The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008 - (Page 9)

BRANDING Continued from page 1 1,600 affiliates and we are branded with the name of the local,” she said. Habitat developed guidelines to use for the size, content, and image for the best possible way to link the program identifier with the umbrella.“We use a primary position to place the umbrella logo to the left or above the program identifier so the main brand becomes clear,” she said. If a term exists in the brand with a feel of “fresh” and “innovative,” then the subbrand should have the same feel and consistent with the brand personality, according to Mary Ann Rood, principal of the M.A. Rood Company, a strategic communications and branding firm in Chicago. The language should follow the consistency whether that brand is being reflected through the logo, advertising, a Power Point presentation, or the T-shirts for volunteers. Many definitions of branding exist and conflicting ideas crop up. “People think the brand is the logo or a logo line,” she said. “The brand is all the promises and perceptions that the organization wants the audience to feel.” curious,” she said.“Those new approaches are built on a brand of rock-solid excellence that doesn’t change,” she said. “The way our organization speaks to the audiences is different so sub-branding fits,” said David Jones, public and community relations director for Seabury-Western, a 150-year-old Episcopal seminary in Evanston, Ill., that trains ordained clergy. The rebranding started this past June after a group within the seminary tried to develop several different audiences. “We’re thinking about using sub-brands with tag lines instead of separate logos,” he said. “We identified through internal conversations and market research that some clergy wanted continuing education while other lay people wanted a degree program in the arts or spirituality.” The process led Seabury to four audiences.The nonprofit is still in the midst of accepting the tag lines with visual advertisement that would appeal to those not interested in an intense religious immersion. The image of a gothic chapel could change from a cloister to a piazza as an example of the conceptual development. The tag line of,“Seabury answering questions, questing answers,” could conceivably appeal to people not wanting to wear a collar, according to Jones. “The segmentation of the programs allows us to develop audiences that weren’t necessarily established before,” Jones said. “Then we can have extra efforts with fundraising from those audiences.” Many nonprofits tend to overlook branding because they don’t see how a product fits with the mission, according to Laura Pasternak of MarketPoint, LLC, a brand management company in Baltimore, Md. Branding works when the brand or subbrand helps identify with the perception of the specific audience. Pasternak explained Branding, page 10 How does a sub-brand concept emerge? Start with ideation, Rood explained. Develop an understanding about the perception of the organization where the internally-held perception matches that from the external one. “That’s where we begin to make a decision about whether we need a sub-brand,” she said. “If we have one umbrella brand and a bunch of programs that do the same thing for different audiences, then we only need to tweak the brand a little.” How is this translated? The image needs to become fulfilled by the program. Make sure whatever you claim to offer your external audience whether donors, volunteers, or community can be supported internally by the organization’s infrastructure. “Without the promise, a disconnect appears,” she said. Branding strategy can occur before the sub-brands evolve. Plan a logo design to anticipate possible future sub-brands. Include in that consideration a color palatte that will blossom as time goes on so a consistency grows.“If the feel of the organization has colors like red and yellow, then you can use an orange as a color relationship,” she said. Rood demonstrated how a nonprofit could expand to require sub-brands with an example from the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.“This client is doing some exciting things with distance learning, modified programs for lay people, and opening the campus to the intellectually MAY 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com 9 http://www.pgcalc.com http://www.pgcalc.com http://www.nptimes.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008

The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008 Tying Multiple Sub-Brands To The Primary Idea Executive Session: Giving The Donor The Chance To Say Yes Blogging From The Top Contents Striking The Best Deal Don't Be Fooled Immigrants And Philanthropy Bringing In The Dough Good And Bad Organizational Evaluation Design Your Message You’ve Got Mail? Hybrid Power Calendar NPT Jobs Resource Directory

The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.