Brand Champions

Brand Champions of the Day- David Dryden and Tadson Bussey, University & College Designers Association

Every Monday and Friday I feature people and organizations who understand what it means to be a brand champion. Today I am pleased to highlight David Dryden and Tadson Bussey from the University & College Designers Association (UCDA). I was first introduced to UCDA several years ago when I was working in a communications and marketing department at a private university. Several of my staff were members. I become more familiar with the organization when I had the opportunity to facilitate a pre-conference workshop two years ago in Toronto. That experience led me to become a champion of their brand. I am honored to have the privilege to present at their upcoming conference in Seattle this October. Today David and Tadson share their views on what they think it means to be a brand champion for UCDA.

David Dryden says:

"The University & College Designers Association (UCDA) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2010. UCDA was founded in 1970 as the nation’s first and only association for professionals involved in the creation of visual communications for educational institutions. Over the years, it has grown to an organization comprised of more than 1,000 members throughout the United States and Canada. UCDA’s long history has enabled it to develop a distinctive brand. Two years ago we set out to better understand the organization’s brand so we could more clearly express what makes it distinctive. 

"My full-time job is director of Creative Services at Clemson University, but for the past 20 years I have been involved with UCDA in various roles. Currently I am serving my third term on the board of directors. Part of what I wanted to accomplish while on the board was to evaluate who we were as an organization and to see if what we were saying in our communications agreed. Through research and study, we found that we had a distinctive story to tell different from other design organizations — but that our marketing efforts did not always speak to those unique attributes. We began a process of redesigning the organization’s identity, including its color palette, typography, logo and messaging. We needed to put the tools in place so we could speak consistently, correctly and clearly. Cheryl Desellier, a Clemson University art director, took the lead on developing UCDA’s new logo, and other board members contributed time to shaping the overall brand architecture. What has resulted is a brand expression that now aligns perfectly with UCDA’s personality, goals and aspirations. 

"A brand champion is someone who sees a need for an organization to restate who its members are so that they accurately communicate to the marketplace what is distinctive about the group. It can be a difficult role. Often individuals within the organization see no issue with the current marketing/communication effort and can’t understand the need for change. Brand champions are big picture individuals. They see the totality of what is going on both inside and outside of the organization. UCDA is fortunate because the board and executive director were involved from the start and realized the benefit that would result from this effort.

"The results? Even in this rough economic climate, UCDA has been able to hold its membership numbers steady. A clearly and correctly stated brand does have a positive impact on the bottom line. It is an investment every organization should consider a necessity, not a luxury or waste of resources."

Tadson Bussey says:

"As executive director of UCDA, creating a logo for an organization of designers is no mean feat. Every member is a passionate practitioner; each an expert reviewer.

"UCDA is an organization consisting of designers and communications professionals in education from across North America. They work, live and breath design day-in and day-out. As a design organization, it was of utmost importance to produce the best materials we could and be stewards of our brand. We not only wanted—but needed—to lead by example.

"Although the materials UCDA was distributing were considered well designed and effective, the logo/wordmark was outdated and had been used by the association for nearly 30 years. Identity standards had been followed over the years, but were in need of some updating to allow for cross-media implementation.

"The new UCDA logo is an expression of our organization. Designer Cheryl DeSellier has created a logo that reflects the vitality of UCDA. We know who we are, and are able to express that visually."


David and Tadson, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to share your thoughts on what you think it means to be a brand champion for UCDA. I look forward to catching up with you in October. For now, you are the Brand Champions of the Day!

Rex Whisman
Brand Champions Blog

Brand Sustainability

Earlier in the week I had the pleasure of meeting with one my high school clients. I presented to all faculty and staff as part of their back to school orientation days. The theme of my presentation was brand sustainability. I have been working with this particular school for about five years now. During that time my organization has had the opportunity to develop and implement a brand strategy for the school and the other schools in the school system.

