An enhanced Brand Report Card: 12 questions to future-proof your business
In 2000, Kevin Lane Keller introduced the brand report card, a framework to evaluate brand performance and equity. At the time, Keller's ten essential attributes provided a roadmap for diagnosing brand strengths and weaknesses. Fast-forward twenty-four years, brand building—especially in the corporate/institutional space—has changed quite a bit.
Today, digital transformation has fundamentally altered the branding landscape, changing expectations and elevating the importance of purpose. Technology now plays a central role in how organizations connect with their stakeholders. Meanwhile, inclusivity, sustainability, and ethical practices have become essential rather than optional. To stay relevant and resilient, brands must adopt a modern framework to address these new realities.
At Firstwater, we have transformed Keller's original model by aligning it with our Brand Value Creation (BVC) methodology and the six indicators of brand clarity. We also expanded attributes to develop a 12-question report card that addresses contemporary challenges and opportunities. The reason: To help branders facilitate discussions among leaders about the roles of brand in an "always-on" and "always meaningful" marketplace.
STARTING WITH THE SIX INDICATORS OF BRAND CLARITY
From diagnosis to performance
Having proven their validity, the enhanced model is aligned with the six indicators of brand clarity, the measurement framework that underpins our approach to strategising and building strong, purpose-driven, future-focused sustainable brands. To recap, the six indicators are:
1. Higher purpose — aligning with clarity of mission and long-term investment in identity;
2. Purpose-driven strategy — supporting cohesive decision-making and alignment across a portfolio;
3. Conscious communications — focusing on consistent, authentic messaging across all touchpoints;
4. Intrinsic motivations — evaluating internal alignment and commitment to human values;
5. Empathetic connections — ensuring relationships are meaningful and based on shared value; and
6. Creative agility and resilience — supporting adaptability and innovation in a dynamic marketplace.
12 QUESTIONS TO FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BRAND
Aligned with the six indicators of brand clarity, the enhanced brand report card is a smart tool that encourages leadership discussions and helps assess efforts purposefully and impactfully. By turning traditional attributes into thoughtful questions, this model connects initiatives with stakeholders' expectations and meets today's empathy, inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience needs.
Below is a comprehensive exploration of the 12 key attributes, each methodically recast as essential questions that align with the six indicators. This framework is intended to guide in identifying strengths, exposing vulnerabilities, and generating actionable insights that refine and elevate their brand strategy. This approach allows organisations to move beyond surface-level evaluations to embrace a deeper, more strategic alignment with their mission, values, and staleholder needs.
Indicator number one
HIGHER PURPOSE
1. Are you correctly positioned?
Does your brand clearly articulate its unique value proposition and stand apart from others?
Why it matters
Strong positioning ensures stakeholders instantly understand why they should choose your brand, enabling you to stand out in competitive markets.
Tech starter for ten
Use digital engagement to craft compelling stories about your value proposition. Leverage social media, websites, and apps to consistently amplify your positioning.
Example: Slack
Slack’s 2019 rebranding by Pentagram highlighted its leadership in workplace collaboration, simplifying its visual identity while reinforcing its purpose.
2. Does your brand receive sustained support?
Are you consistently investing in your brand to ensure relevance and long-term success?
Why it matters
Sustained investment ensures your brand evolves with the market, maintaining relevance and stakeholder trust.
Tech starter for ten
Leverage data analytics to monitor brand equity trends and ensure continuous resource allocation for campaigns, content, and innovation.
Example: Deliveroo
Deliveroo’s rebranding in 2016 (updated in 2023) solidified its visual identity, positioning it as a leader in the crowded food delivery market.
Indicator number two
PURPOSE-DRIVEN STRATEGY
3. Is your pricing aligned with the market’s perceptions of value?
Does your pricing reflect the perceived quality and meet stakeholders’ expectations?
Why it matters
Pricing aligned with perceptions builds trust and reinforces the value proposition, ensuring your brand meets functional and emotional expectations.
Tech starter for ten
Utilise AI-driven pricing models to dynamically align with market trends and customer expectations.
Example: DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean’s transparent pricing appeals to its developer audience, reflecting cost-effective, reliable cloud solutions.
4. Does your brand fit cohesively into your portfolio?
Does your brand portfolio and architecture work logically, targeting distinct markets without overlap?
Why it matters
A cohesive portfolio maximises synergies while targeting distinct segments, ensuring clarity and preventing brand cannibalisation.
Tech starter for ten
Digital asset management systems can streamline portfolio oversight and identify opportunities for optimisation.
Example: Hoxton Hotel Group
The Hoxton’s ‘Working From_’ initiative complements its hospitality offerings by catering to remote workers.
Indicator number three
CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATIONS
5. Is your messaging and identity consistent?
Does your brand maintain a uniform tone, messaging, and visual identity across all touchpoints?
