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Every brand project has to start somewhere, but, all too often, they start in the wrong place.
The right place, is with in-depth research into a company’s market, the challenges they face, and the opportunities that are emerging. This foundational work allows us to map out and interrogate the landscape, helping to unpick strategic problems, identify gaps, and shape where the brand can go next. Audits, surveys, research, and analysis are the tools we use to navigate this complex territory, ensuring that every decision that follows is informed and intentional.
Audits: Mapping the Brand’s Current Landscape
The audit process is about taking stock. Whether it’s a brand audit, content audit, or competitive audit, this step helps evaluate the brand’s current state. It’s your brand’s “before” photo.
Before any solutions can be developed, we need to understand how the brand presents itself and how it’s perceived by others.
Brand Audit: This assesses the current perception of the brand—how it aligns with its stated goals, values, and positioning. We analyse everything from tone of voice to visual identity and customer touchpoints.
Content Audit: Here, we review existing content—both online and offline. Is it cohesive, aligned with the brand strategy, and performing as expected? Does it reflect the brand’s voice and values?
Competitor Audit: We peek over the fence into the competition’s branding, strategy, and market positioning to identify gaps and opportunities. This will help frame how your brand can stand out or highlight areas of potential threat.
Surveys: Gathering Direct Insights
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Surveys provide direct input from those who matter most—your customers, stakeholders, and staff. It’s one thing to think you know your audience; it’s another to hear directly from them to understand perceptions, needs, and pain points.
Customer Surveys: By reaching out to existing or potential customers, we uncover how they see your brand and its competitors. What do they value? What problems do they need solved? And what do they expect from the industry as a whole?
Internal (Stakeholder) Surveys: From leadership to frontline staff, we gather perspectives on what works within the company, where the disconnects are, and what internal challenges the brand faces. Often, the internal perception offers insights into operational and strategic hurdles that differ from external ones, so understanding this dynamic is critical.
Staff Surveys: Collecting feedback from staff also allows us to understand the internal culture, its strengths, and areas needing attention. This broader perspective feeds into a holistic SWOT analysis, capturing the essence of company culture.
Research: Uncovering Market and Cultural Dynamics
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To fully understand where your brand fits, we conduct thorough quantitative and qualitative research on your market, customer behaviour, and the broader cultural context. This is how we discover the driving forces behind your audience’s needs and expectations.
Market Research: Analysing trends within your industry and identifying emerging themes that your brand can leverage. This includes looking at market size, growth potential, and economic factors that could affect the brand.
Customer Research: This goes deeper than surveys—it’s about understanding the emotions, behaviours, motivations, attitudes, and decisions of your target audience. This helps create detailed customer personas that inform your brand’s strategy.
Cultural Research: We explore the wider societal and cultural changes that might influence your brand’s position. From technological advancements to shifting attitudes, these factors are critical in ensuring the brand stays relevant.
Analysis: Synthesising Data into Insights
Data collection is only half the battle. Once all the raw information is gathered, we move into analysis, which allows us to identify patterns, insights, and opportunities.
4C’s Framework and SWOT Analysis: We use the 4C's framework—Company, Customer, Culture, and Category—to ensure a comprehensive view of the brand landscape. From here, we use the classic SWOT framework (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to summarise the brand’s current position and identify key areas for growth.
Gap Analysis: Comparing the brand’s current state with where it aims to be, we identify gaps in positioning, messaging, and audience perception.
Customer Journey Mapping: Analysing touchpoints throughout the customer journey to identify pain points, opportunities for engagement, and areas to strengthen the brand’s mental and physical availability.
Conclusion: Laying the Groundwork for Strategy
The discovery phase isn’t just a tick-box exercise. It’s an intensive but vital journey into your brand’s world, helping you unearth insights, spot opportunities, and shape your brand’s future with purpose. No guesswork, no 'gut instincts'—just informed decisions that will make every move count.
As we demonstrated recently with Oxford University—by investing in audits, surveys, research, and analysis, you’re setting the stage for a killer strategy that’s built on real-world insights and a deep understanding of what makes your brand, your audience, and your market tick.
We want to ensure your brand’s future steps are purposeful, informed, and poised for success.
