Get an accurate view of your organization with a brand audit

1. Brand Clarity
Get an accurate
view of your
organization with
a brand audit
Ideas that engage, inform and inspire.

2. Just about every company or institution
today claims to have a brand. But what exactly
is a brand?
Simply put, a brand is the expression of an organization’s philosophy, culture, abilities and
goals. Branded communications materials can announce or mumble, inform or confuse, delight
or depress, stimulate or irritate, and make or break a sale. It is therefore important for every
company or organization to plan its branding and marketing communications carefully.
A brand audit is a dynamic discovery process to determine specifically what a brand says. It
involves studying all existing branded communications material produced by an organization.
The analysis is based on comparing the existing communications material against a set of
fundamental ideals and qualities associated with good visual and verbal communications
(e.g., a clear message, a presentation that supports it, etc.). The audit provides a critical
analysis of strengths and weaknesses in the existing communications effort and, at the
same time, identifies opportunities for change. The process can also help garner the
necessary support for implementing change later on.
Another part of the overall strategy in conducting a thorough brand audit is to gather
perceptions from various areas of an organization.The most valuable perceptions usually
come from three sources—internal groups, external groups and user groups.
The premise of engaging in this information-gathering mission is relatively simple. A good image
development campaign and integrated marketing communications effort should be derived
from, and be reflective of, the organization’s self-image and take into consideration how the
company is perceived both internally and externally.This research should define, as succinctly
as possible, what that self-image is and what the perceptions about the organization are.
The goal is to understand the environment in which the brand must perform for the
organization. A thorough brand audit should help develop this understanding.
definition and purpose

3. By studying an organization’s existing
communications, a more complete picture of
the organization’s total identity and image it
projects can be seen.
A brand audit helps define a strategy for improving the entire communications effort.
Furthermore, it articulates strengths and weaknesses of individual projects through an
objective framework and helps provide direction for branding on a broader scale.This
perspective allows an organization to plan a more informed course of action to enhance
its branding and communications effort.
Branding problems and solutions are unique to each company or organization, but the building
blocks of an effective brand and its communications remain virtually unchanged.The brand audit
and subsequent steps help to establish these building blocks by:
- Developing knowledge of what the company or organization is and wants to be
- Monitoring changing values and expectations among audiences
- Setting up goal-directed management of brand communications change
- Providing clear, positive and forceful branding and identity
The audit gives managers of branding and marketing communications more tools to work
with. It provides the opportunity to exercise more control in managing the overall image and
promotion activities of an organization. More control means enhanced quality, a higher level of
consistency, higher brand integrity and, ultimately, greater marketplace preference for a brand.
perceived value and benefits

4. The first step in the process, before beginning an
audit, is to develop a clear understanding of the
organization’s perceived identity.
Certainly it is possible to audit the communications material without this context, but the
evaluation would lack depth.The more information about an organization that can be factored
into the evaluation, the more specific the recommendations can be. Most of the information
needed should be easily obtainable.
The following is a list of what’s needed:
1. Perceptions of the organization through the three groups mentioned previously
2.The history and evolution of the company
3.The company’s mission statement
4.The company’s business and marketing plans
5. As much information about the industry as possible, as well as what the
competition is doing branding-wise, including samples of its branded materials
methodology and deliverables
5. As much information about the industry as possible, as well as what the
competition is doing branding-wise, including samples of its branded materials

5. The next step in the process is to gather all
existing communications material produced over
recent years and to categorize it by department,
general nature or purpose. At this point the
evaluation process can begin.
As mentioned before, the analysis is based on the visual and messaging context, and
compares the existing brand communications material against a set of fundamental ideals
and qualities associated with good branding and marketing communications.The following
fundamental elements are referred to as “observable characteristics” which provide the
backdrop for evaluating an organization’s existing communications.
These components are:
1. Suitability—appropriateness and compatibility with the organization’s purpose
and general nature
2. Nomenclature—how you refer to yourself; by name or set of names
3. Dignity—attractiveness, staying power
4. Distinctiveness—uniqueness, memorability
5. Consistency—how everything works as a part of the greater whole
6.Technical quality—in the reproduction of materials, photography and imagery, etc.
7. Clarity of messaging—simple, direct, transparent
8. Versatility—the ability of branding and marketing communications to be
integrated in various media
After the evaluation is complete, a written analysis is produced.The analysis is delivered
with a verbal presentation to the client and includes exhibits of the evaluated items for
easy reference.The report draws on the evaluation and concludes with general and specific
recommendations for making improvements, and presents an overall strategy for next steps.

6. One of the most common results of a brand
audit is finding a lack of consistency in the
communications effort. Another is finding
the communication to be out of date with the
current image and direction of the organization.
This is particularly evident if an organization has
grown and evolved rapidly, and/or the people
responsible for the communications effort have
changed over time.
A brand audit is only one piece of the brand discovery process. As mentioned earlier,
gathering perceptions from internal and external audiences is also crucial, as is conducting
desk research to understand the competitive landscape. But a candid assessment of your
branding materials is the first step toward understanding what messaging and image
elements work to your advantage and which don’t, as well as identifying the opportunities that
can lead to a more accurate reflection of who you are (or want to be) in the marketplace.
implications and next steps

7. A branding expert
The Design Channel has extensive expertise in creating insightful positioning and brand
strategy solutions for organizations and companies in a wide range of industries. Visit
www.thedesignchannel.com to learn more about our work.
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Branding and Integrated
Marketing Communications
The Design Channel, LLC
5420 Wisconsin Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
p 301.951.9195
f 301.951.9197
www.thedesignchannel.com