“A brand is the space you occupy in somebody else's mind” Anita Roddick, Founder Body Shop

Current brands Organisation name Stand-alone Brands and organisations

What the research told us… A vital role that is it not fulfilling as well as it could “Significant alienation and dissatisfaction among members” Confusion about the respective roles of organisations and the boundaries between them Not telling the local government story Current branding is “messy”, “dated”, “overlapping”, “inconsistent”, “unintelligible” Individual brands are not well known/understood, with investment being spread too thinly Not seen as value for money, dynamic or forward thinking The time is right to find an alternative and more efficient/effective brand strategy Source: LGA Research Digest, Apr 2009; LGA Branding Interview Debrief, Feb 2009; LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Things the brand strategy must address… 1.Make clear roles and relationships within the group An integrated whole reflecting current structures Communicate a sense of connection and co-ordination across the Group 2.Reposition the brands to tell the story of LG Lobbying and support for LG E.g. by including LG in brand names 3.Help customers navigate the different Group offers 4.Demonstrate value for money and return on subscription (and address perceptions of waste, duplication and overlap) 5.Create a “clear common identity” and improve consistency of brand expression across the Group 6.Address low profile of the Group, resulting from brand investment being spread too thinly Create synergies across the portfolio Support smaller/newer brands through association with other more established Group brands 7.Signal change to audiences ‘It looks different because it is different’ Source: LGA Research Digest, Apr 2009, LGA Branding Interview Debrief, Feb 2009; LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Future brand architecture options Freestanding Corporate brand is often invisible Each product/service is individually branded No co-branding or visual relationship to the parent brand Ruled out by most Suggests wastage and doesn’t address any of the recurring issues identified Source: LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Future brand architecture options Family of brands Corporate brand operates alongside service brand Parent name/graphic is used in combinations to create a sense of family Sub-brands have appropriate independence from the parent Favoured by a significant proportion Retains the investment/equity in current brands, addresses many of the recurring issues identified Source: LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Future brand architecture options Branded house Corporate brand operates alongside product/service brands Parent name/graphic is shared across the portfolio Sub-brands are identified by name only in a uniform lock up with the core elements Favoured by a significant proportion Avoids waste, creates greater synergies across the portfolio and addresses many of the recurring issues identified Source: LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Future brand architecture options Unified Corporate brand is applied to all products/services Name/graphic used consistently and uniformly Source: LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009 Ruled out by most A step too far, too one-dimensional

Branded House Structure Freestanding Structure Family of Brands Unified Structure Future brand architecture options Options evaluation Flexibility Positive image transfer Cost efficiency Tailoring to target groups Source: LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Brand Architecture Scaling Exercise Free Standing Unified Brand Family of Brands Branded House Average 5.5 Green: Members Grey: Officers Source: LGA Branding Interview Debrief, Feb 2009; LGA Branding Workshops, Mar 2009

Our recommendation Branded House Structure Freestanding Structure Family of Brands Unified Structure Make clear group roles and relationships (reflecting structures) Reposition the brands to tell the story of LG Help customers navigate the different Group offers Demonstrate value for money and return on subscription Create a “clear common identity” Address low profile (from thinly spread investment) Signal change

How similar organisations use branded house – NHS

How similar organisations use branded house – Home Office

Our recommendation – branded house It will clearly link all the organisation together, whilst allowing each to focus on a different role and target audience By using a new approach to naming (e.g. where ‘LG’ was more visible/explicit), it makes explicit the organisations’ roles in supporting the sector It will help customers navigate the offers, understanding they are all part of a single, connected and coordinated Group It will generate significant efficiencies (though not as much as unified, but this option is less appropriate given the governance structures) It allows for considerable tonal alignment, both verbally and visually, generating savings and creating a “clear common identity” Any promotional activity in one area of the portfolio will benefit the rest of the portfolio, again generating efficiency savings and synergies The visual shift will be a signal to audiences that the organisations are changing to meet the evolving needs of the sector

Implications (purely illustrative)

Future personality

Next steps