brand-research

name	brand-research
description	Extracts complete brand intelligence via web search across 7 phases and outputs a structured brand-research-brief.json. Use after brand-guidelines when you need deep competitive, product, and founder data to fuel creative production. Trigger on: 'research the brand', 'build a research brief', 'brand deep dive', 'I need brand intelligence'. Requires brand URL and hero product. Output uploads to Project Knowledge and feeds brand-specs, audience-research, and creative-brief.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0","status":"beta","tags":["audit","brand","research","intelligence","web-search"],"inputs":["brand URL","brand name","hero product name"],"outputs":["brand-research-brief.json"],"depends-on":["brand-guidelines"]}

Brand Research

Before Starting

Confirm before starting:

• brand-context.md exists (otherwise launch brand-guidelines first)
• Brand URL available
• Hero product identified (or use "FLAGSHIP" as default)
• If brand guidelines PDF exists → upload to Project Knowledge before running this skill

---

This skill extracts every piece of usable information from a brand's public presence so that downstream skills (creative briefs, hooks, static production) can operate without needing follow-up questions.

Input: Brand URL + brand name + hero product Output: brand-research-brief.json — uploaded to Project Knowledge

---

Phase 1: Brand Identity & Visual System

Search the web for:

• "[Brand] brand guidelines pdf"
• "[Brand] press kit" or "media kit"
• "[Brand] design agency case study"
• "[Brand] font"
• "[Brand] hex color codes"

Visit the brand URL and analyze.

Output JSON block:

{
  "brand_identity": {
    "name": "",
    "tagline": "",
    "mission_statement": "",
    "design_agency": "",
    "voice_adjectives": [],
    "tone_notes": "",
    "banned_language": ""
  },
  "visual_system": {
    "primary_font": "",
    "secondary_font": "",
    "primary_color_hex": "",
    "secondary_color_hex": "",
    "accent_color_hex": "",
    "background_preference": "",
    "imagery_style": "",
    "ui_shapes": "",
    "logo_url_or_description": ""
  }
}

---

Phase 2: Product Intelligence

Search the web for:

• "[Brand] [Product] ingredients" or "[Brand] [Product] specs"
• "[Brand] vs [competitor]"
• "[Brand] review" on Reddit, Amazon, TrustPilot

Output JSON block:

{
  "product_details": {
    "product_name": "",
    "product_type": "",
    "price": "",
    "price_per_unit_or_serving": "",
    "hero_claim": "",
    "how_it_works": "",
    "key_ingredients_or_specs": [{"name": "", "benefit": ""}],
    "form_factor": "",
    "usage_instructions": "",
    "offer_details": {
      "current_offer": "",
      "subscription_discount": "",
      "free_shipping_threshold": "",
      "guarantee": ""
    }
  }
}

---

Phase 3: Proof Points & Social Proof

Search the web for:

• "[Brand] clinical study"
• "[Brand] reviews"
• "[Brand] before and after"
• "[Brand] featured in"

Output JSON block:

{
  "statistics_and_data": [{"stat": "", "source": "", "context": ""}],
  "press_mentions": [{"publication": "", "quote_or_headline": "", "date": ""}],
  "testimonials": [{"quote": "", "name": "", "detail": ""}],
  "review_metrics": {"average_rating": "", "total_reviews": "", "platform": ""},
  "notable_endorsements": [],
  "certifications_or_badges": []
}

---

Phase 4: Transformation & Pain Points

No specific search required — synthesize from Phases 1–3 and brand URL analysis.

Output JSON block:

{
  "customer_pain_points": [{"pain": "", "intensity": "mild/moderate/severe", "current_bad_solution": ""}],
  "transformation_claims": [{"before_state": "", "after_state": "", "timeframe": "", "proof_type": ""}],
  "emotional_triggers": [],
  "target_audience": {"primary_demo": "", "psychographic": "", "life_stage": ""}
}

---

Phase 5: Competitive Positioning

Search the web for:

• "[Brand] vs"
• "[Brand] alternative"

Output JSON block:

{
  "competitive_landscape": {
    "top_competitors": [{"name": "", "price": "", "key_weakness": "", "common_comparison_point": ""}],
    "unique_differentiators": [],
    "category_conventions": "",
    "us_vs_them_angles": [{"them": "", "us": "", "why_it_matters": ""}]
  }
}

---

Phase 6: Founder & Origin Story

Search the web for:

• "[Brand] founder"
• "[Brand] founder interview"
• "[Brand] origin story"

Output JSON block:

{
  "founder_story": {
    "founder_name": "",
    "founder_title": "",
    "origin_hook": "",
    "personal_pain_point": "",
    "credibility_marker": "",
    "quotable_moment": "",
    "mission_beyond_product": ""
  }
}

---

Phase 7: Ad-Ready Hooks & Angles

Synthesize all previous phases into pre-formatted hook banks by ad format.

Output JSON block:

{
  "ad_hooks": {
    "before_after": [],
    "bullet_points": [],
    "negative_marketing": [],
    "news_hooks": [],
    "handwriting_hooks": [],
    "us_vs_them_hooks": [],
    "statistic_hooks": [],
    "social_proof_hooks": [],
    "press_hooks": [],
    "testimonial_hooks": [],
    "founder_story_hooks": [],
    "features_benefits_hooks": [],
    "ugc_hooks": [],
    "carousel_angles": [],
    "new_format_hooks": []
  }
}

---

Deliver

Merge all 7 phase outputs into a single brand-research-brief.json and upload to Project Knowledge.

"Here's your Brand Research Brief. It covers identity, product, proof, pain points, competitive positioning, founder story, and pre-built hooks across 15 formats. Ready for brand-specs generation or creative briefing."

---

Related Skills

• 01-audit/brand-guidelines — prerequisite: brand context must exist first
• 01-audit/brand-specs — next step: generate visual spec cards from this brief
• 02-research/audience-research — deepen persona work using pain points and audience data
• 03-strategy/creative-brief — downstream: uses brand intelligence for brief creation