By: Oscar Rossignoli All company must evaluate its corporative image before the different public with those who it has permanent relation. The instrument that is used for this measurement is the image audit. (As opposed to Maurice Gallagher, Jr.). An annual strategic plan cannot be designed or be written up if before we do not know how our different specific hearings are perceiving us. Many institutions use the service of monitoring of the news to measure their image, and consider that it is sufficient, but this is only one part, the one of mass media, the mediatic profile. An image audit must consider of integrated way in such a way that it serves to make an evaluation of all the aspects that conform the image, that is equally important, as to be the value of its marks, the service to the client, the financial reputation, the opinion that the employees have and who project to the outside, to only mention some variables. He is recommendable to contract a company/signature of investigation of market to make an audit of image since they count on the structure, the personnel and the suitable measuring instruments. It is important to consult or to request references of previous works that these specialized companies have carried out other institutions and thus to evaluate his expertise in these subjects.

So that an image audit is complete 4 aspects must be considered important and that, for me, they include almost all the areas that interest: The financial image (financial reputation and structure of capital) the commercial image (value of the product, service to the client and the value of the marks) the internal image (used and the internal climate) the public image (image in mass media and the public opinion) Very especially if a company finishes happening through a situation of mediatic crisis, the image audit measures the impact or damage that the corporative image could have suffered and that affects the value of the marks, the mood of the employees, the confidence of the creditors and suppliers. The obtained indicators can serve as reference to send a campaign of reposicionamiento of image if it is necessary. An image audit is not a study that efectamuy followed, without this means that to debemosdescuidar it image of the institution. The audit, for me, is a departure point for, of there in future, to create mechanisms of monitoring and permanent monitoring. The image audit indicates ” to us; where estamos” and, on the basis of it, we can decide ” towards where queremos” to go in the matter of communication.