Nonprofit branding is reality, not theory

What are you talking about when you're talking about branding?

If it's design and marketing concepts, you are a victim of The Branding Myth, as the Make Marketing History blog put it.

Branding is...

... whatever a product actually delivers that generates real emotional attachments. This originates not just from its functionality but also in terms of packaging, delivery and convenience. Branding hype is not what people want. They want results.

Branding is not something created by marketing. It's not a color palette or a positioning statement. It's something real. Something that happens out there in the world, not just in your marketing and PR.

So next time you get the urge to "improve" your brand, start with this question: Is what we do and how we do it unique, remark-worthy, and materially better than what anyone else does?

If you can say yes to that -- and it's not just mutual back-patting, but really true -- then you can start asking if you're expressing it is power and clarity.

But first things first.

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Comments

[KJ]

I couldn't agree more. The sad reality is that so many non-profits and NGO's lack the manpower and time to devote to rigorous brand cultivation, much less the enormous discipline which is required to maintain a strong brand after its been established.

As corporations continue to drive more and more invasive forms of marketing and promotion, brand awareness will continue to be the primary method of emotional/mental interaction with the world for many consumers--and potential donors.