Brand audit

At Lane, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service and value to our clients. When you choose our choose to lift the lid on your brand with our brand audit, you can expect a thorough, comprehensive review of your brand, delivered by our team of expert strategists and brand designers.

As a brand audit agency, our process is designed to uncover insights and opportunities that you may not have been aware of, giving you a competitive edge in your market. But what our clients love most about our service is the actionable recommendations and insights we provide, enabling them to develop a clear, comprehensive brand strategy that drives growth and success.

Brand Audit for Brand Building

With Lane, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your brand and the tools you need to achieve your goals.

Our audit process, as a brand audit agency, is based on the three levers of brand growth: Fame, Fluency, and Feeling. By focusing on these key areas, we can maximise the impact of our recommendations and help you achieve your brand goals.

Here are the benefits of each lever:

• Fame: This lever is all about the awareness and recognition of your brand. By improving your brand’s fame, you can increase its reach and appeal to new audiences.
• Fluency: This lever is focused on improving how easily and effectively your brand can be understood and recognised. By enhancing your brand’s fluency, you can increase its appeal to customers, improve brand recall, and encourage brand loyalty.
• Feeling: This lever is centered on the emotions and perceptions associated with your brand. By improving how customers feel about your brand, you can strengthen their emotional connection to it and drive long-term loyalty.

We offer three engagement levels to suit your specific needs and budget. Whether you opt for our entry-level fluency package or our enhanced Fame, Fluency & Feeling package, we’ll deliver the same high-quality service and expertise that our clients have come to expect from us.

Investing in our Brand Audit package is an investment in the future success of your brand. Let us help you gain a deeper understanding of your brand and develop a strategy that will drive growth and success.

Lift the Lid on Brand Growth with one of our Brand Audit Service Packages

A brand is an idea that lives in the minds of customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. Branding and communications are the tools we have to influence that idea. A brand audit is an important tool for companies to understand their brand image, identity and strategy, enabling them to make informed decisions that ensure their brand is represented effectively.

Framing our brand audit process around the three levers of brand growth are Fame, Fluency and Feeling maximises the impact of our recommendations.

Our brand audit packages offer different levels of engagement to suit your specific needs and budget:

Option 1: Increase Brand Fluency

Fluency is a vital element in driving brand growth, as it influences how easily and effectively your brand can be understood and recognised by your target audience. By integrating fluent devices such as slogans, logos, and consistent messaging, you can enhance your brand’s appeal to customers, improve brand recall, and promote brand loyalty.

Here, our team will do a comprehensive review of your brand collateral, a competitor analysis, brand mapping, internal workshops, and external focus groups, with a focus on improving your brand’s fluency. As a marketing director, you’ll benefit from gaining valuable insights into how your brand is perceived and how you can improve its effectiveness.

From this, you’ll get a robust fluency strategy and implementation plan so that your brand is easily recognised, memorable, and consistent, ultimately propelling growth and success.

Option 2: Increase Brand Fluency & Feeling

Emotion plays a critical role in shaping the success of a brand, and a powerful Feeling strategy can drive growth and customer loyalty. By creating brand assets such as logos, colours, and visual elements that evoke positive emotions and convey your brand’s personality, you can strengthen the emotional connection between your brand and your customers. This emotional bond fosters customer loyalty, increases brand advocacy, and drives long-term success.

This package includes everything in Option 1, with the addition of brand sentiment and awareness research. By gaining a deeper understanding of how customers feel about your brand, you’ll be better equipped to develop a strategy that strengthens emotional connections and encourages loyalty.

By developing a comprehensive approach to Feeling and creating emotionally resonant brand assets, you can differentiate your brand, foster a deeper emotional connection with your customers, and set your brand up for long-term success.

With this package, you’ll get recommendations and a plan to implement a more fluent and emotive brand that is top of mind AND in the heart of your target audience.

Option 3: Increase Brand Fame, Fluency & Feeling

Fame is a critical component of brand growth, as it determines the extent to which your brand is known and talked about by your target audience. By increasing your brand’s fame through strategies such as influencer marketing, social media, and PR, you can boost brand recognition, drive customer engagement, and foster brand loyalty.

