This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 9:49 am and is filed under Graphic Design, Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing Strategy, Publication Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Branding Is for Cattle - A Lesson for Nonprofits
I have to admit, I am thoroughly sick of all the nonprofit branding talk, so when I saw “Branding Is for Cattle: What Really Matters to CEOs” in the MarketingProfs e-newsletter, I clicked on it immediately. The point of the article is that marketers who get all wound up in branding often forget why they are marketing in the first place: to reach the customers and to respond to their needs.
I am all for a unified look in nonprofit marketing materials and for updating that look every now and then. I constantly advocate consistency, so you won’t get an argument from me on that one either. What bothers me about all the nonprofit branding chatter I’ve been hearing is the near breathless anticipation that a cool color scheme, groovy graphics, and some Flash on a website will suddenly make people “get it” about an organization or issue. Anyone who makes you believe that branding will solve all of your communications problems is selling you nothing but Snake Oil 2.0.
Branding is good, but it’s only one part of the overall communications and marketing picture. You still have to know who your audience is. You still have to know what they care about and why. You still have to figure out how to reach them. Don’t give your branding (or rebranding) project more importance than it deserves.
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:34 am
Bravo. Couldn’t agree more. And, I’ll add that a new logo or color scheme won’t get you anywhere unless you have a really good strategic marketing plan. That is know exactly who your targets are, best messages that will convey your point of difference and the measurable strategies and tactics that will take you the rest of the way. Too often the conversation of marketing gets steered towards color schemes and logos as opposed to strategy.
May 5th, 2007 at 11:26 am
It’s refreshing to hear your stance on branding.
So many companies are getting wrapped up in creating a new image. It’s too easy to lose sight of the organization’s purpose and often that purpose is to serve people.
Branding cannot and will not solve all your problems. If anything, it will cause more issues.
Not everyone will agree on the new logo and even community members will gripe.
Branding can be beneficial, but only when used thoughtfully to reach your audience better.
I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts. Thanks!
May 8th, 2007 at 12:33 am
I completely agree, with one exception — color schemes and logos are not branding.
Branding is defining the essence of what makes an organization unique and compelling. One huge part of the problem with the NPO branding discussion is focus on relatively minor brand “attributes” — color, logo, tagline, etc.. Good branding will inevitably touch these attributes, but that’s a tiny fraction of the benefit of a solid well-honed brand.