Branding Best Practices 101: Corey McPherson Nash

EXPLO

EXPLO MARKETING

7 / 22 / 2014

WHAT WE DO

We help organizations attract and engage their audiences through creating clear, distinctive and meaningful brand messages and experiences.

WHO WE ARE

We help organizations attract and engage their audiences through creating clear, distinctive and meaningful brand messages and experiences.

And we promise a lot of fun along the way.

Your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.

– Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon

THE WAY COREY THINKS ABOUT BRAND

Branding is the activity of intentionally shaping the perceptions of your audiences to advance your organization.


Brand = Physical + Mental Physical:name + tagline + logo + color

Mental:benefit + values + personality



WHO AREYOU?

.........................

BRAND IDENTITY

WHAT DO YOU OFFER?

.........................FEATURES

WHY SHOULDI CARE?

.........................BENEFITS

The Five Ps of a BrandPositionPromisePermissionPersonalityPermanence


POSITIONThe benefit that sets your brand apart

PROMISEThe pledge to customers about the experience

PERMISSIONThe scope of the brand

PERSONALITYVoice and attitude

PERMANENCEThe enduring qualities of the brand

THE WAY COREY THINKS ABOUT BRAND: CRITERIA

IS IT RELEVANT?

It matters to your audience

IS ITPROFITABLE?We can do it well

IS IT DEFENSIBLE? Competitors can’t do it well

Time +

Consistent Delivery +

Consistent Communication

=

B R A N D E Q U I T Y


CASE STUDIES

EXPLOBRAND STRATEGY AND WEBSITE

EXPLORATION SUMMER PROGRAMS: PROJECT OVERVIEW

ASSIGNMENT

• Clarify the brand identity and program nomenclature for an growing number of summer programs and focus programs for kids grades 2–12.

• Design a new website that deploys the new brand architecture.

SOLUTION

• Change the primary brand to “EXPLO” and use it to rebrand the three primary programs by campus location: Explo at Yale, etc. instead of by age group.

• Use EXPLO to brand the Professional Discovery programs, e.g. “EXPLO Marketing.”

• Use a color system to differentiate the programs and program types.

EXPLO

Former Brand Architecture

Master Brand Exploration (“Explo”)

Sub-brand The Classic Programs

Product brands The Senior Program

The Intermediate Program

The Junior Program

Sub-brand The Focus Programs

Product brands Sports Medicine + Orthopedics

Culinary Arts

Veterinary Science

etc.

EXPLO

RECOMMENDATION:

Lead with EXPLO.EXPLO is much more distinctive, it is the name that everyone already uses, and it is short. It also works nicely in a “Master Brand/Sub-brand” system. (Think “FedEx”.)

EXPLO

RECOMMENDATION:

To build brand equity, use “EXPLO” as a modifier in the names of your sub-brands and product brands.EXPLO works well to link your sub-brands and products together under one master brand. Using this consistently will build equity in both the overall brand and in your individual offerings.

EXPLO

FINDING: “Classic Programs” is not an ideal name for your three core programs. It probably does not mean much to most of your audiences. “Classic” also has some negative connotations, such as “old,” “dusty,” “boring,” etc.

RECOMMENDATION: Replace “classic” with a more evocative term. For example: “360,” “Discover”, “Maximum”, “Max”. The overall sub-brand name would be “Explo 360,” “Explo Discover,” “Explo Max,” etc.

EXPLO

FINDING: The nomenclature for the Classic Programs – “Senior Program,” “Intermediate Program,” “Junior Program” is confusing to the first-time visitor, because the terms refer to specific grade levels in (American) schools, but the grade ranges for the Programs do not correspond to those grade levels. (e.g. “Senior”, “Junior”)

RECOMMENDATION: Incorporate the location in the name, e.g. “Explo at Yale, Explo at Wellesley, etc. followed by the grade range, e.g., Grades 10-12, etc.

EXPLO

Former Brand Architecture

Master Brand Exploration (“Explo”)

Sub-brand The Classic Programs

Product brands The Senior Program

The Intermediate Program

The Junior Program

Sub-brand The Focus Programs

Product brands Sports Medicine + Orthopedics

Culinary Arts

Veterinary Science

etc.

EXPLO

Current Brand Architecture

Master Brand EXPLO

Sub-brand EXPLO 360 Programs

Product brands EXPLO at Yale

EXPLO at Wellesley

EXPLO at Wheaton

Sub-brand EXPLO Focus

Product brands Marketing

Chef

Ortho

etc.

