Branding Questionnaire

What is your business?

Examples: We sell commercial real estate or we are a liberal arts University.
Why ask: Understand what the core product or service it. This will help determine how to
brand it.

How old is your company/organization?

Examples: More than 50 years old or started up just 9 month ago.
Why ask: There may be a history that is important to know about for the brand development

What is the single most important thing your organization promises?

Examples: To deliver our pizzas within 2 hours or to leave the bus station within 5 minutes every
time.
Why ask: These are what may separate you from your competitors and will be important to
include in the branding of your organization.

What is the size of your company/organization?

Examples: 200 employees in 4 countries or 3 people.
Why ask: This answer will help determine the depth of the organization and how to position it to
potential customers/clients.

Describe the personality of your organization.

Examples: Conservative or we have a sense of humor.
Why ask: This will help decide how to position the company and what type of creative will be
developed.

Describe your business in one sentence?

Example: We make great hiking shoes for the casual hiker or we are your out of house tech
services firm.
Why ask: It is important to be able to boil down what your organization does into one concise
sentence.

Describe your business in two words?

Examples: Interior design or marketing.
Why ask: This is the core of what your organization does.
 In-Depth Interview

How did you start the company?

Example: My granddad was a scout in WW2 in the Austrian Alps and he had to go up hill
5 kilometers every day. He perfected the army shoes for 3 years and after the war he founded our
company. We were always skinny when we were young and everybody made fun of us. Then
my brother started to learn Kung Fu from a Singapore master and we became suddenly well
respected and popular. A year later my little sister was mugged and beaten and ended up in
wheel chair for 2 months because she couldn't defend herself when she walked home from
school. I felt horrible not being able to protect her, so I decided we’re going to teach her and
others self defense, so that such things never happen again.
Why ask: Such stories will give amazing insight to the company and will help make it come
alive for potential clients/customers. It also gives your marketing and design firm material to use
for the brand.

Is there a story that is unique to your company?

Example: Edmund Hillary wore a shoe my granddad made in 1953 when conquering Mount
Everest. One of our students became a police officer after she managed to kick a burglar out of a
friend’s house during a sleep over.
Why ask: It tells what the company is proud of or what is unique about it.

If your company/brand were a person who would it be?

Example: Columbus, because he was an adventurer who was always looking for new ways of
doing the same thing. Bride from Kill Bill.
Why ask: A brand is like a person. It has a personality. The brand is the face of that person.

If your company/brand were an object what would it be?

Example: A compass. An egg carton.
Why ask: Ideas, ideas, ideas, you can't have enough of them.

Is there an important object, icon or person that you identify with your business?
Example: Our original factory in Graz is painted bright pink and people always joke about it-but
they remember it. We have Bruce Lee's nunchaku displayed at our training hall.
Why ask: Existing imagery that the brand is already known for may be used when creating the
brand.

What is the dress mode at work?

Example: Jeans and t-shirt. Suit.
Why ask: The answer sets the style for the identity.

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 The Market

How does the market see your company today?

Example: They think we're a well-established company with good products. They think we’re a
small family owned and run business.
Why ask: It is important to know what the current perception is to make sure the new identity
doesn't depart too much from it, so that the brands keeps the trust of existing customers.

Have you taken surveys of your customers or employees?

Example: What is your perception of this organization? What can be improved?
What is working well?
Why ask: Your perception may not always match your intended audiences and this is important
to know for branding (positioning) purposes.

What aspect of your image needs improvement?

Example: People think we are old fashioned. We are seen as too technical.
Why ask: A bad or negative perception keeps the business from growing. This is what we have
to deal with in creating the new identity.

How do you want your image to be seen in 2 years?

Example: We want to be seen as a company with traditional values but one that uses the latest
technology and materials. We want to be perceived as a professional organization you can trust.
Why ask: This is what needs to be portrayed in your new identity.

Who are your competitors?

Example: CAT, Timberland and other smaller companies. There is one Jujitsu training center
nearby.
Why ask: Your organization’s identity has to be easily identifiable and it has to be unique. It's
essential to research the competition.

How do you compare to your competitors?

Example: CAT and Timberland have strong brands. We are less well known. CAT is masculine;
we are not, but want to be. Timberland has a very natural feel to it. We want to have that too. We
have a longer history and we are more serious about our product than these two brands.
The Jujitsu training center has been operating for almost 10 years, they have a well-established
name and they are seen as professionals, we want that too. We are much more self defense
oriented, unlike our competitor who is more involved in competitions and shows.
Why ask: We have to identify your brand's strength and weaknesses and build on them.

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 The Target

Who is your customer/client?

Example: Mainly weekend hikers. Working adults who want to get a higher education degree.
Why ask: We need to know whom we are talking to. The language and visuals used will vary
depending on whom we are speaking to.

Current Identity

Do you currently have an identity?

Example: Yes. No.
Why ask: We have to create a visual continuity, unless a sudden change is required because of a
strong negative association with the old identity.

Other questions to consider:

Are there taglines and/or colors used in your current identity that should remain?
Is the current identity used across all mediums?
Do you have electronic materials to use (letterhead, estimate sheets, forms, pdf’s of
brochures, etc.)?

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