Also during that period of time the economy has taken a turn for the worse, competition has become more prevalent and the word sustainability has become more a part of our lexicon. When most people or organizations use the word sustainability they do so in reference to a green strategy or social responsibility. When I use the word sustainability I do so in reference to a brand, and ensuring that the brand remains in existence.

I also do so in connection with the organization's's mission, core values and stakeholder engagement. I find that it is more effective to recruit and retain brand champions when you are talking about survival, rather than a green strategy that may or may not align with your overall brand strategy.

What does sustainability mean to your brand?

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Education Brands- It is Not About Advertising Campaigns

Two days ago many people forwarded me an interesting article from Monday's Wall Street Journal entitled Hard-Hit Try Public Relations Push. The well-written piece told the story about various strategies and tactics that several public school districts around the United States are taking to increase enrollment. I was a bit disturbed by the piece though. Not because of the way the article was written, the author or the sources, but because of the amount of money these districts are spending on traditional advertising that most people no longer trust as a way to deliver a message of authenticity.

The story struck a cord on many levels. First of all because much of the work that my organization does in the K-12 education sector. Secondly because the title included the words public relations, while in fact most of the story focused on marketing techniques mostly annual advertising campaigns. The last time I looked there was a difference between public relations and advertising. Finally because I saw no mention of the words mission, core values and stakeholder engagement, and very little mention of social media in the piece.

A sustainable brand is focused on developing a strategy that is based on mission, core values and stakeholder engagement. A sustainable brand is not based on an expensive advertising campaign, a new logo or a trendy tag line. I do agree with the public relations strategy. Like social media it is  because it is an inexpensive alternative to advertising, and often more effective to measure. My experience tells me that when school think in terms of mission, core values and engaging their stakeholders in the brand development process the brand becomes sustainable. And when they deliver their brand message through social media the brand becomes more relevant to the right audience, it is a great return on investment and is easier to measure.

Does your brand strategy still rely on Old World tactics like television and radio advertising or does your strategy include a 21st Century approach that is relevant to your target audience? Are you effective in recruiting and retaining your brand champions?

KBDI Delivers On-Brand Experience

Last Saturday I watched 9/11: Blueprint for the Truth on my local PBS station, KBDI. I was intrigued by the research observations and findings by the architects and engineers that were challenging the reasons for collapse of the twin towers and building 7 at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. As you probably know there is a movement afoot that says the buildings fell the way they did because of a controlled demolition.

During the program I was also interested in how KBDI handled the pledge breaks. Like most non-profit stations they used the breaks to ask for money, but unlike most organizations in general they utilized the break to champion their brand. Station staff and volunteers talked about KBDI's strategic plan,  core values like risk-taking, free speech and outside the mainstream. That was great.

Based upon the content of the program and the attributes expressed during the breaks, I concluded that what I was watching was an on-brand experience. No matter what side of the aisle one might be on concerning the debate related to the show, the approach taken by KBDI was a very effective way to recruit and retain brand champions for the station, and for PBS.

How does your organization deliver on-brand experiences? Does it have a brand strategy, or does it simply spend money on advertising to get some quick wins?

Brand Champion of the Day- Katherine Maund, Social Media Marketer, Such a Voice

Every Monday and Friday I feature someone or some organization that understands what it means to be a brand champion. A few months ago I had the fortune of connecting with Katherine Maund through twitter. I was impressed with her ability to deliver on-brand experiences with her tweets. She clearly gets how to utilize social media as a primary communications and marketing tool for the organization that she represents, and as an effective way to develop her own personal brand strategy. Today, Katherine shares her perspective on what it means to be a brand champion.

" My name is Katherine Maund and I am a recent graduate of Champlain College in Burlington, VT. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and landed a job as a Social Media Marketer for Such A Voice, a company that trains aspiring voice over artists. In my free time, I enjoy photography, singing and playing guitar at local venues, traveling as much as possible, and volunteering.

