Most companies have numerous messages they want to get out about their brand. Their mission, vision, company values, USPs, value proposition, product features, awards, charitable activities, sponsorships. It goes on and on. Realistically, people will only remember a small fraction of a brand’s communications. And it’s usually the messages that are most relevant, unique and engaging. Use this exercise to determine what core messages people remember about your brand.

On a single sheet of letter size paper, craft everything you want people to know about your company. It can fill the entire page or just a short phrase. You can use paragraphs or bullet points. You can use imagery, icons or diagrams. The only rule is you only have one page.
Recruit a group of about 7 people who don’t work for your company. Usually the easiest option is family members or friends. Or you can formally recruit a group using a research company. This exercise should only take about 20 minutes.
Ask the first person to step away from the group and give them 5 minutes to review the single sheet your crafted.
After the person is done, take away the sheet and give them a white board and pen.
Bring in the second person. The first person is going to verbally tell the second person as much as they can remember from the sheet within 2 minutes. They can use the white board as well if they need to draw anything.
After the 2 minutes is up, erase the whiteboard. Ask the first person to leave and bring in the third person.
Repeat until the sixth person relays as much as they remember to the last person.
Give the last person a pen and sheet of paper. Ask them to write down as much as they can remember in 5 minutes. They’re free to fill the entire page or just a short phrase. They can use paragraphs or bullet points. They can use imagery, icons or diagrams. The only rule is they only have one page.
After they’re done, review the original sheet with the new one. What messages were remembered? Which were forgotten? Were any messages changed?
Based on this, you should be able to determine what messages really stand out for people. If there are key messages you want people to know, but people don’t remember, you may have to look at ways of adjusting them to be more compelling.