GIFT UNIVERSITY

BRAND AUDIT
TERM PROJECT FOR BRAND MANAGEMENT

COURSE CONVENER

NADEEM MUSTAFA
MBA Marketing (UK)
 Email: nmustafa@gift.edu.pk
The details of how to conduct brand audit are discussed in
Keller, Pages 148 – 153. Please read those pages carefully. The
requirements of this term project are, however, slightly
different. A brand audit has three parts. The first is the brand
inventory, which is a brand specific situation analysis and a
description of all the marketing input into brand management.
The second is the brand exploratory, which is a detailed
description of consumer perception of the brand. The third
part is the analysis. The analysis is a reaction to the first two
parts, essentially what can be learned by comparing what
management has planned, hoped for, and done with what
consumers feel believe, and do. The specific of a brand audit
will vary, but the following general approach is recommended
for this project which can be used to guide you work and to
organize your report.

BRAND INVENTORY

What are the objectives for the brand and how has brand
management been conducted to achieve those objectives?

Some situation issues

1. Situation Analysis
• Brief History of Organization and selected brand (1-2
pages only).
• Value Chain Analysis
• Environmental Scanning: PEST Analysis (Demographic
Analysis)
• Market Analysis
 How large is the market for the product in
question?
 Is it growing, shrinking, or static?
 What is the market share of the product?
 What are the major factors influencing the level of
demand of this product (critical success factors)?
 Can the market be broken down into segments? If
so what are the most useful bases for segmentation?
 At what stage in the product life cycle is the
market?
 Is demand consistent over time or does it
fluctuate in response to random or cyclical factors?
• Competitors Analysis
 Who are the competitive brands?
 What are their strengths and weaknesses?
  What is the basis of competition? (price, quality,
economy, service, delivery, real of perceived
differentiation, etc.)
 How long has each competitor been active in the
market?
 What is the segmentation & targeting strategy of
competitors?
 What is the differentiation and positioning strategy
of each competitor?
 Where is the competition vulnerable?
 What is the current and projected market share of
the competitors?
 Analyze the strength of current and potential
competition through Porter’s Five Forces Model.
• SWOT Analysis (for the selected brand and key
competitors)
 Strengths & Weaknesses: Organization History,
Value Chain Analysis, SWOT checklist.
 Opportunities & Threats: PEST Analysis, Market
Analysis, Competitors Analysis.

3. Analyze Buyer Behavior

• Who initiates the buying process?
• What events or factors stimulate the need to purchase?
• What criteria are used to evaluate alternative products?
• What criteria are most important and will they change
over time?
• Who makes the final buying decision?
• Who implements the actual purchase transaction?
• Who uses the product once the purchase has been
made?
• How the product is used, evaluated and discarded?

4. Review of Market Segmentation Strategy

• What is the current strategy, aggregation or
segmentation?
• What is the basis of market segmentation? (Geographic,
Demographic, Psychographic)
• Which segment(s) has/have been selected as the target
market?

Positioning Strategy
• What is the intended positioning of your brand?
• What are the all desirable associations which the
marketers intend to create in the minds of the target
customers?
 • Which associations are intended to be strong, valuable
and unique?
• What are the intended POPs and PODs?

Brand Elements & Structure

• What brand elements (name, logos, slogans, packaging,
characters, etc.) have been used and what image do they
project?
• Are they memorable, meaningful, likable, transferable,
adaptable, protectable
• What is the brand structure? (Family, corporate,
umbrella, etc.)

Product Strategy
• What products bear the brand name?
• What are the services which accompany those products?
• What are the nature and qualities of these products?
• What are the key attributes of the branded products
(primary characteristics, secondary features, durability,
serviceability, style & design, etc.)?

Pricing Strategy
• What is the pricing strategy (penetration, skimming,
etc.)?
• List price, price discounts and allowances?
• What does the price signal about the brand?

Distribution Strategy
• What are the current distribution channels?
• What is the distribution strategy (exclusive, selective or
extensive)?
• What do the distribution outlets signal about the brand?

Communication Strategy
• How has the brand message been communicated?
• Which communication mix has been used?
• What are the prominent brand themes in
communications?
• What are the qualities of the media and media vehicles?
• Have spokespeople been used? If so, what are their
characteristics?
• What events have been sponsored by the brands?
• How is the brand associated with other brands?
 • What are the characteristics of brands associated with
our brands?
• Who are the spokespersons for the brand?

