Communicating,  Branding,  and  the  Case  for  the  “M”  Word

Improving  the  effectiveness  oforganizational  communications

At  [your  organization  name],  we  do  a  lot  of  communicating…

For  more  information:https://www.slideshare.net/coolstuff/the-­brand-­gap

…and  many  hands  play  a  role  in  what  we  say  to  our  audiences.  

Sometimes,  however,  our  left  hands  don’t  know  what  our  right  hands  are  doing…  

…and  as  a  result  our  audiences  often  end  up  confused.  

Branding  is  one  of  the  most  misunderstood  words  around.  

A  brand  is  NOT  a  logo.  

Neither  is  a  brand  a  mission  statement.

The  college's  mission  is  to  generate  new  knowledge  in  engineering  and  related  fields  

and  to  equip  students  from  diverse  backgrounds  as  future  leaders  and  responsible  citizens  in  these  fields  

for  the  betterment  of  individuals  and  society.

A  brand  isn’t  a  strategic  plan,  either...  

Simply  put,  a  brand  is  the  sum  of  how  our  audiences  perceive  us…  

“One  of  the  most  beautifuluniversities  I’ve  ever  seen…”

“Great  aerospace  department…”“Go  Buffs!”

“Party  school…”“Wannabe  Berkeley…”

So  if  our  audiences  are  confused,  what  does  that  say  about  our  brand?  

We  don’t  actually  have  one.

The  important  questions  we  must  answer:  

Who  are  we?  What  do  we  stand  for?  How  are  we  different  from  our  peers?  How  do  we  want  our  audiences  to  perceive  us?  Why  are  we  communicating?  

MThe  case  for  the  “M”  word…

It’s  no  secret  that  many  people  in  the  public  sector  have  a  negative  perception  of  marketing.  

“Marketing  obliterates  subtlety  and  nuance  …  in  pursuit  of  mass  name  recognition  and  the  superficial  catchiness  of  a  three-­minute  pop  song.”

“Universities  are  not  companies  vending  consumer  satisfaction….”  

“More  and  more  university  senior  administrations  are  besotted  with  ideas  of  ‘branding’  and  ‘strengthening  the  franchise.’”  

In  reality,  though,  traditional  definitions  don’t  quite  do  it  justice.

Marketing  is  not  merely  propaganda,  “spinning,”  advertising,  or  sales…  

These  days,  marketing  is  everything  we  say  and do  that  affects  how  we  are  perceived—whether  we  mean  it  to  or  not.  

vs.

At  any  organization,  we  engage  in  marketing  (both  intentional  and  unintentional)  every  day.  

BrochuresWebsitesSocial  mediaPublic/media  relationsVideo/multimediaOutreach  programsVisits/toursExecutive  communications

Conduct  issuesInvestigationsAdvocacyTraining  Labor  issuesService  to  communitiesPresentations/conferencesCommunity  engagement

So  in  order  to  more  effectively  market ourselves,  we  must  be  more  deliberate  and  consistent  in  .  .  .

WHAT  WE  SAYand

WHAT  WE  DO…

?We  must  decide  as  an  integrated  organization

how  we  wish  to  be  perceived…

…  and  build  a  more  strategic  approach  to  our  communications…  

…so  our  audiences  better  understand  what  we’re  all  about.  

A  strong  brand  benefits  the  entire  organization.  

•  More  positive  relationships  with  our  audiences  

•  The  ability  to  tell  our  story  so  others  don’t  tell  it  for  us  

•  A  solidified  reputation  with  our  internal  and  external  audiences

•  Greater  ability  to  compete  with  other  institutions  for  resources,  employees,  fundraising  opportunities,  etc.

The  brand  continuum

http://brandingbreakthroughs.com

(or  Action)

The  value  of  consistent  brand  messaging

• Align  communications  with  the  organization’s  vision  and  initiatives

• To  be  more  efficient  and  effective  with  limited  resources

• To  enhance  our  ability  to  tell  our  story  so  others  don’t  tell  it  for  us  

• To  solidify  our  reputation  and  build  more  positive  relationships

• To  better  compete  for  limited  resources  and  attention

What  do  you  mean,  “messaging”?

In  simple  terms,  branded  messaging  consists  of:

–Our  slogan  (the  phrase  we  use  to  reinforce  what  we  stand  for)

–Our  position  (the  one  thing  we  want  people  to  remember  about  us)

–Our  core  messages  (the  facts  and  details  that  support  our  position)

–Our  brand  voice  (the  personality  behind  our  communications)

(It’s  not  just  words,  but  also  speeches,  photos,  multimedia,  and  visuals—anything  and  everything  that  involves  communicating.)

Creating  branded  communicationsThe  communications  plan/creative  brief—answering  the  following  questions  

is  the  first  step  in  developing  branded  communications…

1.  Who  is  my  audience?

2.  What  do  I  hope  to  achieve  with  this  communication?

3.  How  is  my  communication  an  example  of  my  organizational  position/core  messages/brand  attributes?

4.  Which  core  message  is  the  primary  focus  of  my  communication?

5.  What  additional  messages  will  I  include  in  my  communication?

6.  Which  brand  attributes  will  drive  the  tone  of  this  communication?

7.  What  do  I  want  audiences  to  do  as  a  result  of  this  communication?

8.  How  does  this  effort  complement  other  communications  my  audience  might  see?

9.  How  will  I  assess  the  effectiveness  of  my  communication?

2 Internal staff

1 Insiders, VIPs,

leadership

5. General

public

KEY SEGMENTS/TIMING FOR A BRAND ROLLOUT

4. Primary

users/community

members

3. Primary

partners/

stakeholder

groups

“The  art  of  marketing  is  the  art  of  brand  building.  If  you  are  not  a  brand,  you  are  a  commodity.  

Then  price  is  everything  and  the  low-­cost  producer  is  the  only  winner.”  

–PHILIP  KOTLER,  Professor  of  Marketing  Kellogg  School  of  Management  

Northwestern  University  

Questions?