Today, if marketers want to gauge what people think about their brands, there are a variety of (mostly academic) survey methodologies and feedback loops to utilize.

FORBES: A Common Sense Approach To Measuring Brand Perception

Unlike many workplace-related awards, which require companies to self nominate, the Employees' Choice Awards rely solely on the input of employees, who anonymously provide feedback through a survey.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Too much surveying can prevent the airline from getting good feedback when it wants to survey on particular issues, said Alissa Jaquish, Southwest's senior manager of customer insights.

WSJ: What United, American, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Virgin America Airlines Learn From Customer Surveys