Every day we are bombarded with an estimated 3,000 brand messages, all competing for our attention (www.blackpig.co.uk). In a world where charities are becoming more and more professional and the Third Sector ever more crowded, getting the right brand is an essential task for every organisation.
At a recent CharityComms conference on branding, Max du Bois, Executive Director at Spencer du Bois, held a workshop for delegates about the practicalities of building powerful brands. He also gave delegates tools to help them think about whether their brands communicate effective, clear and consistent messages about their cause and values.
First, du Bois defined the role of brand saying: “Quite simply it’s engaging with an audience to get them to do what you want them to do.” In a very competitive sector with thousands of charities duplicating each other, a brand is all about preference and trust, so begin by asking yourself why people should choose or trust your charity. These questions will help you to define your brand and hone your key messages.
Du Bois shared seven tools with delegates to help them discover what their charities stand for and how they can make their brands stand out from the crowd, even with a small budget.
1.) Context
Firstly decide what your objectives are and which are the most important. Ask yourselves who are your key audiences as this will help you reach your key objectives.
2.) Define the brand
In order to find out your brand positioning ask yourselves - What do we do? Why do we do it? How do we do it?
3.) Defining key messages
The next step is to define your key messages, and make sure everyone in the organisation knows them. Make a brief statement of what your organisation is aiming to achieve. Again ask yourselves questions - what is happening in the world that makes our presence and our work of value to people? Think about what drives your organisation and the principles that underpin its approach. Create a specific style and approach to activities that you undertake, and always bear in mind how you want your target audiences to respond.
4.) Communications
How do you want your brand to come across in your communications? Start with your organisation in the centre and work outwards dividing up into principal elements such as the logo, colour, and typeface and secondary elements such as tone of voice, layout and supporting colours.
5.) Defining change
Use the DREAM strategy. Any time you want to make a change with brand and brand positioning, ask yourselves: what do I Drop, what do I Retain, what do I Evolve, what do I Add, and how do I Manage it?
6.) Creating tactical support
“Everything serves a purpose,” du Bois said. Every brief, item or activity must have a clear purpose and a clear role in achieving the goals.
And finally don’t forget:
7.) Research
A strong brand can only be built on an informed strategy. Take time to invest in research to gain a better insight into what people think and expect from your brand.
To conclude, the key to a successful brand is more than just a strong logo, it's also about making sure that every single person within an organisation is behind the brand. Use staff to help drive the organisation in the right direction. If there is passion behind the brand then it is much more likely to be successfully projected to external audiences.