. Winners earn the right to use the BNPA seal in marketing and on shelf. Since 2004, with 6,000+ products evaluated.
- WorthIt! Awards Consumer-voted quality-for-value recognition program where a brand wins when shoppers consistently judge its quality worth what they pay, regardless of price tier. Inaugural US program covered 104 categories with 290 winning brands and 14,433 participating consumers. Operated in partnership with Newsweek since 2025.
- Brand Health Tracking
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted brands command up to 30% price premium over untrusted competitors
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use BrandSpark
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BrandSpark technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
BrandSpark partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NewsweekcoreNewsweek is the media partner for BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards (USA and UK) and WorthIt! Awards. Provides editorial credibility, rankings publication, and co-branded award ceremonies. Newsweek and BrandSpark co-host the annual Newsweek/BrandSpark Most Trusted Brands Awards ceremony, with winners spanning categories from air fryers to mattresses to paint.
- StatistaminorStatista is an industry research firm partnered with Newsweek and BrandSpark for developing rankings including America's Most Trustworthy Companies and Most Trusted Brands. Contributes research methodology and data analysis expertise for trust-related rankings.
- Best New Product Awards Inc.coreSister company of BrandSpark International that operates all three consumer award programs: BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, Best New Product Awards, and WorthIt! Awards. Shared corporate structure enables integrated research services and award program offerings.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BrandSpark competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Interbrand: Interbrand is a global brand consultancy publishing Best Global Brands and operating brand strategy and valuation practices, comparable to BrandSpark's brand equity and trust consulting engagements.
- Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research firm running brand tracking, product testing, and consumer loyalty studies that compete head-to-head with BrandSpark's four research practices across North America and Europe.
- Kantar: Kantar operates one of the world's largest brand and consumer research practices with BrandTracker and equity measurement suites, directly competing for the same CPG and brand-tracking budgets BrandSpark serves.
- Maru Group: Maru Group operates consumer research panels and advisory services in North America and the UK, with overlapping brand, customer experience, and product testing capabilities similar to BrandSpark's research services.
- Circana (formerly IRI): Circana specializes in CPG and retail measurement combining POS, household panel, and consumer survey data, competing for the same CPG brand health and innovation budgets that BrandSpark targets.
- Leger: Leger is Canada's largest Canadian-owned market research firm with North American reach, providing brand tracking, consumer insights, and the LEO (Leger Opinion) panel, directly competing with BrandSpark especially in Canada.
- NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ provides consumer intelligence and brand performance analytics for CPG manufacturers and retailers globally, overlapping directly with BrandSpark's CPG-focused brand health and trust research.
- YouGov: YouGov runs large-scale consumer brand tracking panels (BrandIndex) globally, competing with BrandSpark's longitudinal trust measurement across thousands of brand-category combinations.
- Mintel: Mintel provides consumer research, product innovation, and brand intelligence, particularly strong in CPG and retail, overlapping with BrandSpark's category-level brand health and concept testing offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Forrester Research: Forrester is a broader research and advisory firm serving enterprise clients with syndicated research and consulting, comparable in go-to-market (B2B research subscriptions and advisory) but spanning more industries than BrandSpark's CPG and trust focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BrandSpark social profiles
Digital presenceBrandSpark financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BrandSpark leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
BrandSpark subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
BrandSpark funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BrandSpark M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BrandSpark
What does BrandSpark do?
BrandSpark International is a market research agency that delivers brand health tracking, concept and product testing, brand trust research, and strategic consulting to CPG, high-involvement products, services, and powersports clients across Canada, the USA, and the UK. The firm also operates three consumer-voted award programs (BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, Best New Product Awards, and WorthIt! Awards) and licenses the resulting seals to winning brands for use on packaging, retail displays, and digital marketing.
Is BrandSpark a public or private company?
BrandSpark is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BrandSpark founded?
BrandSpark was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BrandSpark based?
BrandSpark is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does BrandSpark make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom Research Services are the primary driver. The others are award Program Licensing.
Who are BrandSpark's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Interbrand, Ipsos, Kantar, Maru Group, Circana (formerly IRI), Leger, NielsenIQ, YouGov and Mintel. Forrester Research is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does BrandSpark have an API?
No public API is recorded for BrandSpark.
What industry is BrandSpark in?
BrandSpark's product category is Market Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAJ, Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive).