Brand Strategy & Key Messages Review

Taproot Foundation Service Grant

May 24, 2010

Contents

• Background• Brand Strategy Challenges• Discovery Findings• Why a Brand Strategy• Brand Strategy Components• The Museum’s Brand Positioning• The Museum’s Brand Personality• The Museum’s Brand Essence• Key Messages• How to Use• Elevator Pitch

04/19/23 2

04/19/23 3

Background

• The Museum received a Service Grant from the Taproot Foundation to have a team of 5 pro-bono consultants create a new Brand Strategy.

• Our process started with Discovery Research and Stakeholder Interviews.

• The findings from this process served as the foundation of the Museum’s new Brand Strategy. The strategy is the unifying concept that guides or influences the marketing, communications and programming activities of the museum.

• The Key Messaging encapsulates the brand strategy and provides core language for the way the museum presents itself to audiences in various channels.

• This strategy and messaging was adopted to strengthen the museum’s identity as a cultural attraction in a competitive market, cultivate the support of museum audiences and leverage their marketing and communications investments.

Brand Strategy Challenges

• It’s a Museum but not what you’d expect.

• It’s a Jewish experience, but it’s not just for Jewish visitors

• How does the Museum stand out amongst similar cultural institutions?

• How does the Museum make emotional connections with audiences that goes beyond the restoration of the space?

04/19/23 4

Why a Brand Strategy?

• Describe the ‘mental space’ a brand should occupy in the minds of a target audience

• Focus on what sets a brand apart from competition and the benefit provided to key audiences

– Unique point of difference

– Compelling benefit

– Supported by solid reasons to believe

• Serve as an internal guideline for

– Marketing strategies

– Program development

– Operational decisions

04/19/23 5

Discovery Findings

Based on 26 individual and group interviews, review of selected competitors and research, there were several important takeaways for strategy:

It’s a Jewish story The synagogue sets the stage and is central to all activities Stories of community and heritage electrify the space Docents are crucial to bring stories to life First time visitors are a key audience to address “Museum” is misleading for visitors and donors Some risks in emphasizing “living” aspects of synagogue There are many organizations vying for similar position in visitors’ mind.

None focus on uplifting stories of community and tradition to great extent Few organizations can emphasize an immersive experience in an

authentic space

04/19/23 6

Brand Strategy - Components

04/19/23 7

04/19/23 8

The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in a beautifully restored synagogue that celebrates the stories and honors the traditions of the Jewish immigrant experience on the Lower East Side. We help visitors of all backgrounds discover how coming to America transformed this immigrant community and continues to have impact today.

The Museum’s Brand Positioning

The positioning statement concisely articulates the target audience, their needs and how the museum’s offerings address those needs through a competitive advantage. It is intended for internal use and is based on Brand Pillars and Values on the previous page.

04/19/23 9

Target visitors of all backgroundsNeed (History) helping them discover how coming to America

transformed this immigrant community,

(Community) celebrates the stories

(Traditions)and honors the traditions of the Jewish immigrant experience on the Lower East Side.

(Heritage) and continues to impact us today Alternatives traditional museums with exhibits and/or recreations Our Offering intimate, compelling, authentic storiesCompetitive

Advantageengaging experience in beautifully restored synagogue

Positioning Statement Components

The Museum’s Brand Personality

Key attributes of the Museum’s personality rose out of discovery process and should be leveraged in the way the museum communicates about itself.

04/19/23 10

Revelatory Authentic Dramatic Welcoming

We’re passionate about the insights and discoveries our museum can reveal to visitors. It can be a transformative experience.

We’re real. Unlike recreations and simulations, we let the actual space, objects and stories take center stage and create opportunities for discussion.

Our space and stories stir the imagination and emotions deeply. We’re compelled to inspire and our energy is contagious.

We strive to communicate to visitors of all backgrounds our acceptance of all forms of worship and spirituality.

The Museum’s Brand Essence

04/19/23 11

Celebrating Community: The Museum is a place to learn about an immigrant community’s traditions, societal impact and transformation into Americans. The space celebrates the role of worship in building and sustaining one American community.

Honoring Tradition: The Museum’s tours, programs and space honor the traditions, religious expressions and heritage that were created by its congregation. It provides a welcoming view into one culture’s belief systems and spiritual expression through universally relatable stories.

Evolving Stories: America has a cultural inheritance of acceptance, adaptation and innovation demonstrated in our ongoing history of immigration. The stories of the Museum’s congregation’s challenges and achievements through generations, reinforce the roles of community and tradition in our society. The Museum is the next chapter in that story.

Celebrating Community, Honoring Tradition, Evolving Stories

The essence of what motivates and drives action internally.

Key Messages

04/19/23 12

We create emotional connections with our audiences in the way we use language. That’s why communications are critical to the brand’s success. It’s not only what we say but how we say it that counts.

Key messages were developed with specific points of content and language for use in some of the most common marketing collateral.

Messages Developed:

•Elevator speech for concisely and effectively describing the organization

•Short, medium and long organization descriptions

•Boilerplate for news releases

•Contributors/Funders message

•Educator message

Key Messages

04/19/23 13

Guidelines:

•Consistent, relevant messaging builds awareness with audiences.

•Messages should always consider positioning and brand personality no matter what channel is in use. (print, digital, signage, voicemail, etc.)

•The synagogue restoration remains important but it should not be your leading story or the central story of your messaging moving forward.

•The brand voice (tone and style) of the key messages helps bring brand personality attributes to life.

04/19/23 14

How To Use

Remember that you’re the Museum’s best PR.

Talk about:

•How the Museum celebrates community and honors traditions through the unique stories of its congregation.

•Highlight how these stories continue to have impact and relevance in our world today.

•Demonstrate the Museum’s role in carrying these stories and their significance into the next century through its programming, exhibits and restoration efforts.

•Develop your Elevator Speech.

•Explore how your words reflect the brand voice of the museum.

04/19/23 15

The Elevator Pitch

A concise, well-practiced description about your organization that is easy to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator and leaves your audiences wanting more. Three variations follow:

1. We’re housed in a gorgeous landmark synagogue, where we tell the stories of how the Eastern European immigrants who founded it were transformed by the promise of America.

2. We’re housed in a gorgeous restored synagogue on the Lower East Side, where we tell the stories of the hopes, struggles and achievements of the families who founded it.

3. We’re housed in a gorgeous landmark synagogue, where we present the culture, practices and traditions of the great wave of Jewish immigrants who founded it.

04/19/23 16

Elevator Pitch

Key Messages

What it Means for Audiences

Sample Proof Points

Celebrating Community

We are passionate about relating the authentic stories of the synagogue community and building new understanding of the importance of community in every American’s journey.

• Historic landmark synagogue built by Eastern European immigrant community in 1887.

• Stories of congregation’s collective struggles and achievements are compellingly retold in tours and programming.

• Archives and artifacts document the generations of congregants who formed the community.

Honoring Tradition

We honor the traditions of the original synagogue congregation and explore how it relates to society today.

• Focused programming and exhibits.

• Stories of congregation’s traditions and religious expression.

Evolving Stories

We offer visitors of all backgrounds an authentic space for discussion and discovery of how traditions and community adapt, innovate and evolve.

• Programs that connects the past to the future.• Stories of how congregation’s traditions evolved.• Transformation of synagogue into a museum and

place of education.• Generational history continues to be explored

through today’s descendents.

04/19/23 17

Elevator Pitch

When you’ve made your pitch, your audience will have questions. Do you have a story that answers their How, Why or What?

The Taproot Foundation Brand Team found in conducting stakeholder interviews that everyone had evocative stories of the Synagogue before and after its renovation. Not all had stories of the community and its traditions.

04/19/23 18

Key Messages – Medium Length

A visit to the Museum at Eldridge Street captures the imaginations of people of all faiths, nationalities, ages and experiences.

We celebrate the stories and honor the traditions of the Eastern European Jewish immigrants who settled on the Lower East Side starting in the 1800s. Visitors discover how the families who built our beautifully restored landmark synagogue lived, worked and prayed. They also find out how these immigrants, alongside those of many other nationalities and religions, were transformed by the promise of America, while transforming their new country in the process.

Visitors walk in the footsteps of the immigrants who built the synagogue as a manifestation of their newly-acquired and hard-won religious freedom. Unlike traditional museums, this “hidden jewel” uniquely carries in its walls an authenticity that reflects the hopes, struggles and achievements of the families who founded it.

Following is an example of one of several key messages developed for the museum. All messages included in Appendix.

04/19/23 19

Thank you!