Branding Secrets for Non Profits 2011

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 1

Branding Secrets for Non-Profits

Ron Gossen, APR, [email protected]


Is a brand…

1. A logo?2. A jingle?3. A tagline?4. A product?5. A positioning?6. None of the above?


The answer is…

6. None of the above.

Logo, jingle, tagline, products and positioning are “how the brand is represented” NOT the brand.


A brand is…

…all the promises and perceptions that the organization wants its constituents to feel about the organization and what it does.

It’s identifying sustainable competitive advantage, and creating and managing a reputation to enable it.


Why brand? Because you need people to do “something.” Volunteer Help manage Contribute Be served - outreach Support – talk about, write about.


Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE

Cognitive – know who you are, knowledge.


Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE

No.

Too limited


Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE

Affective – Feelings and attitudes.


Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE

Better.

But still too limited.


Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE CONATIVE

Conative – behavior: volunteer, contribute, support.


“The 4 Secrets of Branding”

1. “You’re branded.”2. “Find the sweet spot.”3. “Make moonshine.”4. “The ‘anytime, anywhere, anyhow’

imperative.”


BRANDING – your competitive advantage! Brand identity – your culture. Brand meaning – drawn from your

constituencies and the environment


BRANDING SECRET #1: You’re branded. Every organization is branded. Like it or not!

The question is not whether “to brand” or “not to brand.”

If you don’t manage your brand, your competition or circumstances will manage it for you!


Strong Brand Criteria

LEGITIMACY. A promise that you can deliver.

DISTINCTIVENESS. Cut through the clutter.

RELEVANCY. Meaningful to your key audiences – don’t speak to yourself!

CONSISTENCY. Live up to your brand, anytime, anywhere and anyhow.


Brand essence modelYour Strengths Constituents’ Needs

Competitions’ Weaknesses


BRANDING SECRET #2: Find the “sweet spot.”

It’s a strength of your organization. It’s a want or need of your

constituencies. It’s something that your competition

can’t offer.


Brand essence modelYour Strengths Constituents Needs


SECRET #2


SWOT yourself, hard!

Strengths & Weaknesses (internal) Opportunities & Threats (external)


Discover and uncover

Study your “competition.” SWOT them by reviewing secondary sources and interviewing their constituents with focus groups, executive interviews or objective research.

Study your constituents with focus groups, executive interviews or objective research.


BRANDING SECRET #3: Make moonshine (distill yourself).

C – B – V – P – E Define your characteristics. Isolate the constituents’ benefits. Determine your values. Personify yourself. Distill from this your brand

“essence.”


Find the “sweet spot.”Your Strengths Constituents Needs


Sweet spot


Branding Secret #4: The “anytime, anywhere, anyhow” imperative.Live the brand essence. Act on it

“anytime, anywhere, anyhow.” Compare all strategic decisions to the

brand essence, i.e.,”does this create well-being and productivity and contribute to meaningful lives?” It’s a change-agent.

Apply an advertising version (unique selling proposition) to everything.


Branding Process Deliverables Identification of sustainable organizational

competitive advantage. Targeted constituents, publics and

stakeholders WITH individualized message parameters.

Strategic, objective-oriented, communications plan: internal communications, donor relations, program outreach, recipient communications, media relations, other stakeholder communications.


Branding Process Results

Organizational focus, direction and renewed purpose.

Board/trustee productivity and unity. Targeted messaging for development. Facilitated volunteer & staff recruitment. Employee satisfaction, longevity, reduced

turn-over and reduced training costs. Efficient program delivery. And others…


“Questions to answers. Answers to results.”

StratCommStrategic Communications

Group

[email protected]

Ron Gossen, M.B.A., A.P.R.

Business

Branding Secrets for Non Profits 2011