These Principles are the Principles that went into the 3-page Mission Brief for PraxisProfessional.com, the worldclass NGO.
A brand is recognized by a set of characteristics. It rings true, and marketers operate off of the principle that brands have a quality of value that is different than the products themselves, a type of value in business which is not the same as the benefits customers and clients derive from products (Iocabucci p. 98). A brand is more than its visual imagery and logo. A brand embodies the mission, values, and personality of an organization as well as presents those encountering it with almost an automatic call to action. Clearly focused brand messaging containing these elements both on the inside and on the outside of an organization serves to strategically guide people as to how the organization will interact with them. Clarity is the result of proper branding, and it helps streamline communication and decision-making for all who are involved with an organization, which in turn serves to reinforce an organization’s mission and goals. A brand will create awareness and make people know that your organization exists (JC Engage, YouTube).
The goal when building a strong brand is to build trust and make an organization’s mission understandable and relatable to the general public and more specifically to the market segment target demographic. I am going to focus on non-profit branding and messaging, but branding is essential for non-profits and for-profits alike because it enables organizations to communicate their missions effectively and attract funding and attention (Ideas on Purpose, Online Article). When people time and again encounter the same basic gist of a message from a company via the company’s different marketing channels, it helps to foster an emotional connection. One of the main things a brand does is it conveys information and makes an organization’s mission understandable (Iocabucci p. 101). Clear and targeted messaging will repeatedly strengthen this emotional connection with the organization’s purpose which will build belief in the mission of the organization. This will cause people to become willing and desirous to support the organization through donations, partnerships, and participation.
Strong branding is important because it ensures efficient resource use by clarifying the organization’s identity and goals (Ideas on Purpose, Online Article). A brand also has value due to the visibility it creates and also the emotional connection it fosters with its audience. A properly developed brand causes people to know who you are as an organization. A logo and imagery that resonate can inspire people to emotionally engage and connect with your ethos. A properly developed brand will differentiate an organization from the other organizations in the same sphere and landscape. It is important to create clear, emotionally resonant messages which simple and consistent messaging, visual imaging and of utmost importance, success stories cause an emotional resonance to permeate a brand and will give it stronger outreach and engagement (Ideas on Purpose, Online Article).
In the non-profit arena, it is of utmost importance to involve creative and professional partners whose philosophies align with the organization’s mission in order to strengthen the impact of the brand. Creative and professional partners will help present an organization’s story in a way that compels people and opens up a space and structure inside of their thinking for an effective communication of purpose. A well-developed brand will promote internal cohesion of its members and people associated with it which in turn will help the organization focus its outreach in a way that builds trust and long-term support.
A branding brief should answer key audience questions, with a concise proposition summarizing what the organization stands for (Ideas on Purpose, Online Article). The Proposition at the end of the Branding Brief answers the question: what do we do or say? It should be 1-2 sentences only, any longer than that is a story (JC Engage, YouTube). A brand creates a strategy and route map forward which can simplify organizational decision making and the decision making of people with whom the brand wishes to interact in business in different ways and encourages participation and gets the public involved in an activity via methods like social media, or direct communications with people’s connections and contacts (JC Engage, YouTube).
One of the most compelling elements of branding as mentioned above is success stories or endorsements, which feature a spokesperson on behalf of the brand who is either a celebrity and/or an expert or even just a regular person who has benefitted from the product of the organization (Iocabucci p. 205). Endorsements from celebrities are aimed at causing positive associations which are already attached to the image or legacy of the celebrity and via the endorsement these positive associations transfer to the brand. Creative freedom is a big draw for people with endorsement power because they can become energized by an organization’s ethos and then do wonderful work if you do not limit them very much and give them the freedom to express how they internalize your mission (Ideas on Purpose, Online Article).
In conclusion, a brand serves as a roadmap, simplifying decision-making for members of the organization and its partners, demonstrating an organization’s strategic role in the landscape of similar businesses. A clearly targeted message builds loyalty by helping the public understand and believe in the mission of an organization. A brand builds awareness, creates emotional engagement, utilizes clear and concise messaging, displays success stories, harnesses the power of creative freedom and in so doing builds the following required to attain to organizational success. These are the reasons why branding is important.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Iacobucci (2022). Marketing Management (6th ed., pp. 98-116, p. 205). Cengage.
The Importance of Branding for Nonprofits, NGOs, and Foundations. (September, 2023). Ideas on Purpose. https://www.ideasonpurpose.com/on/branding-for-nonprofits-and-foundations/
JC Engage. (December, 2020). NGO Branding in a Noisy World [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Uz0v77sbnHg?si=Llf2jo1XajdOl1jC