This enhanced package includes everything in Option 2, with the addition of media and audience analysis. By understanding how your brand is being represented in the media and how it’s perceived by different audiences, you’ll be better equipped to develop a comprehensive brand strategy that drives growth and success.

With a strong focus on building brand fame with strong creative and media recommendations, you can set your brand apart from competitors and achieve your organisational objectives.

By choosing this package we’ll be able to provide you with a recommendations report, and co-create an implementation plan with you to position your brand for long-term growth and success.

Ready?

As a marketing professional, investing in our brand audit packages can help you gain valuable insights into your brand and develop a strategy that drives growth and success. By focusing on the three levers of brand growth, we can help you improve your brand’s fame, fluency, and feeling, ultimately strengthening its appeal to customers and driving long-term loyalty. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help you enhance your brand.

The Five Phases of our Brand Audit Framework

Our expert brand audit process involves five phases:

• • Objectives and Measurement: We’ll work with you to define your brand goals and establish key metrics for measuring success.
  • Data Gathering: We’ll conduct a thorough review of your brand collateral, conduct competitor analysis, brand mapping, internal workshops, and external focus groups to gather valuable insights.
  • Analysis of Findings: We’ll analyse the data we’ve gathered to identify key Fluency, Feeling, and Fame findings and make informed recommendations.
  • Recommendations: We’ll present our initial findings to you for discussion and provide a comprehensive report that outlines actionable recommendations.
  • Creating a Plan: We’ll work with you to co-create a project plan that delivers agreed-upon points from our recommendations.

Read a more in depth review of what’s included in the five phases of our brand audit.

Questions We Get Asked About Brand Audits

Here are some FAQs about brand audits as a brand audit agency. Have you got more questions we haven’t answered? Get in touch.

What does a brand audit involve?

A brand audit is an assessment of every aspect related to your current branding – from collateral reviews & competitor analysis through to researching customer sentiment & awareness levels towards it. Our brand audit process includes phases for setting objectives, gathering data, analysing the findings, making recommendations and creating an implementation plan.

Each audit is devised as a bespoke project based on the budget, scope and desired outcomes.

How does my business benefit from doing a brand audit?

An effective brand should help your business to achieve it’s objectives faster and more cost efficiently.

A successful brand audit can uncover vital new insights about your business’s identity which can then help inform marketing strategies going forward; enhance customer engagement; increase recognition in the marketplace; plus even help differentiate yourself against competitors too.

What areas do you cover during data collection?

During data collection, our team will work closely with you to understand the scope and desired outcomes of the project. We might decide to review all existing collateral, analyse competitor activity, conduct focus groups with internal & external stakeholders alike; assessing media performance; or look at audience behaviour.

How long does it take until I see results?

Depending on factors such as scope or complexity our team should deliver initial findings within 4-6 weeks followed by a full report within 8 weeks depending on the discussed timeline requirement at kick-off meeting stage.

What format will my results be made available in?

Our reports will be delivered electronically via PDF format following completion/approval stages.

How does the brand audit process work?

Once you’ve identified that you would like to conduct a brand audit, we would work closely with you and your team to outline the scope, the objectives and timeline. As a brand audit agency, although we follow a tried and tested process, each project is different. We’ll work with you to develop the project that’s right for your business.

How much does a brand audit process cost?

There’s not fixed cost for a brand audit, and will depend on the scope of the project. If you have a budget in mind, let us know and we can work with you on what will be delivered for within that budget.

How often should a brand audit be conducted?

A brand audit isn’t a time triggered project. There are a number of things that might trigger a brand audit, such as:

The stagnation of sales.

You might have seen sore product range sales volumes are decreasing, and the organisation wants to understand a broader picture of what’s happening before making decisions.

Shift in customer perception of the brand.

As society changes, what customers value changes, and what they’re willing to tolerate changes. Better understanding these shifts with a brand audit can help make better decisions.

Rising competition in the marketplace.