 

"Social media and internet marketing have become a part of my daily life. After the plug was pulled on a job offer as I neared the end of my senior year, I jumped on the job search train immediately just like millions of other Americans facing the economic downturn. Faced with daily remarks like, “you’re graduating into the worst economy since the Great Depression,” only fueled the fire in me to not become part of the unemployment statistic. Little did I know, I would learn how to brand and sell myself to potential employers.

 

"I spent the next few weeks after graduation defining the brand of ME: my core values, my short and long term goals, key differentiators that would make me rise above the rest of the job-hungry graduates, my mission statement, and my credibility. I spent countless hours on Craigslist, Careerbuilder, LinkedIn, and Twitter looking for any position that slightly resembled my skill set. It was through Twitter that I realized I had a knack for social networking online and suddenly, my brand found its identity! I began marketing myself on various social networking sites with descriptions such as social media marketer, Web 2.0 enthusiast, and wanderlust adherent  (to demonstrate my passion for travel). Before I knew it, I was interviewing for jobs I never thought I would be able to because I suddenly had relevant experience in social media marketing.

 

"I now work as the Social Media Marketer for a company called Such A Voice. I landed the job because I demonstrated my ability to market a brand (myself) to the online community and to potential employers. No matter what your product or service is, it’s crucial to identify your brand and in turn, make others aware of it. I recommend the following resources for brand identity and marketing."

 

1. Dan Schawbel’s book, Me 2.0
2. Brand Yourself Blog 
3. Small Business Branding

Katherine you are the epitome of a social media marketer and understand brand. As a result of your insight and ability to connect brand and social media, you are the Brand Champion of the Day!

Rex Whisman
Brand Champions Blog

Misconceptions About Brand and Mobile Marketing

Over the course of the past several months I have engaged in conversations with mobile marketing professionals and explored ways to effectively deliver on-brand experiences with mobile devices. During that time I have discovered that my kindred spirits in the mobile marketing world share many of my views on brand, and share many of my frustrations.

We share a common bond in the fact that many people have misconceptions about what we do and what the words branding and mobile marketing mean. In most situations people conjure up thoughts that we are going to try and push some silly advertising campaign on them and come up with a logo like above. While in fact we don't really like advertising and logos that much ourselves.

Unfortunately many of our fellow marketers reinforce people's skepticism and stereotypes about marketing by making it all about the logo, tagline and advertising campaign. Those of us in the brand and mobile world are actually trying to save you from having to spend a ton of money on those often pricey solutions.

In the case of mobile much of what the people I know who are in the business are doing is helping their clients more effectively communicate their brand through text messaging. What I am trying to do is help my clients develop a sustainable brand strategy based on mission, core values and stakeholder engagement. One of the best ways to deliver that essence is through communications on the mobile devices that we have with us all of the time. We are all about helping you recruit and retain your brand champions.

We are not Mad Men or Women!

Does Signing Michael Vick Enhance or Dilute Philadelphia Eagles Brand?

First of all it would be interesting to know if the Eagles have a brand strategy, and if this move aligns with it. I believe that in the short-term the signing of Michael Vick could dilute the Philadelphia Eagles brand. There are still a number of people who remember the graphic images of dog fighting sponsored by Michael Vick. They may or may not be Eagles fans, or Vick fans.

There are not many emotional feelings greater than the ones associated with dogs, especially if they are our pets. Seeing animals being killed by design creates severe emotions, and not in a good way. Although Michael Vick has served time in prison, lost tons of money while jailed and completely lost all sense of pride, there are many who think he should pay for the rest of his life.

My take is that in the long run if the Eagles win games in some part due to Vick and if he demonstrates that he is serious about being a civil person then people will forgive him. His signing will then enhance the Eagles brand. If the team loses even in some small part due to Vick and if he relapses then the Eagle brand will be diluted. I think these results will determine who are the champions of both brands.

What do you think?