EXPLO

Previous Version of Website

GOODWILLRETAIL BRANDING AND BRAND MESSAGING

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF MASSACHUSETTS: PROJECT OVERVIEW

ASSIGNMENT

• Drive increased donations and retail sales by communicating the core mission of Goodwill to the public through stores, donation centers, and trucks.

• Differentiate Goodwill from other thrift retail outlets in Massachusetts.

SOLUTION

• Created a primary tag line “I will. Goodwill.” Used that tag line as a platform to create other slogans: “I will donate,” “I will work,” etc. to communicate a range of brand messages that link back to the core mission.

• Developed a integrated graphic language that ties together a diverse product offering.

GOODWILL

Findings from 30 intercept interviews at 2 stores: • Only 5 of the interviewees correctly stated the

mission as related to job training for people with disabilities.

• Other responses ranged from “recycling” to providing good deals at a low cost. (“PRICES! Are you kidding?”)

• Most shoppers stated that knowing the mission would not influence their shopping behavior but that they would be more likely to donate to Goodwill.

GOODWILL

Perception of the Mission

Homelessshelter,Clothing thehomeless,Thrift shopetc.

PerceivedMission

JobTraining andPlacement

ActualMission

Although true, is it compelling?

Will communicating this effectivelyactually move the dial?

Do we need to elevate themessage for greater impact?

From Jeansto Jobs

Not Charitybut a Chance

Keep Descriptive? Make Emotive?

GOODWILL

Elevating the Mission – Descriptive Approach

Jobs

Mission

What we do Provide jobs and training

Who we help

How it works

What we have

Individuals with disabilities

Jeans to jobs

Jobs, stores, summer camp

Retain the mission but communicate it at a higher level in a descriptive way.

GOODWILL

Elevating the Mission – Emotional Approach

Jobs

Mission

Purpose Giving lives new purpose

Renewal

A Chance

Change

Helping renew lives, dignity through work

Second chances for people – and for things

Changing lives

Retain the mission but communicate it at a higher level in an emotive way.

GOODWILL

The Big Idea:

The mission of Goodwill is to provide work opportunities to people who want to work, who want “to achieve independence and dignity through work,” in spite of the barriers they have to gaining employment.

This resolution, this will to work, is at the core of the brand.

GOODWILL

The Big Idea:

I will. Goodwill. The brand is expressed from the audience POV.

The “I will” works not just for the job trainees, but also for the donors and shoppers:

I will donate. I will save.

GOODWILL

Creative Strategy:

Own a color. The blue/white/black palette in your identity is fine, but consider adding a brighter color palette that works with it. Then use it boldly and consistently.

GOODWILL

Creative Strategy:Own a typeface. Select a distinctive type palette that is widely available on computers. And then use it consistently throughout all your communications.

GOODWILL

Creative Strategy:Use the “I will” concept to generate headlines, but continue to use the last phrase of the existing mission statement – “independence and dignity through work” – as the primary tag line for the brand.

GOODWILL

Creative Concepts: Direction One

Window Posters

GOODWILL


Shopping Bags

GOODWILL


Vehicles

GOODWILL


Department Signs

GOODWILL

Creative Concepts: Direction Two

Window Posters

GOODWILL


Shopping Bags

GOODWILL


Vehicles

GOODWILL


Department Signs

GOODWILL: DEPARTMENT SIGNS

Department Signs


GOODWILL: STORE SIGNS

Department Signs

Rack Signs with Tag Line

Pillar Signs

GOODWILL

Donation Center

GOODWILL

Results (from internal interviews):• New branding has "modernized" the message, re-

energized it.

• Staff has become brand ambassadors – inspired and motivated.

• New branding has provided a disciplined and consistent platform to promote the mission.

GOODWILL

Results (from shopper surveys):• Shoppers believe the stores have better

merchandise.

• Shoppers believe there is more merchandise in the stores.

Financial: • Sales up from 10%-18% in all stores that are

rebranded.

GOODWILL

Recognition: • Winner of the 2011 RAMAE Award for Advertising

and Promotion from the Retail Association of Massachusetts

Branding Best Practices 101: Corey McPherson Nash

Marketing

Transcript of Branding Best Practices 101: Corey McPherson Nash