Another week, another discussion about how a design has been refused because it isn’t “on brand” enough. Are you serious?
‘But I used your pantone colour’, I sputtered. ‘The font is typeset according to your guidelines’, I pleaded. Nope.
Brand police – 1. John – 0.
People, this madness must stop.
If you are an E.D., or work at a charity in a senior position, take a seat, grab a coffee and let’s have a little chat about Branding shall we?
First – this is important – if you have a branding or marketing manager whose job it is to give the thumbs up or down to any design and communication piece that crosses your desk – I have good news. You don’t really need them. Sorry.
Branding is not rocket science. Branding is not something you need a degree for. Branding should not be confusing.
Your brand is what you are to your donors. It’s how your donors perceive you. That’s your brand. That’s it.
Two – There are “branding agencies” who will spend a lot of your (and your donors) money – to do focus groups, to design hundreds of logo concepts, straplines, gorgeous design standard manuals, letterheads, big, pompous statements about how your charity is the leader in this and that and you do all of these amazing things… they will hire photographers and shoot gorgeous images for your manuals and reports, they will dictate how to use this special little font that no one has heard of before and how you have to use this or it will all fall apart and then, the glorious day will arrive and they will come to you, sporting the biggest smiles ever and present to you (queue the angels) your BRAND. OOOOoooooooo…
Then, you will have to go out and hire a “brand manager”. Someone who has gone to university and studied marketing and understands how this “brand” works and then can lead you through every communications challenge and when they need to can retrieve the coveted “Brand Book” from the vault to show you why you, your designer and writer are wrong and why you are so off your “brand” you should get a quick slap.
Ok. Maybe I’m going a little far (but somehow I don’t really think I am).
Print this off in 72 pt Times New Roman and hang it by your desk.
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
People get confused and think these almighty tomes produced by specialized agencies that contain fonts and colours and templates that no one uses with fancy words are your brand. Nope. Sorry.
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
Ask your donors what your brand is – they probably don’t even care. What they will say is, “Can you tell me what you did with my $100?” “Thank you for calling me the other day to say thanks for the donation.” “What are your goals this year and how can I help?” “That letter that came last week really moved me and reminded me why I support you.” “Every time I call, I find people so helpful.”
Ask yourself about some of the charities or companies you support. What is the brand of Bell Canada? Air Canada? The Canadian Government? Greenpeace? Amnesty International? What is the brand to you? What do you think about them? Do you even know what FONT Air Canada uses? Do you care?
Jen Love who wrote here last week gave me a great quote that I like to use. Basically she says that any work (design, writing, strategy) that we do starts with a donor centered approach. We put the donor in the centre of every thought we have. Is it good for them? Does it tell them what they need to know? Does it ask them to do something? Have we touched their heart? Have we said thanks?
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
I’ve said it before. It’s not your font. It’s not your PMS colours. It’s not about your wordy mission statement that you need to read 10 times just to understand what the heck it means.
It’s how you talk to your donors, how you answer the phones, how you spend their donations, the way you make them feel when they are thanked, how easy it is for them to access you and how they describe you.
For a little extra reading, you should also check out Jeff Brooks post on Is your brand real or ideal.
you have hit in on the head! I say we blast this as subliminal messages at all conferences, mix it into drinks and handouts, until people are repeating this in their sleep! Great post.
That was funny! Though I shouldn’t laugh. Sadly, it’s all too true!
That was funny! Though I shouldn’t laugh. Sadly, it’s all too true!
Great post, really enjoyed reading. From someone outside the design field I can honestly say I do not know the brand of any of the above mentioned companies. And you are right, i don’t care, I care about how they treat me, how they approach me and how they keep me coming back.
You are a smart one John.
Thanks Miriam, Pat and Michelle for your thoughts. I don’t understand why there are so many “marketing” people out there who are convincing these charities that it needs to be complicated.
“Your brand is how your customers perceive you”
Yes, John, Yes!
I have been trying to hammer this into several heads lately
(and over the past ten years actually). With little to no avail.
Keep talking about the important things John.
Keep fighting the good fight.
In the end, your clients will realize how lucky they (and their brands) are to have a straight-shooter such as yourself at the helm.
Thanks Kim for your input. Your comments are always appreciated!
GREAT article. thanks for your comment on my blog. we can’t be the only ones who feel this way! It’s not always popular to talk about the vested interest that ad agencies and consultants have in brand mythology. Thanks for some common sense truthiness!
I think many clients (and especially charities) use the “brand” defense as a way to avoid making changes to how they define themselves and how they project to the outside world. Having been on both sides of the table, I can say that it’s a reaction made out of fear.
A creative director I once worked with called the phenomenon “analysis to paralysis.” If you throw enough doubt into any new idea, and back it up with the threat of meaningless focus groups, there is no good idea that can’t be stalled and prevented.
And prevention is a form of control.
Another very wise mind has said that “your brand is a promise.” It is both what you project to the world across all touchpoints, and what you ideally aspire to be.
Thanks Steve for your thoughts. And I am sure I haven’t made any new friends amongst the “brand managers” out there…
Cheers Rob for your comments as well. I love your last point about your brand being a promise. It is safe to say that part of your brand is not only how your donors or customers see you – really – it is how you see yourself too – and like you say – what you aspire to be. Thanks.