Marketing excellence
Creative Workflows

How do you measure brand compliance?

Brand compliance ensures your brand is consistently represented across all platforms by adhering to guidelines across logo usage, color schemes, typography, messaging, tone of voice and more. In this post we'll cover how to optimally measure brand compliance to help your organization maintain brand integrity and build stronger connections with your audience.

David Pondell

6

min read

Aug 14, 2024

What Does Brand Compliance Mean?

Brand compliance is important in marketing as it directly impacts your customer’s perception and trust of your brand. When a brand consistently follows its established guidelines, it builds a strong, recognizable image that customers can easily identify and relate to. On the contrary, lack of brand compliance can lead to inconsistencies that confuse or mislead the audience, potentially damaging the brand’s reputation and equity. By safeguarding the integrity and identity of your brand, brand compliance ensures that every communication and visual presentation aligns with your brand’s core values and ethos, making a strong, cohesive impression on your audience.

For example, consider a global company like Coca-Cola. Their iconic red color, distinct typography, and brand messaging are uniform across all their advertising, packaging, and promotional materials worldwide. This level of consistency is a result of strict brand compliance. 

How do you measure brand compliance?

How Do You Measure Compliance Performance?

Measuring compliance performance is crucial for ensuring that your brand adheres to internal and external guidelines. It not only helps maintain brand integrity but also enhances consumer trust and loyalty. In this section we’ll delve into the key aspects of measuring compliance performance and how to implement it effectively.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Brand Compliance

The first step in measuring compliance performance is identifying relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs can vary depending on the industry and specific brand guidelines but usually include:

  • Adherence Rate: The percentage of marketing materials that meet brand guidelines on the first review.

  • Revision Rate: The number of corrections needed before approval.

  • Audit Success Rate: The percentage of audits passed without significant findings.

  • Response Time: The average time taken to correct non-compliant materials.

Tracking these KPIs helps gauge how well your team adheres to brand guidelines and where improvements are needed.

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Tools and Software for Measuring Compliance Performance

There are a number of tools and software solutions that can streamline the process of measuring compliance performance. These platforms offer features like automated audits, real-time tracking, and detailed reporting:

  • Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: These platforms store and organize all brand assets, ensuring they are easily accessible and adhere to brand guidelines.

  • Brand Management Software: Platforms like Bynder or Brandfolder offer comprehensive solutions for managing and measuring brand compliance.

  • Online Proofing and Approval Workflows: Solutions like StreamWork provide automated approvals for all types of creative assets and easy collection of stakeholder feedback.

Leveraging these tools can significantly enhance your ability to track and maintain brand compliance effectively.

How Do You Measure Compliance Rate?

In today's fast-paced business environment, maintaining a high compliance rate is crucial for ensuring that your brand remains consistent across all channels. So, how do you measure it effectively? Let’s delve into the methods and tools that can help.

Calculating Compliance Rate: Methods and Formulas

The first step in understanding your compliance rate is to calculate it accurately. A basic formula to use is:

Compliance Rate (%) = (Number of Compliant Incidents / Total Number of Incidents) * 100

For example, if you have 80 compliant incidents out of 100 total incidents, your compliance rate would be 80%. This simple calculation can provide immediate insight into the number of creative assets that are on brand vs. not.

Another useful method is trend analysis, where you track compliance over time to identify patterns and potential areas of improvement. This allows for a proactive approach, addressing issues before they become significant problems.

Compliance Rate Benchmarks

Benchmarking is another critical aspect of measuring compliance rate. Industry-specific benchmarks offer a point of reference against which you can measure your performance. For instance, if your brand must comply with regulatory requirements, such as a finance or healthcare brand, you will often have higher benchmarks compared to others.

Developing internal benchmarks is equally important. These benchmarks should be aligned with your overall business goals and serve as realistic targets for your teams so that it’s clear internally what brand compliance means for your organization and how to achieve it.

Tools for Tracking Compliance Rate

There are many tools and software solutions designed to help businesses monitor and measure brand compliance. For example, software platforms like StreamWork’s automated creative approval software allows you to keep tabs on all internal and external stakeholder approvals of every creative asset across the organization. This ensures that nothing slips through the cracks and it’s clear who gets a say in developing creative

Additionally, using dashboards—including custom built Looker dashboards or AirTable excels—to visualize compliance data can offer a more intuitive, and personalized, understanding of the metrics. Real-time alerts built into software can also notify relevant stakeholders about non-compliant actions—like the need to review the latest marketing video—allowing for immediate correction.

By properly leveraging these methods, benchmarks, and tools, your business can achieve a high compliance rate, ensuring that your brand is represented consistently across all platforms.

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How to Ensure Brand Compliance?

Creating a Brand Compliance Checklist

Establishing brand compliance begins with the creation of a comprehensive brand compliance checklist. This document should outline all the necessary elements of your brand guidelines, from logo usage to color schemes, font types, and tone of voice. Meticulously crafted, it serves as the blueprint for maintaining brand integrity across all marketing efforts. Regular updates to this checklist, reflecting changes in brand strategy or market dynamics, will keep your brand consistent and compliant.

Training and Education for Teams

Beyond crafting a checklist, continual training and education for teams is essential. Offering workshops, online courses, and refresher sessions empowers every team member, from marketing to sales, to be well-versed in the brand guidelines. This approach minimizes the risk of deviations and underscores the importance of brand consistency. Most often run by an internal brand compliance team or marketing team, effective sessions can train your team to thoroughly understand your brand's values and visual identity, so that you maintain stewards of your brand across facets of the business.

Role of Brand Compliance Officers

The appointment of a brand compliance officer can also be a game-changer. This role involves regularly auditing internal and external communications and marketing materials to ensure they align with the established brand guidelines. A brand compliance officer acts as the guardian of your brand, identifying potential misalignments before they become public embarrassments or legal liabilities. Their oversight ensures that everyone from designers to executives adheres to the prescribed standards.

Top brand compliance software

As technology evolves, so do the mechanisms for ensuring and measuring brand compliance. The future points towards increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate compliance tasks and offer real-time insights. Predictive analytics can also aid in foreseeing potential compliance issues before they arise, allowing businesses to take proactive measures. 

Moreover, as remote work becomes more prevalent, digital tools that facilitate seamless collaboration and compliance management will be indispensable. Businesses that stay ahead of these trends will not only enhance their compliance capabilities but will also gain a competitive edge.

Start transforming your brand compliance strategy today with StreamWork. Unify your creative processes, minimize meeting overload, and accelerate project launches by consolidating your workflows on a single platform. Unlock efficiency, streamlined approvals and precision in managing your brand’s compliance effortlessly with StreamWork. Try StreamWork free today at www.streamwork.com.

Author

David Pondell

David is a Sales Account Executive and Platform Specialist at StreamWork. David has extensive experience working with organizations of all sizes to implement seamless creative workflows that drive results and exceed client expectations.

Marketing excellence
Creative Workflows
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