The other day, I ran into an old brand I used to love. I barely recognised it.
I Googled it and discovered it had a new owner. They weren’t looking after it. Perhaps they didn’t know how. Perhaps they didn’t care. It made me sad to see a brand that was once so loved and respected by so many people reduced to nothing more than a memory and incorrect font use.
Brands need to be nurtured. Those charged with looking after them must understand what they mean and to whom. They need to know how the brand should look, sound and feel. How else will they know when something is off?
A brand check-up—a strategic review of your brand’s vision, positioning, target audience, brand assets, and messaging pillars—ensures that every decision aligns seamlessly with the brand and broader business objectives. It involves bringing owners, managers, and other key personnel together for an intensive workshop, analysing brand performance, and collecting consumer data.
It makes sense to conduct a check-up after significant changes in the management team or before investing in a new website, marketing campaign, or other brand activity. Without it, you risk wasting time and budget on initiatives that fail and possibly damage the brand long-term.
This is what a brand check-up can do:
- Clarify Brand Positioning to Drive Strategic Decisions
Your brand positioning defines how your business is perceived in the market relative to competitors. Yet, over time, shifts in customer preferences, market dynamics, or even your own business focus can cause positioning to drift. A brand check-up evaluates whether your current positioning still resonates with your target audience and supports your business objectives. A precise, well-defined positioning strengthens your competitive advantage and makes decisions about design, tone of voice, and content strategy far simpler.
- Help you Get to Know Your Audience—Really Know Them
Most businesses have a general sense of their target audience, but many miss the mark by not digging deep enough. A brand check-up helps refine your understanding of your ideal customers, what they care about, and how they make decisions. This clarity is invaluable when planning a new website or campaign, enabling you to craft messaging that speaks directly to their needs and pain points. The result? More effective marketing, higher engagement, and better ROI.
- Refine Messaging Pillars
Inconsistent or vague messaging is one of the main reasons marketing campaigns underperform. Messaging pillars—core themes that guide all communications—ensure your brand voice is clear, consistent, and compelling across every channel. A brand check-up helps identify these pillars based on your positioning and audience insights. With well-defined messaging, choosing the right marketing tactics, channels, and content types becomes straightforward, reducing guesswork and aligning your team’s efforts.
- Unlock Greater Marketing Efficiency and ROI
With a clear understanding of your brand’s positioning, audience, and messaging pillars, every other marketing decision—from website design to ad targeting—becomes easier and more strategic. This focus prevents wasted spend on tactics that don’t align with your brand’s essence, ultimately delivering a higher ROI.
Measure twice, cut once.
Before investing in a logo refresh, new website, content, or marketing campaigns, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of all the elements that define your brand and how they will be impacted. Every investment should reinforce your brand’s identity, messaging, and long-term vision—otherwise, you risk creating disjointed experiences that dilute your impact. By ensuring that your spending aligns with the core elements of your brand, you create consistency, strengthen recognition, and maximise the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
