The Consumer Research Behind the QUDAL - Quality Medal

The QUDAL - Quality Medal is based on rigorous, data-driven research that identifies brands, products and services people experience as offering the highest perceived quality. Conducted by ICERTIAS, the QUDAL - Quality Medal methodology reflects internationally recognised market and opinion research standards and captures authentic perception-based insight across industries and national markets.

Comprehensive Consumer Insight

ICERTIAS conducts country-wide surveys for QUDAL - Quality Medal across a wide range of sectors, from everyday consumer goods to complex service industries such as finance, healthcare and telecommunications.

In selected markets, QUDAL - Quality Medal research covers hundreds of product and service categories, offering a multidimensional view of perceived quality. For widely used goods and services such as food, retail and digital communications, data is collected from the general population.

In more specialised fields such as medicine, construction and agriculture, QUDAL - Quality Medal surveys focus on respondents with relevant experience. This segmentation ensures that perceptions of quality are evaluated by informed users, increasing the relevance and reliability of the results.

The DEEPMA Method: Focused on Real Experience

At the heart of the QUDAL - Quality Medal methodology lies the Deep Mind Awareness (DEEPMA) approach, developed in collaboration with leading research consultancies including GfK and PwC. Unlike top-of-mind techniques that often capture familiarity rather than quality, DEEPMA asks respondents to reflect on their personal and shared experiences before naming the brand or product they feel represents the highest perceived quality in its category. This disciplined approach reduces the influence of simple brand recall and yields more accurate, experience-based assessments of quality as understood by people in local markets.

Open-Ended, Unbiased Responses

For QUDAL - Quality Medal, ICERTIAS uses open-ended survey questions to avoid bias from predefined answer lists. Respondents are asked, for example:

“Based on your personal experience or the experience of those close to you, which product, service or brand, in your opinion, represents the highest level of quality in [category/industry]?”

This format allows people to answer freely, producing a genuine snapshot of public sentiment and trust around perceived quality.

Methodological Integrity and Compliance

The QUDAL - Quality Medal research process is fully aligned with the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics. This ensures ethical conduct, legal compliance and professional rigour at every stage of data collection and analysis.

Participant rights are protected throughout, while companies receive unbiased, perception-based insights grounded in real experience. QUDAL - Quality Medal does not measure environmental, sustainability or ESG performance; it focuses exclusively on how quality is perceived by respondents.

The Seven-Step QUDAL - Quality Medal Certification Process

To preserve accuracy and integrity, ICERTIAS applies a structured seven-step process for QUDAL - Quality Medal, from survey design and sampling through data validation and analysis to the final recognition of brands that people rate as delivering outstanding perceived quality.

The Seven-Step QUDAL Certification Process:

The QUDAL - Quality Medal award is granted based on consumer-rated excellence identified through national-level perception research

Preliminary Market Analysis

ICERTIAS initiates the process with a detailed analysis of the local market. Artificial Intelligence deep research tools identify trends, quality indicators, and relevant categories. Expert review ensures contextual and regulatory accuracy, adapting the process to local nuances.

Protocol Updates

QUDAL’s criteria are reviewed and updated annually to reflect evolving consumer expectations, quality benchmarks, and legislative changes. These refinements are overseen by senior researchers and compliance experts to ensure continued methodological rigor.

Consumer Survey

Using CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) and the DEEPMA methodology, ICERTIAS gathers insights directly from consumers. As an ESOMAR corporate member, ICERTIAS adheres to strict international standards in survey design and implementation.

Results Validation

Responses are reviewed and validated by research professionals, supported by AI tools that flag inconsistencies, harmonize terminology, and consolidate regional language variants. This ensures a consistent and accurate aggregation of consumer feedback.

Final Evaluation

Consumer responses are synthesized into a final score, combining raw data, expert interpretation, and compliance screening. Any brands associated with major controversies, sanctions, or significant customer complaints are removed to preserve the integrity of the results.

Winner Notification

Only brands that rank first in their category, based on open-ended responses and meeting all ethical and legal criteria, receive the QUDAL – Quality Medal. Certification is conferred only after a full technical and contextual review by ICERTIAS experts.

Award Usage and Monitoring

Recipients are provided with detailed guidelines on the appropriate use of QUDAL certification in communications. ICERTIAS maintains continuous oversight to ensure compliance with international advertising standards and takes corrective action in cases of misuse.