IDENTITY AUDIT

WHAT IS CORPORATE IDENTITY AUDIT ?

• CORPORATE DESIGN IS THE MOST VISIBLE PART OF CORPORATE IDENTITY.

• CORPORATE DESIGN(NAME, LOGO(SWOOSH NIKE), COLOUR, SYMBOL) IS

BY DEFINITION AN INSTRUMENT FOR TRANSFORMATION AND, AT THE
SAME TIME, A GUARANTEE OF CONTINUING CORPORATE RECOGNITION.

• TO FOLLOW THAT DEFINITION, WHEN DEVELOPING A CORPORATE

IDENTITY WE HAVE TO CONDUCT A PROPER CORPORATE IDENTITY AUDIT.
 1.SELECT THE AUDIT TEAM

IF THE CORPORATE IDENTITY AUDIT PROCESS IS TO BE TAKEN AS IMPORTANT

OR STRATEGIC ISSUE IT MUST HAVE ENOUGH INFLUENCE.

IN THE FIRST STEP IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT AUDIT TEAM MAY CONSIST OF
INDIVIDUAL WITH EXPERTISE IN SALES AND MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS,
OPERATIONS, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING AND DESIGN.

THE MAIN TASK IS TO PREPARE A WRITTEN BRIEF THAT DESCRIBES THE TASK
AND SHOULD BE SIGNED BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (OLLINS AND
SELAME, 2002).
 2.ASSESS THE KEY ELEMENTS IN THE CORPORATE IDENTITY
 EVEN BEFORE TAKING THE CORPORATE IDENTITY AUDIT, THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE
CLEAR ABOUT THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THAT IDENTITY OPERATES.

THIS WILL BE OF HELP TO MAKE THE SUBSEQUENT IDENTITY AUDIT. THEREFORE IN THE SECOND STEP
THE AUDIT TEAM SHOULD CONSIDER THE AREAS IN WHICH CORPORATE IDENTITY MANIFESTS ITSELF
(OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002).

WE ALREADY DEFINED THE CORPORATE IDENTITY AS BEING MADE FROM CORPORATE
COMMUNICATION, CORPORATE BEHAVIOUR AND CORPORATE DESIGN.

 SOME DEFINE CORPORATE DESIGN MORE IN DETAIL AS CORPORATE PRODUCT AND SERVICES AND
CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTS (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002, P. 4).

THE MAIN POINT OF THE STEP TWO IS TO FOUND OUT WHAT KIND OF IDENTITY THE CORPORATION HAS.
IS THAT A MONOLITHIC OR BRANDED HOUSE, OR ARE WE DEALING BRANDED IDENTITY
 3. DETERMINE WHO SHOULD BE INTERVIEWED

IN THE THIRD STEP IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASSES THE CONSENSUS VIEW OF THE
ORGANIZATION INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY.

EVEN IF IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO SELECT A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT SAMPLE, LIKE

THAT IS SOMETIMES THE CASE IN VERY LARGE ORGANIZATIONS, THIS SHOULDN’T STOP
THE AUDIT TEAM FROM DOING THE INTERVIEWS.

AND THE SECOND GOAL IS TO FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY SIGNIFICANT
DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PERCEPTIONS. AND FINALLY THIS
STEP IS EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO UNCOVER REAL OR POLITICAL ISSUES THAT MAY
EITHER ENHANCE OR INHIBIT THE ACCEPTANCE OR IMPLEMENTATION OF CORPORATE
IDENTITY PROGRAM (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002).
 4. CONDUCT AUDIT INTERVIEWS

IN THE FOURTH STEP, CONDUCTING THE AUDIT INTERVIEWS THE MAIN
OBJECTIVE WILL BE, HOW MUCH PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE CORPORATION
AND BUSINESS; WHAT OTHER OPINIONS OR JUDGEMENTS PEOPLE ATTACH TO
THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ORGANIZATION; HOW CLEAR AND CONSISTENT THESE
OPINIONS OR JUDGEMENTS ARE; AND HOW FAR THOSE OPINIONS AND
JUDGEMENTS VARY FROM THE IDENTITY WHICH SENIOR MISMANAGEMENT WISH
TO PROJECT (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002, P. 25).
 5. AUDIT CORPORATE IDENTITY FACTORS

IN THE FIFTH STEP THE AUDIT TEAM NEED TO ASSES ALL CORPORATE IDENTITY ELEMENTS. BE THAT
PRODUCT, SERVICES AND/OR ENVIRONMENTS. THE CHECK LIST OF CORPORATE DESIGN SHOULD BE
MADE. 

SOME QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED, LIKE: IS THERE A GRAPHICS STANDARD PROGRAM (OR
CORPORATE IDENTITY MANUAL) IN PLACE FOR THE CURRENT CORPORATE IDENTITY PROGRAM?;
CONSISTENCY OF DESIGN; ARE THERE WAYS TO REDUCE COSTS OF ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE
CORPORATE IDENTITY, SUCH AS ELIMINATING DUPLICATE COMMUNICATIONS, NEW WAYS TO USE
TECHNOLOGY, WOULD BE IMPLEMENTING THE CORPORATE IDENTITY AT ONCE RISE THE COSTS AS IN
THE STEPS? (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002, P. 33-34).

ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT FIELD, QUESTIONS ON CORPORATE COMMUNICATION WILL HAVE TO BE

MADE (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002, P. 36-37).
 6.DETERMINE THE OPTIONS FOR CHANGE

7.PRESENT THE AUDIT RESULTS AND

8.USE THE AUDIT DATA TO IMPROVE THE CORPORATE IDENTITY

VERY OFTEN, IN THE SIXTH STEP, CERTAIN CRITICAL AND CONSISTENT POINTS WILL
EMERGE. THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AUDITORS TO UNCOVER THOSE
IMPORTANT ISSUES AND BUILD A CONSENSUS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION (OLLINS AND
SELAME, 2002, P. 15).

AND IN THE LAST THREE STEPS THE AUDIT TEAM HAS TO EXPLORE THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN HOW THE COMPANY IS PERCEIVED AND HOW IT WOULD LIKE TO BE
PERCEIVED. IT SHOULD EFFECTIVELY PRESENT THE AUDIT RESULTS. IN THE LAST STEP
THE AUDITORS SHOULD PROVIDE IDEAS FOR USING CORPORATE IDENTITY AS A
POWERFUL MANAGEMENT TOOL IF THE IDENTITY IS TO BE MANAGED ACTIVELY AND
EFFECTIVELY (OLLINS AND SELAME, 2002, P. 16).