New entrants keep popping up everywhere, and you want to know how worried you should be, and how you can maintain or grow your position in the market.

Unclear impact of brand.

You have a feeling you have a strong brand, but you’re not sure the impact it has on the success of the organisation.

Change of guard.

Either a new CMO or new Board members who want to be confident they understand they lay of the land before making any big decisions.

How will your agency help us implement the recommendations resulting from the brand audit?

Our agency provides tailored support to help clients effectively implement brand audit recommendations, including strategic guidance, design updates, and messaging refinements. We collaborate closely with your team, offering ongoing consultation and expert insights to ensure a smooth execution and successful brand transformation.

What does a brand audit agency do?

A brand audit agency will conduct a thorough analysis of both internal and external factors, identifying inconsistencies, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

By gathering insights from various sources, including customer feedback, competitive analysis, and digital presence, they will provide actionable recommendations.

The ultimate goal of working with a brand audit agency is to help businesses enhance their brand’s overall impact, build stronger connections with their target audience, and foster long-term growth and success.

What is branding versus brand design?

Branding is the strategic process of creating, defining, and managing a company’s unique identity, voice, and values in the market. It encompasses all aspects of how a brand is perceived and experienced, including messaging, tone, and customer interactions. Brand design, on the other hand, is the visual representation of a brand’s identity. It involves creating and implementing a consistent visual language, including elements such as logos, typography, color palettes, and imagery. While branding focuses on the holistic approach to shaping a brand’s perception, brand design specifically targets the visual components that convey and reinforce the brand’s essence.

A brand audit will deep dive into both branding and brand design.

What is the purpose of brand audit?

The purpose of a brand audit is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a brand’s current performance, positioning, and consistency across various touchpoints. This systematic analysis enables businesses to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement, ultimately informing strategic decisions and driving growth. By uncovering insights into consumer perceptions, competitor positioning, and internal brand alignment, a brand audit helps businesses refine their brand identity, enhance their market presence, and maintain a competitive edge in an ever-evolving landscape.

How many steps are in a brand audit?

A brand audit typically involves several steps, and the exact number may vary depending on the scope and objectives of the audit. Our expert brand audit process comprises five phases, including objectives and measurement, data gathering, analysis of findings, recommendations, and creating a plan. Each phase is designed to provide a comprehensive and structured approach to evaluate a brand’s performance and identity, uncover insights, and develop actionable recommendations.

By following a systematic approach, businesses can conduct a thorough brand audit that enables them to refine their brand positioning, enhance customer engagement, and drive long-term success.

What is the first step of brand audit?

The first step of our brand audit process is typically a kick-off session with the client to discuss the scope, objectives, and expectations of the audit. This helps ensure that the audit is aligned with the client’s goals and requirements. The next step is to establish clear objectives and measurement criteria to guide the audit process. Once the objectives are defined, data gathering commences, including research on the brand’s performance, customer perceptions, and competitor analysis. Analysis of the findings follows, leading to recommendations and a plan to refine and enhance the brand’s identity and positioning.

What is the difference between brand audit and brand analysis?

While the terms brand audit and brand analysis are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences between the two. A brand audit is a comprehensive and structured evaluation of a brand’s performance, positioning, and consistency across various touchpoints. It involves a systematic process of data gathering, analysis, and recommendations.

On the other hand, a brand analysis typically focuses on a specific aspect of the brand, such as its visual identity or messaging strategy. While a brand analysis can provide valuable insights, a brand audit is a more comprehensive and holistic approach to evaluating a brand’s overall performance and identity.

We’ve written more about brand analysis in our comprehensive guide to conducting a brand audit.

If you’re interested in either service, let us know how we can help.

Can I conduct a brand audit myself?

Yep! Whilst you may decide an agency will help you get the best results, you may not be in a position to hire an agency. We’ve developed a comprehensive guide to conducting a brand audit, as well as guidance on how to conduct a brand analysis, which will take you through the different stages, and what to look for at each phase. You’re welcome!

If you’re looking to hire a brand audit agency, get in touch today to find out how we can help put your brand on a more effective path.