(I). BRAND PROFILE

A. History Of Branding/Marketing Efforts

1. What if any past marketing or branding efforts have been undertaken? Please explain in detail and create a time line if necessary.
2. How would you rate the success of each of these efforts?
3. What lessons were learned from these past efforts?
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses you associate with the current state of marketing/ branding at your company?

B. Brand Evaluation

1. In what ways do you hope a revitalized branding effort will impact your business?
2. What are the primary financial, planning and development goals of the company this year? In the next 5 years?
3. What are your brand’s core values and beliefs?

C. Brand Profile

There are four key components to designing or redesigning an existing brand:

Target Audience, Brand Essence, Brand Promise and Brand Personality.

1. The Target Audience is covered in the next section.
2. Brand Essence is the “heart and soul” of the brand and is often expressed in a tag line. Do you have any ideas for articulating this? If yes, please list them below.
3. Brand Promise declares the relevant differentiating benefits the brand promises to deliver to its target audience. Do you have any ideas for articulating this? If yes, please list them below.
4. Brand Personality is the description of your brand as if it were a person.

How would you describe your brand using keyword descriptors, as if it were a human personality?

(Please list at least 10 keywords.)

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(II). CUSTOMER PROFILE

The following questions will ask you to provide responses based on what you know or understand about your customers. Most businesses have more than one type of customer. However, for our purposes, your responses should represent the majority or prevailing view of your customer base.

1. Develop a customer profile that includes patterns or trends you’ve observed:
   (a)  Core values and beliefs,
   (b)  Personal and professional goals,
   (c)  General fears and concerns,
   (d)  Leisure activity, Work activity,
   (e)  General lifestyle description,
   (f)  Age,
   (g)  Attitudes and practices of investing
2. Define your customer’s personality in keywords (please list at least 10 keywords).
3. Do you know where your customers get their information about the services you provide?  Yes___ No___. If yes, through what mediums?
4. Do you know which of these sources “carry the most weight” for them?  Yes ___No ___. If yes, please explain.
5. Do you fully understand how customers experience your services when using them? Do you know what emotions the experience evokes, how it makes them feel and think?
6. Are you aware of any problems customers encounter when they use your services?
7. Do you know why customers chose your brand over others?
8. Do you know why certain prospects chose another brand over your own?
9. Do you know which kinds of customers are the most valuable to your company?
10. Do you understand the decision making process of your customers’ organizations and how to reach decision makers?
11. Do you know what customers say about your brand or services when they recommend or discuss them to others?
12. How do you receive input from customers on the company’s services, staff or other issues concerning your relationship with customers?
13. How do you acknowledge this input from customers?
14. Are you satisfied that the current procedure for receiving and responding to customer input is continually deepening your understanding of these customers?

(III). COMPETITION PROFILE

1. Have you identified your brand’s primary competitors? If yes, please list them below.
2. Have you conducted a careful analysis of each of your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? If so, please provide a basic profile of each competitor that reflects your analysis.
3. Do you know where your competitors are most vulnerable? If yes, please explain.
4. Do you know how loyal your customers are and why?
5. Does someone in your organisation track competitor news on a regular basis?
6. Do you offer any key benefits that your competitors do not?
7. Does your brand promise to fulfil an unmet customer need that is not being served by the competition?
8. Do you know what benefits your competitors’ brands own in consumers’ minds?