Free brand analysis
The methods behind the analysisGuidesAnalysesActionsAssistantsMaterialExploiting competitors' weaknessesSectionsSource basis and methodology00Brand archetype01Tone-of-Voice02Brand values and purpose03Brand Identity Prism04Brand assets05Semiotic analysis06Distinctive assets07Positioning08Audience alignment09Employer brand10Narrative analysis11Digital and channel execution12Brand harmony13Brand index14
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Section 00

Source basis and methodology

Methodological accountability

Before the analysis begins, brandvju assesses the quality and scope of the input material available. A brand analysis is never stronger than the material it is built on.

The source basis is the first section because it determines the interpretive framework for all 14 subsequent sections. The depth of conclusions, confidence level and precision of the analysis are directly dependent on input quality. If the input material is insufficient, the report clearly states which conclusions are well-founded and which are qualified assessments with lower confidence.

Source hierarchy

Website
High – primary digital surface, but may contain outdated content. Fetched automatically.
Job postings and careers page
Medium to high – critical for employer brand analysis. Fetched automatically when publicly available.
Company registers and web search
Medium – independent facts on size, industry and current events. Fetched automatically.
Social media
Medium – reflects ongoing communication choices, but channel-specific. Cannot be fetched automatically: the platforms block access, and the search engines’ copy can be years old. You supply it yourself via the material archive.
Advertising and campaign material
High – produced with strategic intent and editorial control. Rarely available online in usable form. You supply it yourself.
Physical brand manifestations
High – shop front, signage, packaging, vehicle wrap, uniform and exhibition stand. Can never be fetched automatically, however good the crawl. You supply them yourself.
Press coverage and external mentions
Low to medium – secondary source, not controlled by the brand, but evidence of how the brand is perceived from outside. You supply it yourself, including when it sits behind a paywall.
Brand book and strategy documents
Highest – reflects deliberate strategic intentions and internal truth. Not yet supported as an upload, because a brand book describes the DESIRED identity and must not become the answer key for the very sections it ought to be measured against.

What the analysis is based on – and what it points towards

The source hierarchy falls into two parts, and the distinction matters. Some sources we fetch ourselves. Others we fundamentally cannot reach, however good the technology: social platforms systematically block everything that is not logged in, and a shop front or a piece of packaging does not exist online at all. That is not a gap in coverage but a different kind of source. The material archive is where you supply them yourself, and it is what turns the analysis into a full brand analysis rather than a purely online one. Without it, an analysis can identify patterns and signals but cannot distinguish deliberate strategy from coincidental implementation. What the analysis actually had available is always stated in the report.