Rebranding Strategies: Best Practices

About the VENG Group The VENG Group is a government relations, communications, public affairs, and outreach firm that specializes in the nonprofit community. Our team is based in Boston, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. We help our clients with: Public Relations/Message DevelopmentPublic Policy Research and Advice Content & Communications StrategyGovernment Relations Day-to-Day Communications OperationsCoalition/Community Building and Outreach Media TrainingMulticultural Outreach and Advocacy Social Media MarketingInnovative Technological Solutions for Advocacy Website Development/ManagementGrassroots/Grasstops Outreach and Campaigns Brand Development/Reputation ManagementConferences and 3

What is a brand? A brand reflects your organization’s entire programmatic spectrum and approach. A brand is about your competitive advantage, your relationships, what you do best, and what inspires

Why Brand Identity is Important A deep and clear understanding of who you are, where you fit and what your competitive advantages are will allow communications – what you say and how you say it – to flow effectively. A well-designed brand architecture and identity means that all programs and services are coherent and allow communications tactics to be sharp and at their

A brand is much more than a name change. It involves all your spheres of influence. Spheres of Influence Management and staff Board and advisory council Funders Coalition partners Policy makers Media Community at

Branding vs. Rebranding Branding If you are a new nonprofit and need to find your niche. You get too many “what’s that?” when talking about your organization. A strategic planning process has made branding a necessary next

Branding vs. Rebranding Rebranding Your original brand is out of sync with new organizational goals, priorities, and programs. Your image and messages are too many and lack consistency. You are experiencing a decline in membership and/or

Quick Poll: Brand vs. Rebrand? How many of you feel that your organization needs to 1.Brand to begin with?

Why should you rebrand? Increase in donors and donations A clear brand identity and message will influence who donates and how often. New audience/membership Communicating the brand consistently and effectively will grab the attention of new stakeholders, including corporate partners. Increase in brand awareness A clear and consistent brand is the best way to cultivate loyalty and establish

What does rebranding entail? Cosmetic refresher of your logo, tagline, collateral materials. Full-scale approach that assesses brand position, messaging, tagline, and visual

Cosmetic Refresher Updated logo New tagline, elevator speech Revised marketing and collateral materials that reflect new logo and

Case Study: Human Rights Campaign BeforeAfter Human Rights Campaign FundHuman Rights Campaign The new name and logo in 1995 were made to reflect the goals and influence of HRC, which had widened and grown since its founding in

Full-Scale Rebranding Conduct research 1.Competitive Landscape Review – How do similar organizations in your sector position themselves? 2.Communications Audit – A review of all communications strategies and materials to assess alignment and gaps. 3.Brand Review – How is your organization viewed by internal and external stakeholders? What do they see as your strengths, weaknesses, competitive advantages, and growth

Full-Scale Rebranding Brand and Communications Strategy The research will help you determine: 1.Brand Architecture – What is the relationship between programs, and also between programs and the organization. This is a good time to determine whether programmatic changes need to be made. 2.Strategic Positioning – Identify what is the organization’s unique advantage and what niche it wants to occupy. 3.Message Hierarchy – What are the different messages for the organization, and what is their order of importance? 4.Mission Statement – Does it need to be rewritten and in what

Full-Scale Rebranding Developing the brand Mission statement Organizational name change Tagline or slogan Supporting messages Design logo and new visual identity New website and collateral material, i.e. templates, newsletters,

Case Study: CENYC The Council of the Environment of New York City (CENYC) is a privately funded citizens’ organization (within the Office of the Mayor). It is a hands-on, nonprofit organization with about 50 staff charged with improving New York City’s quality of life through environmental programs and empowering New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for themselves and their children. Donations and volunteers are critical to its mission.

Case Study: CENYC Name Change: GrowNYC Research revealed a disconnect between stakeholders’ perceptions of what CENYC was called versus what it did. The name had to change, and reflect the who, what and vision of the organization.

Case Study: CENYC Key Programs and Messages Research can reveal multiple programs with names that are confusing or do not reflect a holistic message or organization. Group programs together, or determine if programmatic changes are required. At GrowNYC, all programs now fall under four categories: Garden, Recycle, Teach, Greenmarket.

Case Study: CENYC New Logo and Visual Identity Logos are shorthand for what the organization represents.

Case Study: CENYC The final logo for GrowNYC was a variation of a green apple at the center of key program words.

Key Times to Rebrand A new campaign Change in executive leadership 10 th or 20 th Anniversary End of strategic

Avoid Pitfalls Board buy-in – make sure you know where your board stands and how much your board members want to be involved. Most likely, they will need to approve any major change in direction. Brand champion – make sure you have a well- respected staff or board member leading the cause and building consensus. Regular check-ins – Consultants don’t know you as well as you do. Stay in constant communication, ask for a brand strategy, and agree upon a timeline and decision-making

THANK YOU Charu , x 106