Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for National Brand Ratings Data

Refer to this page to help you understand the National Brand Ratings Data that you have access to. These FAQ address terminology, methodology, and more.

What is the LBSI? 

The Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) is a proprietary survey, developed by the Luxury Institute, given to affluent consumers to measure the value and equity of leading brands. When you view any of the National Brand Ratings available on www.LuxuryRatings.com you are looking at a summary of the findings from a specific LBSI survey.

How is the LBSI administered?

The Luxury Institute surveys a nationally representative sample of high net-worth individuals online (currently US only) at different levels of income and net worth, depending on the category.  

What is the meaning of the LBSI score?

The final LBSI ratings score is the straight average of four individual sub-ratings (see definitions below). The higher the score, the higher the rating for that brand, within that category.

How The LBSI Score is Calculated

In all surveys, consumers are asked to rate a brand or service on a 0-10 scale across four components depending upon the brand/service category.

10 = "Strongly Agree"

0 = "Strongly Disagree"

Below are the four components that are surveyed most often and their definitions:

1. Quality: This brand/product/service delivers consistently superior quality
2. Exclusivity: This brand/product/service is truly unique and exclusive
3. Social Status: This brand/product/service is used/consumed/purchased by people who are admired and respected
4. Self Enhancement: This brand/product/service can make the buyer feel special across the full customer experience

Below are four additional components that are used only when we rate publications/websites:

1. Subject Matter Expert: This publication/website is the true subject matter expert among its competitors.
2. Relevance: The editorial content and articles in this publication/website are helpful and relevant to people like me.
3. Advertising: The ads that run in this publication/website are very appropriate for people like me.
4. Production Quality: The production quality of this publication/website is superior to its competitors.

The values are clearly defined on each survey so that consumers across different panels and across different surveys use the same criteria for their ratings.

How is the "Willing to Recommend" Metric Helpful to Me?

The survey asks respondents a critical question about each brand. The percentage scores show you how many respondents agreed with the following:

Recommendations: "Based on your perception of this brand/product/service, would you be willing to recommend it to people you care about?" (Yes/No)

This metrics should help you to make informed brand purchasing decisions for many categories based on the voice of your qualified peers.

If you have any questions about the LBSI survey or any of the National Brand Ratings data, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it