Rebranding Strategies: Best Practices www.veng-group.com About the VENG Group The VENG Group is a government relations, communications, public affairs, and outreach firm that specializes in the nonprofit community. Our team is based in Boston, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. We help our clients with: Public Relations/Message Development Public Policy Research and Advice Content & Communications Strategy Government Relations Day-to-Day Communications Operations Coalition/Community Building and Outreach Media Training Multicultural Outreach and Advocacy Social Media Marketing Innovative Technological Solutions for Advocacy Website Development/Management Grassroots/Grasstops Outreach and Campaigns Brand Development/Reputation Management Conferences and Events @charugupta 3 What is a brand? A brand reflects your organization’s entire programmatic spectrum and approach. A brand is about your competitive advantage, your relationships, what you do best, and what inspires you. @charugupta 4 Why Brand Identity is Important A deep and clear understanding of who you are, where you fit and what your competitive advantages are will allow communications – what you say and how you say it – to flow effectively. A well-designed brand architecture and identity means that all programs and services are coherent and allow communications tactics to be sharp and at their best. @charugupta 5 A brand is much more than a name change. It involves all your spheres of influence. Spheres of Influence Policy makers Board and advisory council Media Funders Management and staff Coalition partners Community at large @charugupta 6 Branding vs. Rebranding Branding •If you are a new nonprofit and need to find your niche. •You get too many “what’s that?” when talking about your organization. •A strategic planning process has made branding a necessary next step. @charugupta 7 Branding vs. Rebranding Rebranding •Your original brand is out of sync with new organizational goals, priorities, and programs. •Your image and messages are too many and lack consistency. •You are experiencing a decline in membership and/or funding. @charugupta 8 Quick Poll: Brand vs. Rebrand? How many of you feel that your organization needs to 1. Brand to begin with? 2. Rebrand? @charugupta 9 Why should you rebrand? Increase in donors and donations A clear brand identity and message will influence who donates and how often. New audience/membership Communicating the brand consistently and effectively will grab the attention of new stakeholders, including corporate partners. Increase in brand awareness A clear and consistent brand is the best way to cultivate loyalty and establish credibility. @charugupta 10 What does rebranding entail? Cosmetic refresher of your logo, tagline, collateral materials. Full-scale approach that assesses brand position, messaging, tagline, and visual identity. @charugupta 11 Cosmetic Refresher • Updated logo • New tagline, elevator speech • Revised marketing and collateral materials that reflect new logo and design @charugupta 12 Case Study: Human Rights Campaign Before After Human Rights Campaign Fund Human Rights Campaign The new name and logo in 1995 were made to reflect the goals and influence of HRC, which had widened and grown since its founding in 1986. @charugupta 13 Full-Scale Rebranding Conduct research 1.Competitive Landscape Review – How do similar organizations in your sector position themselves? 2.Communications Audit – A review of all communications strategies and materials to assess alignment and gaps. 3.Brand Review – How is your organization viewed by internal and external stakeholders? What do they see as your strengths, weaknesses, competitive advantages, and growth opportunities? @charugupta 14 Full-Scale Rebranding Brand and Communications Strategy The research will help you determine: 1.Brand Architecture – What is the relationship between programs, and also between programs and the organization. This is a good time to determine whether programmatic changes need to be made. 2.Strategic Positioning – Identify what is the organization’s unique advantage and what niche it wants to occupy. 3.Message Hierarchy – What are the different messages for the organization, and what is their order of importance? 4.Mission Statement – Does it need to be rewritten and in what way? @charugupta 15 Full-Scale Rebranding Developing the brand •Mission statement •Organizational name change •Tagline or slogan •Supporting messages •Design logo and new visual identity •New website and collateral material, i.e. email templates, newsletters, etc. @charugupta 16 Case Study: CENYC The Council of the Environment of New York City (CENYC) is a privately funded citizens’ organization (within the Office of the Mayor). It is a hands-on, nonprofit organization with about 50 staff charged with improving New York City’s quality of life through environmental programs and empowering New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for themselves and their children. Donations and volunteers are critical to its mission. @charugupta 17 Case Study: CENYC Name Change: GrowNYC Research revealed a disconnect between stakeholders’ perceptions of what CENYC was called versus what it did. The name had to change, and reflect the who, what and vision of the organization. @charugupta 18 Case Study: CENYC Key Programs and Messages Research can reveal multiple programs with names that are confusing or do not reflect a holistic message or organization. Group programs together, or determine if programmatic changes are required. At GrowNYC, all programs now fall under four categories: Garden, Recycle, Teach, Greenmarket. @charugupta 19 Case Study: CENYC New Logo and Visual Identity Logos are shorthand for what the organization represents. @charugupta 20 Case Study: CENYC The final logo for GrowNYC was a variation of a green apple at the center of key program words. @charugupta 21 Key Times to Rebrand • A new campaign • Change in executive leadership • 10th or 20th Anniversary • End of strategic planning @charugupta 22 Avoid Pitfalls • Board buy-in – make sure you know where your board stands and how much your board members want to be involved. Most likely, they will need to approve any major change in direction. • Brand champion – make sure you have a wellrespected staff or board member leading the cause and building consensus. • Regular check-ins – Consultants don’t know you as well as you do. Stay in constant communication, ask for a brand strategy, and agree upon a timeline and decision-making process. @charugupta 23 THANK YOU Charu Gupta cgupta@veng-group.com @charugupta 617 830 1790, x 106