Brand Champions of the Day- St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, Loveland, Colorado

On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone or some organization that understands what it means to be a brand champion. Today I am delighted to feature a best practice in brand development and execution of a brand strategy through social media. For the past few years I have had the pleasure of working with St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, located in Loveland, Colorado. I often sing the praises of this forward-thinking school. In fact the other day I suggested to both a high school and university that they should check out the elementary school's progressive Facebook page, if those other schools want to see how brand execution through social media is done right. St. John the Evangelist Catholic School was kind enough to share with us today their view on the connection of brand and social media.

"St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Loveland, Colorado constantly re-evaluates our marketing efforts.  This past Spring, our Principal, Dr. Sara Amodio dove into the social media realm by having the school create a Facebook page for postings on happenings at the school. We also have our own St. John the Evangelist blog. We are looking to place more web based ads versus traditional media. Instead of placing an ad in the yellow pages, the school will compare online options with local papers and decide whether to place ads in the papers or via their online news.

"We still work with some traditional marketing tools. For example, this past Winter brought much success with a radio ad on the local NPR station. Public Relations efforts are being sought and other "free" avenues for telling our story. The local paper has a "News By You" section that allows our school to upload interesting things the students participate in.

"By increasing the awareness of our school, the brand of Catholic Schools in general is spread, which also enhances the school's brand in the local community. Catholic Schools Week is one of the most important efforts that our school undertakes during the year which spreads the news of Catholic Education. In addition, the school's community work is shared with local parishes and the greater Loveland Community.

"The school's brand is extending our reach into the larger Northern Colorado community, which enhances the awareness of what the school is all about. While many opportunities exist it is important to continually evaluate and take advantage of the many new mediums that are available and think outside the box when trying to tell our story."

Thank you St. John the Evangelist Catholic School. I love your out of the box thinking and how you have embraced brand building through social media. You truly understand what it means to be a brand champion, and as a result, you are the Brand Champions of the Day!

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

Measuring Brand Performance

There is a lot of chatter these days about accountability and performance. Recently Chevy has been making hay about its Volt getting 230 miles per gallon. The health care and financial services industries are chasing their tails trying to figure out to effectively position themselves for the new economy, while at the same time facing ever increasing scrutiny from governments and people around the world.

Other organizations are moving forward and seem to not be missing much of a beat. Authentic brands  like Southwest Airlines appear to gain momentum even in trying times. How do they do it? In my view because they have a clear understanding about who they are and what they stand for. The also realize that a brand's performance is measured in both tangible and intangible ways. Hard and fast ROI is not the only way to assess a brand's value.

Tangible brand outcomes can range from increasing the number of qualified inquiries to reducing the amount of money spent on advertising, and improving employee retention. Intangible outcomes can include creating an internal culture to support your mission, establishing a rallying cry for your brand across all stakeholder groups and cultivating more engaged interactions between your internal and external brand champions.

It is often the intangible aspects of brand that drive success and deliver tangible results. Sustainable brands understand this way of thinking and it is not counter-intuitive to them. How do you measure brand performance?

Rex Whisman

Brand Champions Blog

How Does Acquisition of Friendfeed Change Facebook Brand?

 

Technology, what a concept. Yesterday I learned from my daily online Fast Company newsletter on my Blackberry that Facebook has acquired Friendfee. Today I am writing about the social network marriage on my blog. A few years ago I would have never thought that this experience would be taking place. Like many of you I can speculate about the impact that the Facebook purchase of Friendfeed will have on those of us who use these applications on to enhance our own brands.

Each day feeds from this blog and twitter end up on Facebook and Friendfeed. Although I have my Friendfeed link on my email signature and occasionally someone will request to connect from there, I probably have not utilized Friendfeed as much as I should have in the past. After reading the news yesterday that Facebook is taking it over, I am not sure what to think about the situation. Will Friendfeed simply go away or will its technology be merged into yet another Facebook? One thing is for sure, those social media applications that are not integrated with others will not survive, or will be taken over by someone else. Your brand needs to be aware of these ongoing changes and you need to devote the appropriate resources to stay connected.

How do you think the acquisitions will change Facebook? How will it change your business strategy? Are you effectively leveraging social media to enhance your brand, and recruit and retain your brand champions?