Got Image? How to make your facility stand out in a crowded marketplace? A NEPA LTC Workshop June 4,

Understand that brand and branding are different concepts. The “ing” makes a big difference. A brand exists in your mind. It’s a collection of associations or feelings people have about your community – whether it’s true or not! Branding is the tangible process of creating the signals that generate these associations.

Establish a differentiated meaning for your brand that the consumers you want to reach care about – find relevant – before you try to begin branding. Differentiation and relevance – not awareness – make a brand strong and keep it strong. You can’t build awareness without having something to build it on. The most successful brands know this.

Brand building is a marathon event. Success is not a one-time thing. Make sure you have the verve for the long haul. Good brands last and there’s a reason they do.

3 keys to branding success 1. Every intelligent brand represents something different in the minds of consumers. 2. This difference is meaningful to the consumers you want to reach. 3. This “relevant differentiation” is made simple by you for people to understand.

Your Brand Report Card 40 points: How do you rank Differentiation – your brand’s point of difference Relevance – how appropriate your brand is to consumer needs Esteem – how your brand is regarded Knowledge – how intimately your brand is understood

You’re thinking of rebranding New logo. New brochures. New tagline. New website. DON’T DO IT…

… Until you determine what brand problem you are trying to solve: Being different from your competition? Appealing to new audiences? What can you offer that’s unique? What does the market want?

The central problem of brand building is getting a complex organization to execute a simple idea.

Your community’s Brand Signals Your name Your logo and brand color Your sign The way you answer the phone Your bricks and mortar (environment) Word of mouth Brand extensions

The best way to do this is to bring your own staff together for what we call “Brandstorming” sessions. And we don’t just mean marketing people or your executive staff. Open up these sessions to staff at every level.

So what is Brandstorming you ask? Brandstorming is a “discovery process” used to find your point of distinction and how to position yourself for the future. It is done most effectively by bringing together small groups for two-hour idea sessions.

At the Brandstorming sessions, comments will flow about your organization - your people, values, innovations, strengths and weaknesses to help discover what you have that is truly unique and what branding paths to pursue.

Simplicity = Memorability ______ the San Francisco treat. Aren’t you glad you use ______ ? Bring out the ______ and bring out the best. I wish I was an ______. I’d like to buy the world a ______. Like a good neighbor, ______ is there.

Where does your brand fall? 1. Good but not different (some brand potential) 2. Good and different (strong) 3. Not good and not different (little) 4. Different but not good (no)

Advertising is not Branding ADVERTISING “NEPA LTC is the best” BRANDING “I understand NEPA LTC is the best.”

And now… let’s go get a drink…

Branding 101 Worksheet (give to your CEO ) Our ______________________ Is the ONLY _______________ THAT ____________________

Branding Cliff Notes A brand is a prospect or customer’s understanding about your facility. It’s not what you say it is, but what THEY say it is.

Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick,” a curling iron, into German only to find out that “mist” is slang for manure. Not too many people in Germany had use for the “manure stick”.

In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into “Schweppes Toilet Water.”

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”. Instead, the company thought the word “embarazar” (to impregnate) meant to embarrass. The result: “A Parker Pen won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant”.

Strive to be a proper noun in an improper world. So what is a brand? In reality it’s a proper noun that can used in place of a common word: Instead of an imported beer you ask for a Heineken. Instead of an expensive watch, you ask for a Rolex (or at least a knock-off) Instead of a safe car, you ask for a Volvo. Instead of a Long Term Care Facility you ask for YOUR BRAND