Why they chose PeakMetrics
The firm brought PeakMetrics on to get more out of its data than keyword search and standard sentiment scoring could offer. The goal was sharper, more specific answers for clients, not generic listening reports. The work relied on custom Smart Categories built around each client's real questions, which let the firm isolate precise audiences and measure qualitative signals like trust and credibility at quantitative scale.
The challenge
Trust was an intangible target, and keyword searches for terms like “trust” or “confidence” captured only a fraction of how people expressed it. Isolating the voices that mattered — Beltway policymakers, staffers, and influencers — from the broader public conversation was nearly impossible with rigid queries.
The solution
PeakMetrics built two Smart Categories that worked together: one identified Beltway voices from author-level data, and the other read emotional framing and thematic signals to gauge trust.
The outcome
The firm gained a defensible, quantifiable baseline that let it benchmark trust over time and track shifts in real time as policy debates evolved among Beltway audiences. It went on to apply the benchmark across clients and industries.
