Before starting any major campaign or re-branding, it is to your benefit to conduct a Brand Audit. Brand audits take a look at what you, your employees, your customers, and your marketplace is saying about your brand. View this presentation to learn more about what conducting a brand audit would mean for you.

1. Why You Need a Brand Audit
Brought to you by the marketing/communications subgroup of the
Central PA Chapter of The Association for Strategic Planning

4. Do not undertake vigorous physical
activity without first consulting a
physician.

8. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought
to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want
to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

9. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought
to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you are."
"I don't much know where –"
"Then you probably won’t get there.”
― Marcus Grimm, Why You Need a Brand Audit

10. Brand Audits Tell Us
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What we’re known for
What our brand personality is
What our brand is doing (or trying to do)
Where we are succeeding (or not)

11. Brand Audits Give Perspective
• From employees
• From customers
• Other stakeholders
– End users
– Investors

12. Who Could Conduct the Brand
Audit
• You
• An external source (hint hint)
• Some combination thereof

13. If It’s You
• Get a team without a horse in the race
– The marketing department can write the
questions. They probably shouldn’t ask them.
• Don’t defend and justify
• Don’t fix anything (that’s what your
strategic plan is for)

14. If It’s Another Firm
• Be patient
• Be open and accepting
• Challenge them to make results actionable

15. A Brand Audit Should Always Be
Done…
• Before a logo change
• Before a market shift
• Before a new product introduction that isn’t
in your wheelhouse
• Before a website revamp with a new
content strategy

16. Brand Audit Outcomes
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Comprehensive report
Brand inventory
Brand positioning statements
Logo redesign (if desired or appropriate)
Employees who “get it”

17. Brand Audit Elements
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Brand scorecard
Content inventory
Impact metrics
Market definition
Internal differentiator report
External positioning report

18. Brand Scorecard
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Brand CBC
Online survey
What products/services are strong
What products/services are weak
Key reasons people buy from us
How we are communicating our brand currently
– Tactically
– Emotionally
• Key here is asking “what” questions

19. Brand Scorecard - Goals
• Peeling back the onion
• Identifying key stakeholders within the
organization who can help us further
• Figure out if everybody is on the same
page

20. Content Inventory
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Collection of all of the assets
– Brochures, flyers
– Website
– Newsletters
– On hold message
– Signage
– Email templates
– Tradeshow booth
– Logos, slogans
Determine
– Are we using it?
– Are we going to continue using it?
– Does it/will it need updated?
– Does it accurately reflect the brand?
– When possible, how does it compare?

21. Content Inventory - Goals
• Identify the bedrocks of your program
– Calendar
• Identify the brand disconnects
– Luxury business with floppy card stock
• Identify everything that a potential rebrand
would effect

22. Impact Metrics
• What are we selling
• Who are we selling it to
• Moves beyond perception to reality

23. Impact Metrics - Goals
• Markets and products that are doing well
will be recognized
• Markets and products that haven’t panned
out will be identified

24. “Your brand marketing is only as infinite
as your marketing budget and the hours
in a day.”
― Marcus Grimm, Why You Need a Brand Audit

25. Market Definition Report
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Explores the terrain
Looks at the possibilities
Should be quantitative
Completed via interviews of key industry
professionals and/or reviewing available
data

29. Marketing Definition - Goals
• Can anyone succeed here
• If so, what specific niche will we fill
– Here’s where we talk about competitors

30. Internal Differentiator Report
• Targets identified in the scorecard
• Looking for additional insight into the
scorecard
• Telephone/in person interviews
• Key here is asking “why” questions

31. Internal Differentiator - Goals
• Validate quantitative information in
scorecards
• Gain insight how the brand arrived where
it is
• Gain perspective into possible brand
evolutions
• Lock down your reason to be

32. “Quality of service is not a differentiator in client
acquisition. It is only a differentiator in client
retention.”
― Marcus Grimm, Why You Need a Brand Audit

33. External Positioning Report
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Telephone/in person interviews with customers
What they think
What they recall: name, slogan, etc.
Your strengths
Your weakness
Your personality
Your image
Your communication consistency
Your communication style

34. External Positioning Report Goals
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Stop the naval gazing
Go to the source
Validate/invalidate spend
Validate/invalidate tone

35. What Happens When We Don’t
Listen to Who We Are?

36. Brand Mistakes - Personality

37. Brand Mistakes - Vertical

38. Brand Mistakes – Core USP

39. Brand Smarts – Product
Extension
• Walz, Deihm
• Rhoads Energy
• Smilebuilderz

40. Brand Simplicity
• Wohlsen Works
• Live United
• Willow Valley Communities

41. In Conclusion
“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very
gravely, "and go on till you come to the end:
then stop.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

42. “Begin with a brand audit, know why you’re
going where you’re going, and enjoy the trip.”
― Marcus Grimm, Why You Need a Brand Audit

43. Thank you!
See samples of our work here: nxtbookcreative.com