PADM 7040
Nonprofit Management
Dr. Jerry Merwin
Overview
Positioning and BRANDING
Chapter 6
(p. 166-177)
Janice Reaves
Valdosta State University
September 19, 2005
Positioning
We all should now be familiar with
segmentation. Ken’s presentation
gave us an overview of how
organizations should approach target
markets. This presentation covers
the importance of positioning and
branding an organization.
POSITIONING
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Nonprofit organizations compete just as
for-profit organizations do.
In their 1981 book , Position: The Battle
for Your Mind, Al Ries and Jack Trout
describe how positioning is used as a
communication tool to reach target
customers in a crowded marketplace.
www.quickmba.com/marketing/ries-trout/positioning
The Customer
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Positioning begins with a product,
the concept really is about
positioning that product in the mind
of the customer.
It is important for marketers to
understand its target audience and
to understand how they view the
marketers’ offering.
Reposition
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The example given on page 167 of the
text, lists five different organizations that
caters to the needs of women.
Andreasen & Kotlers say, “If any one of
these organizations is to be successful in
getting clients and getting volunteers and
financial support, it must differentiate
itself in the eyes of the target audience”.
Reposition
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What a marketer must do is “stand out”
among its competition. It should ask.
- What’s different about this
organization?
- Why should people donate to my
organization instead of my
competitor?
- What can this organization do to be
on the consumer’s mind?
Present Position

The starting point for any positioning
strategy is to understand how the
organization or the proposed
behavior is perceived at the present
time in comparison with its major
competitors (p. 167).
Perception
One of the first fast food slogans I can
remember is Burger King’s, “Have it your
way.” Even as a kid, this slogan had
gotten into the mind of the consumer.
In my mind, no other burger joint would let
you have it your way. I didn’t want mayo
on my burger, so I’d better go to Burger
Kings, because it’s theme song says, “hold
the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders
don’t upset us..” because all they ask is
for the consumer to give them a chance
to, “let us have it your way.”
Measuring Positioning Behaviors
Semantic Differential
1.
Develop a set of relevant dimensions
2.
Reduce the set of relevant dimensions
3.
Administer the instrument to a sample of
respondents in the contemplation stage
4.
Average the results
5.
Check on the perception variance
The semantic differential is based on bipolar adjectives (see page 168-169)
Positioning Alternatives
Once the organization analyzes the
perceptions that target audiences hold
about a specific behavior…the next step is
developing a positioning strategy. A
positioning strategy involves
1.
2.
3.
4.
Understanding your present position;
Understanding your principal competitors;
Deciding on whether & how to differentiate your
offerings from those of competitors; and
Making this positioning known to others (p. 170).
Three
Stages of Differentiation
1.
Building upon our present strengths
2.
Searching for a niche
3.
Repositioning the competition
Reis and Trout, “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind”
Positioning
Before an organization decides it does not like its
present position, it must carefully examine that
position and determine one important thing.
Is the problem reality or perception?
If it is reality, then fundamental changes must be
made before announcing to the world its new
position.
If it is perception, then more creative
communications can likely fix this perception.
Many organizations do this through branding.
What is Branding
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A brand can become valuable
shorthand for a wide range of
characteristics and outcomes.
A brand can imply certain
information.
It can convey certain emotions
It can even have its own personality
Can You Identify These Brands?

A.
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B.
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C.
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D.
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E.
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F. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Developing, Nourishing and
Maintaining a Brand
This is no easy feat. In fact it is a challenging task.
 For many organizations that place great emphasis on
their brand, it must be a continuing focus.
---------------------------------------------------------An example is the U.S. Army.
Since 1981 its slogan was, “Be all that you can be.”
But in 2001, that slogan changed to, “An Army of
one” (Source U.S. Army). It also developed a new
logo.