Sources:
• Interviews with company personnel, distributors & retailers.
• Company documents.
• Business publications, trade journals.
• Expert opinions.
• Tangible marketing – products, ads, observations of
distribution, promotion, etc. and your expert analysis of
them.
• Websites

BRAND EXPLORATORY

The brand exploratory is research activity directed to understand

what consumers think and feel about the brand and its
corresponding product category to identify sources of brand equity.
What consumers think of the brand by means of the brand
exploratory, particularly in terms of brand awareness and the
strength, favourability, and uniqueness of brand associations?

The research activity includes both qualitative and quantitative

research.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Qualitative research is carried out to measure brand awareness (i.e.,

recognition and recall), and develop a mental map of all possible
associations in the consumers’ minds about the brand. Brand recall
is the ability of consumers to retrieve the brand from memory when
given the product category, the needs fulfilled by the category, the
purchase or consumption situation, or some other type of probe as a
cue. Brand recognition reflects the ability of the consumers to
confirm prior exposure.

A variety of qualitative research techniques can be applied to gather

the desired information. However for the purpose of this project, in-
depth interviews with 50 target customers should be conducted.

• What is the awareness level? (Recall & Recognition?

Depth & Breadth)
• All associations prevailing in the consumers’ minds about
the brand?

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Quantitative research is used to assess the image of the brand
in the minds of the consumers. Particularly to determine the
following:

• Depth & breadth of brand awareness

• Strength, favorability and uniqueness of brand
associations in consumers minds
o What are the associations about brand elements in
the consumers’ minds?
o What are the consumers’ perceptions about product
(primary characteristics, secondary features, product
reliability, durability & serviceability, service
effectiveness, efficiency & empathy, style and design)
o What are the consumers’ perceptions about price,
distribution and promotion?
• What is the image of users of the brand?
• What is the perceived purchase and usage situation?
• What is the perceived brand image/personality?
• What are consumer judgments about the quality,
credibility, and superiority of the brand?
• What are the customers’ feelings, preferences and
attitudes towards the brand?
• What are consumer perceptions about company
producing the brand?
• Loyalty (purchase intension, repeat purchase),
attachment and engagement (favorable word of mouth)
of consumers with the brand.
o Buying a new SIM next time I shall
 Definitely buy jazz
 Most probably buy jazz
 Probably will not buy jazz
 Certainly will not buy jazz
o If I do not find this brand I shall
 Go to the next shop till the time I find it
 Buy an alternate brand

GUIDELIENS FOR RESEARCH & SAMPLE SIZE

Your guideline is to conduct the research in the same way as

the firm should, in so far as is practical. One aspect that is
relaxed is sample size. Aim for a minimum sample of 50 for
qualitative phase and 100 for quantitative phase. This sample
size is far less than practical but probably large enough to get
meaningful results. A second relaxation is data analysis. There
is no need for fancy statistical tests. Frequencies, comparisons
of scale means, dispersion and correlations should cover
everything. Note that you should make efforts to use a
representative sample. Asking your fellow students questions
may be OK for an ISP but not for baby foods.

ANALYSIS

Conduct an overall image analysis of the brand. Identifying the

strengths and weaknesses of the brand.

What is the desired positioning of the brand? What are the

desired POPs & PODs?

Which of these desired POPs and PODs are intended to be

strong, favorable and unique?

How does our desired positioning compare with competitors,

and close substitutes? Is our intended positioning valuable and
unique?

How has the brand management been conducted to create the

desired POPs & PODs?
• Are the brand elements consistent? Do they convey the
desire associations?
• How has the planning and execution of the marketing
program supported or hampered the creation and/or
strengthening of desired brand associations?
• How has the other activities of the company/brand
created secondary associations?

Does the brand have desired brand awareness (i.e.,

recognition & recall – depth and breadth)?

Are consumers responding as management expected/hope?

Identify the important successes and failures. Discuss.

Do consumers have a clear image of the brand?

• What are the all associations prevalent in consumers’
minds about the brand?
• Which of these associations are strong, favorable and
unique?
How does the established image in consumers minds compare
with the desired positioning of the brand? How do these
existing POPs and PODs compare with the desired positioning
of the band?

What is the brand management gap?

How can this gap be bridged i.e., what are the recommended
plans and strategies for eliminating the brand management
gap.

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS

1. First progress report is due at the beginning of class 8. This

should include the names of team members, top 3 brands
that you are interested in and a tentative project schedule.

2. Second progress report is due at the beginning of class 18.

This report should include your brand inventory analysis and
preliminary questionnaire for primary research.

3. Final report of your brand audit is due at the beginning of

class 28. You may of course turn in your reports early.

4. You will make a brief (30 minutes), but formal, presentation

of your brand audit to the class. You are also encouraged to
invite representatives of your brand’s firm to this
presentation. Oral presentations will be scheduled
immediately after the Final Exam.