The Cultural Audit

A brand audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a brand to uncover its sources of equity and suggest ways to expand and leverage that equity. A cultural audit evaluates a brand’s association with various cultural categories, serving as a starting point to gain a comprehensive understanding of the brand and its market. It further aids in delineating cultural segments based on the brand characteristics, which can be a crucial step for developing cultural equity. Cultural equity measurements include an examination of the brand’s cultural symbolism, its connection with the relevant country or region of origin, the perceived brand globalness, the embodiment of abstract cultural characteristics, and the degree of cultural authority the brand holds. These insights can inform strategies to expand and leverage a brand’s cultural equity, laying a solid foundation for future brand icon-building endeavors.