The Case for Distinctive Brand Assets: Why Scaleups Need a DBA Audit Before They Spend Another Pound or Dollar on Marketing
- Laura Derbyshire
- Dec 1
- 4 min read
Most scaleups believe they have a brand problem. In reality, what they usually have is a distinctiveness problem.
They’re spending money on marketing, running campaigns, posting content and appearing across channels - but none of it builds recognition, recall or preference. The brand looks different in different places. The messaging shifts depending on who wrote it. The design evolves without intention. And the audience never fully “connects the dots”.
This is where Distinctive Brand Assets - and a proper DBA Audit - become critical.
For scaleups looking to stand out, communicate clearly and build trust, DBAs are not optional. They are the building blocks of mental availability. And if you want to grow, you need mental availability working in your favour.
What Are Distinctive Brand Assets?
Distinctive Brand Assets (DBAs) are the elements of your brand that make you instantly recognisable, even without seeing the name or logo.
They are the shortcuts the brain uses to identify you quickly. They reduce cognitive load. They build memory structures over time.
Examples include:
Colours
Logo and symbol
Typography
Taglines
Tone of voice
Graphic motifs
Photography style
Shapes
Sonic cues
Naming conventions
Product packaging cues
Signature creative styles
When these assets are used consistently and intentionally, they create mental availability - the ability for your audience to recognise and recall your brand in buying situations.
Examples of DBAs in Action: UK, US & Global
UK & US Scaleup Examples
Monzo
The hot coral card is one of the strongest DBAs in UK fintech. You don’t need to see the logo - the colour alone is enough.
Revolut
The blue-purple gradient palette and the minimal product visuals create consistency across markets.
Notion
The monochrome block iconography and editorial typography make every screenshot recognisable.
Stripe
Stripe’s deep blue palette, geometric layout style and technical diagrams are highly ownable in the SaaS category.
Duolingo Duo the owl, the high-contrast green, and the playful tone of voice are all DBAs that the brand repeats with discipline.
Global Brand Examples
Coca-Cola
The red, the script, the contour bottle - some of the strongest DBAs ever created.
McDonald’s
The golden arches, red/yellow palette and sonic identity make the brand unmistakable.
Apple
Minimalism, product-first visuals and white space operate as DBAs as much as the logo itself.
Nike
The swoosh, black-and-white palette and athlete-centric imagery create lasting recognition.
These brands show the compounding power of DBAs, and scaleups can leverage the same principles earlier in their journey.
Why DBAs Matter for Scaleups
Scaleups grow fast - often faster than their brand systems. As a result:
Visual identity becomes inconsistent
Tone of voice gets diluted
Product, design and marketing all interpret the brand differently
Campaigns aren’t connected by a recognisable creative thread
Customer recall becomes weak, despite spend increasing
DBAs ensure consistency, clarity and recognisability as you scale.
They make your brand immediately identifiable
Familiarity builds trust. Monzo’s coral, Notion’s blocks, and Duolingo’s owl prove the point.
They increase marketing effectiveness
Recognition improves performance. A brand with strong DBAs reduces acquisition cost because the brain “already knows” who you are.
They help teams execute faster
Clear DBAs give teams the guardrails they need to produce consistent work, quickly.
They support global or category expansion
Stripe and Revolut scaled across markets because their DBAs remained intact.
Investors value clarity
Strong DBAs signal maturity and precision - qualities that strengthen investor confidence.
The OSER DBA Audit - Curated by Global Brand Effectiveness Expertise
One of OSER’s advantages is that our DBA Audit is not just a design review. It is built on global brand effectiveness standards.
Our methodology was curated by Diego Chicharro, former Head of Brand Effectiveness at Publicis, who has worked with some of the world’s most recognisable brands across sectors.
He brings:
Global expertise in brand salience and memory structures
Experience running effectiveness frameworks for leading brands
A deep understanding of how DBAs operate in real markets
Proven tools used by major agencies and global brand teams
Rigour in identifying which assets drive mental availability (and which don’t)
This elevates the OSER DBA Audit far beyond a typical brand review - giving scaleups a standard of analysis usually reserved for large global brands.
What a DBA Audit Actually Includes
A proper audit covers the full ecosystem of assets:
1. Asset Mapping
Identification of all visual, verbal and behavioural assets - whether intentional or accidental.
2. Consistency Review
How these assets perform across your website, ads, product, socials, decks, events and internal materials.
3. Distinctiveness Scoring
Using global standards to assess which assets are truly ownable and which are generic.
4. Competitor Landscape
A comparison with your category, including UK, US and global players.
5. Usage Diagnostics
Understanding asset strength, overuse, underuse, drift and duplication.
6. Strategic Recommendations
A clear plan to refine, strengthen or evolve your DBAs for scale.
Common Pitfalls Scaleups Make With DBAs
1. Reinventing too often
Frequent visual or tonal changes damage recognition.
2. Looking like competitors
Category clichés result in instant sameness.
3. Inconsistent execution
Teams interpret the brand differently, especially after hiring growth or product roles.
4. Lack of governance
Without rules, creative drift is inevitable.
5. Too many assets
Excess assets confuse rather than clarify.
6. Weak tone of voice consistency
Voice should be as distinctive as visuals.
When to Conduct a DBA Audit
A DBA Audit is essential when:
You’re preparing to scale
Your brand feels messy or inconsistent
New teams or agencies are joining
Paid acquisition costs are rising
You’re preparing for a funding round
You’re entering new markets
A rebrand or refresh is being considered
What Happens After a DBA Audit
The impact is immediate:
Stronger brand recognition
More coherent marketing
Faster production cycles
Lower CAC due to improved recall
A brand identity aligned across all teams
Growth that compounds over time
DBAs are one of the simplest, highest-return investments a scaleup can make.
Why OSER Offers DBA Audits
DBAs are the foundation of scalable brand growth. Without them, even the best marketing strategy leaks value.
With expertise drawn from global brand effectiveness, OSER’s DBA Audit provides scaleups with the clarity, distinctiveness, and consistency required to grow at pace.
If You Haven’t Audited Your DBAs Yet, Now Is the Time
If your brand feels inconsistent or under-leveraged, a DBA audit will give you the structure, direction and confidence to scale.
Visit DBA Audit to learn more or book a call.
Comments