Internal Brand Audit

We evaluate existing marketing strategies, materials, media and communications. We engage with key
management to obtain internal perceptions of your brand and how the company competes in the market.
We interview employees across multiple levels of your organization to assess differences in internal brand
perceptions. And, we review your most current existing customer and market research, including customer
satisfaction surveys.

External Brand Audit

Based on the outcome of the internal brand audit, we conduct an assessment of external audiences and
their brand perceptions. Depending on your company’s existing and/or ongoing research studies, our team
develops a market research program that may include any number of the following types of external
studies: existing customer brand perception, research on a competitive set, and prospective customer
attitudes and perceptions.

Anatomy of a Brand Audit

A brand audit provides an analysis of an organization’s brand and its brand
management and marketing effectiveness. It assesses a brand’s strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It identifies brand growth opportunities
including those achieved by brand repositioning and brand extension. The audit
should result in recommendations to improve brand equity, brand positioning, and
brand management and marketing effectiveness.
The following are typical components of a brand audit:
Strategy review
• Business plans
• Marketing plans
• Brand positioning statement
• Brand plans
• Creative (or agency) briefs
• Media plans
Marketing research review
• Brand positioning research
• Brand asset studies
• Brand equity measurement system (awareness, preference, usage, value,
accessibility, relevance, differentiation, vitality, emotional connection, loyalty,
associations, personality)
• Brand extension research
• Product/service concept testing
• Logo recall & recognition testing
Communications review
• Advertising and promotion materials
• Other brand marketing elements: pricing, packaging, merchandising, distribution,
direct marketing, sponsorships, flagship stores, etc.
• Press kit
• Press releases
• Sales collateral materials
• Internal communications
• Business cards, letterheads, etc.
• Website
• Intranet site
• Employee training programs
• Employee orientation
• Manager training
• Sales force training
External information source review
• Competitors’ press releases, advertising and promotion
• Industry analyst reports
• Customer comments
• Business partner comments
• Marketing vendor interviews
Employee interviews
• Corporate officer interviews
• Marketing employee interviews
• Sales force interviews
• Customer service employee interviews
• Front line customer contact interviews
• General employee interviews
Human resource systems review

• Organization charts
• Department mission/vision statements
• Department objectives
• Common objectives
• Recruiting criteria
• Individual competency dictionary
• Succession planning criteria
• Planning and resource allocation systems/processes

Proprietary brand research (performed by the auditing company, if required)

• Brand asset research
• Brand equity research
• Brand positioning research (qualitative and quantitative)
In my next post I'll share more components of a Brand Audit, touching on positioning
and brand advertising.