In today’s hyperconnected world, brands are constantly evolving. Brands need to reflect the mission and values of a company, which is why we develop integrated marketing communications plans designed to help businesses build brands, become thought leaders, and gain or defend their market position. Our integrated communications approach has helped brands of all sizes across diverse industries to determine what their brand is, define their message and deliver it to the right target audience through the right platform.

“Determine who you are and what your brand is, and what you’re not. The rest of it is just a lot of noise.” – Geoffrey Zakarian

What happens when you can no longer determine what your brand is or it no longer reflects your company? Or perhaps you are just not sure that your brand message, one that you constructed years ago, continues to resonate in today’s world. There are numerous occasions when companies should consider doing a brand audit or a brand diagnostic, as we like to call it. A brand diagnostic is a proprietary audit and planning service that helps organizations to better define their branding posture, and to formulate an integrated marketing and branding strategy that will best position them for optimal short- and long-term success. Here are five occasions when you need to have a brand diagnostic conducted:

1. A new regime – Changes in leadership can really shake things up. Gaining insights from internal and external sources can help uncover and address any gaps in perceptions about your brand
2. Your company is growing – Growth is great but it can also dilute your brand’s mission and vision if it isn’t protected or promoted properly. Ensuring that all employees understand the company’s mission and values is critical to eliminating any gaps in perception about your brand
3. Your services have changed – Whether you’re expanding your capabilities, launching a new product, entering a new market, or streamlining your focus, it’s important that your brand properly reflects your company
4. Your target markets have shifted – Updating your brand is critical to combat new environmental factors such as changing demographics to reach existing and potential customers
5. You’re rebranding – A brand diagnostic will help to examine your current market position and can provide you with new insights into your brand to best position you for a successful rebrand

If your company finds itself in any of those five situations I outlined above, you should seriously consider a brand diagnostic or audit.

At R&J, a brand diagnostic is administered by our senior consultants in collaboration with your organization’s key corporate management and marketing personnel, as well as to selected outside constituents. The goal is to improve your overall marketing and business development efforts by first deconstructing your brand message and subsequently recommending a sound, defensible marketing position that best reflects the strengths of your organization, and the opportunities available to you. We use the audit information, our knowledge of the branding process, available research and resources, and our experience in consulting to businesses on marketing process to make a “deep dive” into your marketing, and to develop recommendations that will help your company to build sustainable brand equity and increase market share. An overall proactive, integrated marketing strategy and actionable plan are the net results of this process.

Concerned about your market position or having trouble determining your brand and message? Shoot me a note at tmiller@randjsc.com. We can help.