Good brands are people and purpose-oriented, focused on meeting specific needs or wants. In order to continuously put people and purpose first, there must be an understanding that a brand cannot be stagnant, it must move with the ever-changing demands of its target audience.

To maintain value in the marketplace, a brand must always ensure there is no gap between its value proposition and the continuous demands of its audience. For this to be achieved, a brand must be frequently evaluated.

The Audit Paradigm

Lorraine Carter, a brand expert, defined a brand audit as a ‘health check for your business, product or service’.

A brand audit at its core, is an evaluation of your brand’s performance in light of its goals, values, competitors, trends and best practices.

There are several aspects of a brand, like visual identity, messaging, marketing strategy, etc. An audit can focus on any of these aspects or on the brand in its entirety.

Let’s look at a Visual Identity Audit

Here are some typical audit questions we would ask if :

• Does the logo resonate with the target audience?
• Is the colour in consonance with the messaging?
• Does the font portray the ideals and values the brand stands for?
• Is the website visually engaging?

Audits enhance brands

An audit helps understanding your market position, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the brand — it helps you know what your brand is doing right and understand the gaps to be filled.

Here are a few areas an audit can impact on your brand’s total quality and output:

• Audits further the enhancement of your brand’s current practices, exploring new opportunities and strategies for increased returns.
• Audits help create the proper communication of your brand’s message, as well as a definition of your brand’s personality.
• Audits help improve customer experience (CX).

Case study: The Amazon Story

Let us take Amazon as a case study. The brand was first birthed as a result of the increased usage of the Internet and started off selling books, then later moved on to include electronics, video games, jewellery and so on. Twenty five years later, Amazon as a brand has evolved further and diversified into cloud computing services, streaming services, artificial intelligence and the manufacturing of goods.

Jeff Bezos, in an interview with Mathias Döpfner (CEO of Axel Springer SE), said: “Every time I look at something, it looks like it could be improved.”

This approach has made Amazon a brand that has consistently improved with the continuous demands of its audience.

No wonder Amazon is rated one of the most valuable brands in the world.

Are you ready to take your brand to the next level?

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