Brand evaluation

One of the biggest challenges with building a premium brand is maintaining a healthy balance between growing the business and maintaining consistency in your brand communications program. That’s because premium brands, by their very nature, have a way of taking on a life of their own.

When you first position your brand, the people behind it become engaged. They take ownership and get down to business. The competition reacts. The category evolves. Over time, staff come and go. New players aren’t always adequately initiated. Experienced staff are often too busy to take notice, or simply forget why staying true to the brand is important.

That’s why we recommend, once a year, that top management step back and take a look at how the brand is holding up. It’s not that difficult to do, and it can be a very illuminating and energizing experience. Depending on what you discover, it can help you sleep better at night or set your branding priorities for the coming year.

This annual review can take a number of forms. There’s the full-blown brand audit that, in many cases, is complete overkill. Unless there are obvious signs that your brand is under-performing, we recommend a quick check-up before committing to a more comprehensive brand audit.