Create a strong brand through brand audit

Today we had a special guest speaker. She is a brand consultant and ethnographer. So for more than 2 hours, Ibu Amalia E. Maulana talked briefly about brand audit.
First, she mentioned about the different between brand strategy and marketing strategy. A brand strategy is a plan, blue print strategy for a brand. It is broader than marketing strategy. It is what brand owner want the brand to be to fulfill the consumer's needs that create value of the brand. Marketing strategy tends to be an execution, a shorter program to increase the sales of the brand. Marketing strategy should not pass through the brand strategy boundary. Brand that have a good brand strategy will come out as a strong brand that is unique (distinctive), well-known by many people, can be understood (clear what the brand is), honest (deliver what it promised), used continously by consumers and it is a recommended brand. Most frequently we jump directly to the marketing strategy without really understand the brand strategy.
We had a role play about one of our brand, let say brand 'A'. We wrote down, what cross our mind if someone mentioned about brand 'A'. Using the exercise, found out that weak brand come out with so many perception towards the brand. Furthermore, the brand perception is really far from what brand owner want to deliver.
Brand audit is a process to evaluate that brand strategy or re-evaluate the brand strategy. It is a continuous process, therefore it could be done in the beginning of product launching or when the product is in the market for some times or even years. It starts with the identify the consumer's value towards the brand, then create (re-create) value proposition, deliver it and communication.
During the process of brand audit, all departments that are touched to the brand are included to participate. So in this sense it counts the multi-facet opinion towards the brand. By the end of the day it comes out with a solid strategy that is agreed by all parties.
Before formulating value proposition, it is also important to get consumer's insight about the brand. So in the process, brand is audited from internal company as well as from consumer's views.
It is an interesting Monday morning talk ..... Highly appreciated Ibu Amalja for her time to share about brand audit. A very valuable knowledge for all of us.