Why a brand audit belongs next to the financial audit.
Most companies check their books every year. Almost none check how the business looks to a stranger.
Doug Belding, Chief Brand Officer, DLB Creative, Nashville. Published November 11, 2026.
The short answer
For owners, and anyone thinking about a sale.
Most companies have their books reviewed every year and never once check how the business looks to a stranger.
I think a brand audit belongs on the same list as the financial one. Especially if you plan to sell, because the outside is the first thing a buyer meets.
Everything except the front door.
Think about what gets checked in a normal year. The books. The contracts. Insurance. Safety. Somebody is responsible for each one and there's a date on the calendar.
Now think about what nobody checks. The website. The LinkedIn page. What comes up when you search the company name. What an AI tool says when someone asks about you.
That's where a buyer starts. A lender too. So does the person you're trying to hire.
Most of the value. No annual review.
In 1975, about 17% of the value of the S&P 500 was in things you can't touch. By the end of 2025 it was about 92%.
Brand is one part of that, next to patents, software and customer relationships. It's still most of what a company is worth, and it's the part with no annual review.
Source: Ocean Tomo, Intangible Asset Market Value Study, February 2026
Fresh eyes. Only what's public.
I look at eight areas of a company's public face. Only what's already public. Nothing behind the scenes.
I come back with where it's strong, where it's leaking, and what I'd fix first.
Sometimes the answer is a tighter story. Sometimes it's a cleaner site. Sometimes it's nothing yet.
You'd get a house inspected before you listed it. Same idea.
Brand audits
What is a brand audit?
A review of how a company shows up in public: its site, its story, its search results, its reviews, how AI tools describe it. You get a list of what's working and what to fix.
How is a brand audit different from a marketing audit?
A marketing audit asks whether the campaigns are working. A brand audit asks whether the thing being marketed is clear in the first place.
Does a brand audit look at private company data?
No. Only what's already public. Nothing behind the scenes.
Want to see how a buyer would read your business?
Start with a first look. Twenty minutes is a good place to start.