At Turnbull Marketing Group, we specialize in working with small and growing nonprofits. That means that a lot of our clients come to us with little understanding of what a brand is, let alone how to protect theirs.
Last week, I presented a three-hour workshop, Nonprofit Branding Demystified, for Project LIFT, a City of Raleigh initiative. During the workshop, we explored what a nonprofit brand really is, how (and how not) to create one, and what it means for small organizations.
We also spent some time analyzing several case studies, including Komen For The Cure. Touted as the #1 most-trusted brand according to the Harris Poll, Komen has been involved in some heated debate recently over their "Buckets For The Cure" promotion with KFC.
Komen has damaged its brand primarily because it broke the fundamental law of nonprofit branding.
The Buckets For The Cure materials are all "on brand." The design is instantly linked to Komen, as is the campaign name. The website, www.bucketsforthecure.com, mirrors Komen's own site by soliciting and sharing stories of breast cancer survivors. It all looks right.
So why isn't this campaign finger lickin' good? Because Komen followed a visual perception of brand and got derailed.
Nonprofit branding isn't just about how things look. What matters most in developing a nonprofit's brand is the same thing that matters to the day in, day out operations of the organization: it's mission. Mission-focused branding is the only safe approach to developing your organization's personality.
So if you're following a visual concept of a brand, look out. You may be headed for trouble.
What to learn more about nonprofit branding and how you can develop a solid, mission-driven personality for your organization? Contact us today. We'd love to help you look and be your best as you help others.
View the full presentation from our Nonprofit Branding Demystified workshop.
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