MKF2521

BRAND MANAGEMENT
Conducting a Brand Audit

Week 10

Nicholas Grigoriou, Ph.D.

 Opening Thought
“I was an accidental banker. To please my
parents, I went for an interview with Chase
Manhattan Bank in 1983. They promised to
send me into their offices in more than 40
countries and essentially audit the practices.
It was an extraordinary job.”
- Jacqueline Novogratz
Founder, Acumen Investment Fund
Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss the importance of the two steps in

conducting a brand audit.
The Brand Audit: A Two Step Process
A brand audit is a comprehensive examination of a brand involving
activities to:
• assess the health of the brand
• uncover its sources of equity, and
• suggest ways to improve and leverage that equity
The Brand Audit: A Two Step Process
There are two steps in conducting brand audit: brand audit
inventory and brand exploratory
• The purpose of the brand inventory is to provide a complete, up-to-date
profile of how all the products sold by a company are marketed and
branded.
• The purpose of the brand exploratory is to uncover what consumers think
of and feel about the brand.
• Both require marketing research…
Brand Inventory
Purpose of the brand inventory
• Provide a current, comprehensive profile of how all products and services are
marketed and branded

Profiling each product or service requires marketers to catalogue:

• Visual and written form for each product or service sold
• The inherent product attributes or characteristics of the brand
• Pricing, communications, and distribution (i.e. marketing mix) policies
Brand Inventory
A digital inventory of brand assets may provide useful insights:
1. Outdated brand accounts that have fallen into disuse
2. Overlapping brand assets which can be merged or deleted
3. Existing brand accounts with information that is either inaccurate or not
up-to-date
4. Specific digital and social media channels where the brand does not
have a presence
Brand Exploratory
• Uncovers knowledge structure for the core brand(s) and competing
brands.
• An assessment of the health of a brand from the consumers’ perspective.
• The brand owner is looking for -:
• Awareness
• Favourability
• Uniqueness of (brand) associations
• Brand equity evaluation
• SWOT Analysis
• Perceptual mapping might be helpful.
Brand Exploratory
• Competitor analysis
• Partnership Analysis
• Positioning/Re-positioning
• Think metrics and measures!!
A Time To Reflect

Telstra is planning to conduct a brand inventory

on their Telstra Mobile accounts. How might they
conduct their brand inventory (audit)?
Summary
• The frequency with which brand audits are conducted will vary
by organisation, markets, and segments.
• The two parts to a brand audit are:
• Brand inventory, and
• Brand exploratory
• Brand audits should be comprehensive enough to uncover both
market opportunities and potential threats to a brand
Further Reading
• Brandão, A., Sousa, J. C. C., & Rodrigues, C. (2020). A dynamic approach to
brand portfolio audit and brand architecture strategy. European Business Review.
32(2), 181-210.
• Padmaja, V., & Srivastava, G. N. (2017). Qualitative Dimensions of Brand Audit:
An Exploratory Analysis for Measuring the Immeasurable. SJCC Management
Research Review, 7(1), 83-96.
• Roy, S. (2011). Brand Loyalty Measurement A Framework. SCMS Journal of
Indian Management, 8(2), 112.
• Worthington, S., Russell-Bennett, R., & Härtel, C. (2010). A tri-dimensional
approach for auditing brand loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 17(4), 243-
253.