Answer this question: What’s the number one soft drink company in the world? Chances are, you just answered Coca-Cola or Pepsico. And they’re No. 1 and 2 on any given month. So how did you know the answer? Simple. Brand marketing.

In principle it’s an obvious equation. The more you can get your organization’s name and cause into the public consciousness, the more impact and response you’ll have. To put it crudely, in the corporate world, the more you’re noticed (and associated as a good corporate citizen and/or brand) the more sales you’ll generate.

For nonprofits, it’s a little trickier. Voluntary sector organizations have to brand with societal goals in mind and the hopes of attracting donors. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Think of the United Way or the Salvation Army, two major charities that most Canadians can identify and speak about knowledgeably. And their logos are just as easily remembered and recognized; the United Way’s rainbow-arced open hand and the Salvation Army’s trademark red shield.

But what happens when an organization wants to re-brand? That’s a different proposition. Imagine if you were asked how you would change United Way’s iconic mission or logo (not that it needs it) to make it more relevant or memorable? It’s not easy.

Janay Ferguson, president of LiteHouse Strategic Marketing and Communications in Calgary, works exclusively with nonprofits and offers this description of a re-brand. “Re-branding assumes there is already a brand in place. If that is the case, a re-brand is simply an update of the existing brand – it may also be referred to as a brand refresh,” she says. “I define brands as an expression of an organization’s vision, mission, values, areas of differentiation and aspirations – all articulated in a way that is easy to understand and memorable.”

Seeking independence

According to Ferguson, a re-brand is necessary if an organization’s mission has changed. And there are questions to ask before embarking on the re-brand road.

“What is motivating the change? Has the vision or the mission changed? Those are the two key drivers behind a brand identity – if they have not changed, then the brand should be intact. It may simply be an issue of communications and marketing to help explain and align people to the brand,” she says. “I recommend a brand audit occur approximately every five years. This will measure perceptions and efficacy of the existing brand and will help identify if a re-branding or refresh is required.”

In Ottawa, Traci Walters, national director for Independent Living Canada (ILC) – formerly known as the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) – recalls how and why her organization made the switch to a new branding scheme this past May after more than 20 years being known as CAILC.

“In the spring of 2007 we announced a new logo and slogan and we thought our work was completed on branding. We created the new logo and created a slogan… and kept our original name. However, in May 2007 our marketing committee held a corporate think tank… to tap into the minds of corporate representatives. They raised some thought-provoking questions that made us realize that our work was not yet done,” she recalls. “The most compelling statement was: why we called ourselves the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres? I don’t know how many times people have said to me that they thought the centres were places where people live, not realizing that our member organizations are actually local resource centres for people with disabilities.”

For Walters, it was a revelation and made her realize that the leadership in a nonprofit sometimes has to take a step back from organization to look at it with fresh eyes.

“One of our corporate guests suggested that if our main mandate is to promote the independent living movement/philosophy, we [should] simply call ourselves Independent Living Canada,” Walters says. “I remember looking around the room at the various board members and I could see the light bulb turning on for all of us. It just made so much sense. Looking back now – why did it take 20 years and an outsider to figure that one out? During our brand development process I don’t think we asked for opinions from corporate Canada – local members, people with disabilities, other stakeholders but [we] forgot about corporate Canada.”

A clear re-vision

Most marketing experts agree that the vision and mission statements are the driving force behind any successful brand and/or re-brand.

“Vision represents what the organization aspires to achieve. It is this vision that is typically the inspiration for people to get involved with or support a specific organization over another,” Ferguson says. “The mission explains the details of how they plan to achieve the vision – the who, what and why of the organization. It tells people why the organization exists and is relevant. The brand of course, is an expression of all of these points.”

In addition to changing their logo and name, Walters and ILC also had the task of devising a new vision and mission for the organization.

“Once we had spent so much time [working on] a new logo – we didn’t have one before – and slogan and, ultimately, a new name, it was important that we had a national voice. It quickly became apparent that we needed to be consistent in our messaging,” Walters says. “We have just completed several months creating our new mission/vision and other marketing statements and created a style guide for use by the entire [Independent Living] network.”

Team re-brand

Walters adds that ILC involved stakeholders, focus groups and her board, as well as its executive directors in the re-brand process in order to get consensus on the changes.

“As frustrating as the process seems at times, it was necessary to have the buy-in from our network,” she says. “Within a matter of months, 12 Independent Living Centres have already adopted the [new] logo and slogan. Prior to that, every IL Centre had a different logo. It is the constant and ongoing brand recognition that will solve many of our image, communication and messaging problems. Branding is much more than a logo. We have also created branding tools including the style guide, key messaging documents for various audiences, templates for newsletters, PowerPoints, a disability lexicon and more.”

ILC also engaged the services of a PR agency to provide leadership and knowledge in the re-brand process, something Ferguson highly recommends for nonprofits undergoing a brand shift.

“I recommend using a reputable and trained brand professional to introduce and lead the process and ensure key stakeholders are involved and able to participate when appropriate. A well developed process will include measurements to ensure the brand is aligned and effectively moving the organization toward greater success,” she says.

More than this, Ferguson believes a successful re-brand will revitalize not only the organization’s external image, but also its internal morale.

“My clients typically experience multiple effects from the branding process, including program alignment, focus on strategic directions and goals, targeted fund development strategies, more effective human resource retention and recruitment, clear and concise communication of their vision and mission in a way that is easy to understand, and memorable and improved moral and cohesion among staff and volunteers,” she states.

Avoid re-jection

So what’s the most glaring error an organization can make when it comes to its brand?

“The biggest mistake I see is when organizations treat branding as a project that has a beginning and an end,” Ferguson answers. “You can’t check branding off the ‘list of things to do’. Just as you wouldn’t leave your mission unattended or unmanaged, brands are thoughtful and need to be protected to remain strong. When left unmanaged, brands may leave themselves open to risk of misinterpretation. It is important to apply rigor when branding. There are models and processes that have been developed in order to mitigate risk and inaccuracy, and that lead the development, implementation and management of a strong brand.”

Walters has this piece of advice for her sector colleagues thinking of a re-brand. “Make sure to have plenty of lead time and involve all partners in the process. I think that it was a very good idea to invite people outside of the organization, such as corporate guests, into the process. We are often too close to the organization to be objective about how we are perceived by the public,” she says. “We learned that it takes time and patience and you never get 100% agreement on a logo or slogan but the process is built on consensus.”

Point of interest

For those intrigued by this subject, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is currently running an online e-survey for its members in order to cull information for an upcoming book, Building the Nonprofit Brand, scheduled for release in 2009. The survey poses some thought-provoking questions about how current nonprofit executives view their own brands and is a fun exercise in strategic marketing thought for those who aren’t members.

The AFP says the book will “explore what principles and practices are used to build powerful nonprofit brands… [and] will be a practical roadmap crafted from the experiences of leading nonprofit brands and brand experts.” The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf is president of WordLaunch professional writing services in Toronto. He can be reached at andy@wordlaunch.com