Can you think of any other organization that changed
it’s slogan or logo?
Developing, Nourishing and
Maintaining a Brand
One of the most successful branding
campaigns I’ve witness was after the 1996
crash of the Value Jet airplane in the
Florida Everglades.
A 2001 Business Journal Phoenix article has
this to say: “AirTran Airways was a badly
damaged brand in need of repair. Formerly
Value Jet Airlines, and infamous for the
1996 crash of one of its planes into the
Everglades, the company needed help
reinventing itself after the catastrophe.
(continued on next page)
Developing, Nourishing and
Maintaining a Brand
"Value Jet was used as a poster child when
the FAA investigated deregulated carriers,"
said Brian Landauer, C-K general manager.
"There was no value left in the brand's
name." Once the company had new
equipment, new services and new staffers
in place, C-K helped them re-brand
themselves with a new name and position.
Now, the airlines is up, running and
gradually gaining momentum.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2001/04/23/focus2.html
Is Branding for Everyone?
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Not everyone in the nonprofit sector
thinks that an emphasis on
organization branding and
positioning is a good idea.
Some argue that branding, per se, is
acceptable but it ought to be applied
to causes, not individual
organizations.
(See Spruill’s argument on page 172)
(And a counter on page 173 exhibit 6-3)
Developing a Branding Strategy
According to Susan D. Kirby, formerly of the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), “If your social/public organization or
program has competitors and a limited funding stream,
strategic identity and branding can help ensure your
programs/products are created to provide relevant value to
your target audience and that target audiences view those
programs or your organization as valuable and different from
competitors.”
(See exhibit 6-4, p 174)
3 Outcomes of
Identity/Branding
1. Brand Awareness
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It is critical for social organizations
and program to be visible and to
stand out from others.

If your program is not recognized
or recalled as part of your
organization’s portfolio of programs,
it could lose valuable stake holder
and public support.
Brand Awareness

Users may be less likely to use the
programs if they are unaware of the
program or its link to credible
organizations, and partners may not
initiate or consider partnerships if
they are unaware of the programs
and services you offer.
Brand Awareness
Focus on the organizations
below. Why is one better known than the other?

Founded in 1962,
America's Blood
Centers (ABC) is North
America's largest
network of non-profit,
community blood
centers
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Founder in 1881, the
American Red Cross
works closely with
companies,
community groups,
and others to organize
blood drives.
Did Brand Awareness
Make a Difference?
Brand awareness is most
often measured by asking
respondents which brands
they recall from a list of
names.
From the previous slide,
which name do you recall?
3 Outcomes of
Identity/Branding
2. Brand Mindshare
 Is measured by asking respondents to
name brands in a specific category (e.g.,
names of computer chip brands)
 Mindshare is important because it usually
means the brands that’s on the
consumers’ mind are the ones users will
consider when they are contemplating a
purchase, stock purchase, or co-branding
opportunity.
(p. 174)
3 Outcomes of
Identity/Branding
3. Brand Loyalty
 Basically means repeat customers, even in
the face of new competition, price
increase, product scandal, or even product
change.
 Brand loyalty is most often created by
tapping into either self-expression or
relational aspects of an identity.
Key Points to Remember About
Branding
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Know your brand’s present position and
that of your competitors’ brand
Analyze what you have learned and decide
where you want to go.
Determine how to get to the new branding
position.
Put your house in order and craft the
necessary creative communications.
Key Points to Remember About
Branding
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Make sure there is an integrated
strategy.
May sure everyone buys in.
Pretest as much as possible
Routinely monitor. Monitor what is
being done internally to protect and
enhance the equity in this critical
asset – the brand – and monitor how
it is being perceived over time by the
target audience.
Summary
Branding in its broadest sense refers to
everything an organization does to
promote itself and a product.
Building a brand requires a lot of work and
requires careful steps including
background research, developing an
integrated strategy, getting “total buy-in,”
and careful pretesting and monitoring,
(Andreasen & Kotler, 177)
Bibliographies
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Andreasen & Kotler, “Strategies Marketing for
Nonprofit Organizations,” 2003 Prentice-Hall,
Sixth edition.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/200
1/04/23/focus2.html
www.quickmba.com/marketing/riestrout/positioning
http://6l3zyr.redcross.org/index.html
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http://www.americasblood.org/
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