Why it matters
Consistency builds trust and strengthens brand recognition, ensuring credibility with audiences.
Tech starter for ten
Brand governance platforms ensure uniform messaging and identity across global teams.
Example: Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
BCG consistently reinforces its thought leadership across platforms, reflecting its expertise.
6. Is your marketing strategy integrated across platforms?
Are your efforts coordinated to deliver a cohesive and compelling brand message?
Why it matters
An integrated strategy ensures seamless brand experiences, building deeper connections.
Tech starter for ten
AI and analytics tools can personalise messaging while maintaining cohesion across channels.
Example: Airbnb
Airbnb’s storytelling reinforces its values of belonging and adventure, unifying its website, app, and social media.
Indicator number four
INTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS
7. Do managers and teams understand what your organisation stand for?
Vice versa, do you and your leadership team clearly understand how your brand resonates with employees and customers?
Why it matters
When leadership and teams align, they deliver consistent messaging, innovation, and operations, building internal motivation and external trust.
Tech starter for ten
AI-driven employee engagement tools can help leadership assess team alignment and identify gaps in internal motivation.
Example: IKEA
IKEA’s leadership and teams share a commitment to sustainable design, evident in flat-pack solutions and circular product models.
8. Are your internal teams aligned with your organisation’s mission and values?
Are employees motivated and unified in delivering consistent experiences?
Why it matters
A unified workforce motivated by shared values fosters internal and external trust.
Tech starter for ten
Collaboration platforms like Monday, Slack or MS Teams can improve internal alignment by fostering transparent, purpose-driven communication.
Example: Patagonia
Patagonia’s internal culture embodies its environmental mission, aligning employees with its values.
Indicator number five
EMPATHETIC CONNECTIONS
9. Does your brand deliver the benefits people desire?
Are you meeting employee and customer needs by creating engaging and valuable experiences?
Why it matters
Delivering on needs builds loyalty and strengthens relationships.
Tech starter for ten
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems can provide data-driven insights to fine-tune experiences and anticipate customer needs.
Example: HubSpot
HubSpot’s CRM simplifies marketing, sales, and service for businesses of all sizes.
10. Does your brand foster inclusive engagement?
Are your brand experiences inclusive and representative across diverse demographics?
Why it matters
Inclusive engagement builds trust and expands your audience, fostering loyalty.
Tech starter for ten
AI-powered accessibility tools, like automated captions and screen readers, can ensure inclusivity across all digital touchpoints.
Example: Salesforce
Salesforce promotes inclusivity through its Equality for All initiative and accessible design.
Indicator number six
CREATIVE AGILITY & RESILIENCE
11. Is your brand staying relevant?
Are you adapting to trends, technologies, and customer behaviours to remain essential?
Why it matters
Relevance secures long-term loyalty and keeps your brand top-of-mind.
Tech starter for ten
Social listening tools like Brandwatch or Sprout Social can identify emerging trends and inform adaptation strategies.
Example: LinkedIn
LinkedIn evolves its tools to support changing workplace needs, including remote networking.
12. Do you monitor brand performance?
Do you track impact, performance, and perceptions regularly?
Why it matters
Monitoring allows brands to adapt to market trends, maintaining alignment with their mission.
Tech starter for ten
Dashboards like Google Analytics or Tableau offer real-time insights into performance metrics and customer sentiment.
Example: Mind
Mind, a mental health charity, continuously evaluates its brand impact, ensuring alignment with societal needs.
WHY THIS MODEL MATTERS
We think this enhanced brand report card is important because it transforms traditional branding attributes into discussion-provoking prompts that any organisation can use to evaluate and improve their branding efforts. By reordering and expanding attributes into probing questions, it creates a self-diagnostic tool that aligns branding with the diverse demands of modern stakeholders. This enhanced tool emphasises essential contemporary principles—empathy, inclusivity, sustainability, and adaptability—ensuring that brand strategies not only reflect internal realities but also resonate deeply with external expectations.
People seek authenticity and purpose, and this model aids organisations in making more informed decisions while fostering meaningful connections. It goes beyond merely evaluating the surface level of identity and leadership to exploring factors that shape resilience, relevance, and trust. With these enhancements, this tool transcends the traditional approach to brand-building—towards empowering brand as a leadership imperative and a vehicle to help shape the future of business with clarity, purpose, and enduring impact.
Your turn: Evaluate your brand
We’ve created a FREE downloadable worksheet that walks you through these 12 questions with practical steps to build a stronger, future-focused brand. Use the worksheet to:
Identify strengths and opportunities;
Build targeted strategies for growth;
Foster alignment and engagement.
Ready to future-proof your brand?
Get in touch to learn how Firstwater can help you lead with clarity, purpose, and impact.
