Charities are now considered big brands, but what happens when the name, logo or corporate identity need a makeover?
Branding must be led by the chief executive and senior management/Committee/Board of an Organisation/Group. thebusinesssuccesslibrary Adopting a brand model advertising companies have developed a number of models. This can be as simple as a cycle of examining the existing brand, reviewing it, changing it to the desired brand and then reviewing it again. Bear in mind ‘brand’ is not ‘advertising’.
After conducting an audit of existing materials, consult with stakeholders, including staff, partners, volunteers, service users and suppliers. It is also suggested setting up a branding group comprised of a range of stakeholders to lead the exercise and act as both brand champions and critics In order to analyse what the charity wants from its brand, hold workshops to discuss ‘belief statements’: Who we are, what we believe, what we do, how we do it and who we help. You need to try to find agreement on this in your organisation/group. businessideaso To help with the process, charities should conduct a product analysis. This involves seeing the charity as a product, looking at its positioning, its personality and its brand character. The product could be operating a flying ambulance, running a meals-on-wheels service or protecting children. To assess positioning, the charity needs to ask itself how it compares with competitors, who supports it and why, and what benefits it offers.
The personality of the charity will include its values, whether it is open, honest, has a good relationship with stakeholders and the colours and type of logo used.To assess the character of a brand by describing the charity as an animal or symbol. businessfortoday At Amnesty, the re-branding group described the charity as an elephant slow and bureaucratic. It wanted to become a cheetah.
To make sure branding fits in with the charity’s operations, charities should consider other issues, for example, how the re-branding fits in with strategic plans and how the vision, mission and values of a charity might be affected. These may be an integral part of the re-branding exercise but not if a charity is three years through a five-year strategic plan.
Key steps that need to be taken, include making sure existing materials are re-branded, developing a style guide, putting key messages on posters around the premises of the charity and developing a photo library of images with the new branding. cashbackhut To implement a re-branding plan, charities should communicate internally and externally through newsletters, team meetings or road shows and keep people updated throughout the process. There is a real need to bring the exercise to life and keep it fun, interesting and relevant.
