Yesterday and today a colleague of mine and I had the pleasure of facilitating interviews, focus groups and ideation sessions with stakeholders from several secondary and higher education institutions in Minneapolis as part of a national education brand initiative. The purpose of the project is to develop a common identity that will connect nearly 50 schools in the United States.
We met with senior administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees and others to ask their opinion about the current identity of their school and the network of schools, as well as get their recommendations for moving forward with the brand development efforts. Employees, customers and other constituents appreciate the opportunity to give a voice to the process and share their perspectives. After all, they are expected to live the brand. They are the brand champions.
Unfortunately most organizations never engage their stakeholders in the brand development process. Most organizations simply have a long lunch with some Mad Men advertisers and knock out a tagline or two, then tell everyone they have a new brand strategy. Sustainable brands engage their stakeholders in the process and understand the importance of mission and core values!
Rex Whisman
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