Keeping on Brand Message

Q. How can we do a better job of keeping everyone in our organization on brand message?

A. It doesn't matter how good the choir is. If everyone is singing from different song sheets, it's just noise! The same holds true for an organization's brand. If everyone is sending out different messages, it confuses the audiences you are trying to reach. One of the best ways to keep everyone on message is to create a "messaging package."

A messaging package is simply a compilation of the core messages you want your brand to convey. Its purpose is to help you stay on message whenever you communicate information about your organization. A good messaging package answers the questions: Who are we? What do we do? How do we do it? And why should anyone care enough to support us.

Your messaging package should include the following:

Tagline

A tagline is a catchy, quick-identifying reference, usually no more than five to seven words. A good tagline will trigger the imagination, interest, and emotions of your target audiences. Think of Nike's "Just do it!" or the American Red Cross's "Together, we can save a life."

Your tagline should be incorporated into all your materials, including signs, stationery, banners, media materials, and Web site. The Kiwanis tagline: "Serving the Children of the World."

Positioning statement

A positioning, or defining, statement often is referred to as an "elevator speech." It is something that can be delivered quickly to someone who knows little, if anything, about your organization. It is perhaps the most important component of your messaging package and should be short, compelling, and to the point. Kiwanis International's Defining Statement:"Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time."

When developing your positioning statement, keep in mind its purpose is not to educate people about every program, service, or product your organization offers. Rather it should be designed to interest them in your overall mission, to get them to care enough about what you do-and your importance to the community-so that they will want to learn more.

Supporting statements

Think of supporting statements as talking points to be included into your speeches, presentations, printed materials, Web site, and elsewhere.

You can create dozens of supporting statements that can be used selectively to target different audiences.

Supporting statements may address:

• Your core values (caring and responsive to the needs of customers, for example; a reliable, trustworthy business partner; good stewards of public/private funding, etc.).
• The range of programs and services you offer.
• The impact of your work on the people you serve, as well as the community, in general.
• How long your organization has been in existence.

Here are a few Kiwanis supporting statements:

• Our members, Kiwanians, are service-minded men and women who are united in their commitment and compassion for others. Kiwanis members dedicate more than six million volunteer hours and invest more than US$100 million in service projects to strengthen communities and serve children every year.
• At Kiwanis, we want to ensure that all children have the opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives. We believe by helping one child, you help the world.
  Kiwanis International serves children and communities worldwide with nearly 600,000 adult and youth members in more than 90 nations.
• As one of the world's leading community-service organizations, Kiwanis' strength is that it is both international and local. Collectively, clubs have responded to global problems while continuing to address local needs.
• Kiwanians are ordinary people who perform extraordinary "hands-on" work. Our 270,000 adult members annually invest more than 6 million hours and $100 million in projects that strengthen our communities and serve children.
• Kiwanis International plays a special role in leadership development. Kiwanis-sponsored organizations teach community service and leadership skills to elementary through college-age students. Through these organizations, Kiwanis is passing the ideals of service to future generations.

In short, supporting statements bolster the brand by providing additional facts about your organization to various targeted audiences.

Logo

Your logo is the design cornerstone that should give all your materials a consistent look, style, and feel so people can identify immediately with your organization. (Think of McDonald's golden arches, Nike's swoosh, and, of course, the Red Cross's, red cross.)

In addition to being attractive and representative of your brand, think about the various ways you can use your logo and how difficult or expensive it may be to reproduce. Consider proportions, as well. A detailed logo that looks great on a large banner may not reproduce well when it is reduced small enough to fit on a business card. Also consider how it will look in color, black and white, faxed, enlarged, or reduced.

Your logo should be used uniformly and consistently on all your materials, including annual reports, brochures, fliers, report covers, press releases, video covers, etc.

Creating an effective messaging package will take some time, energy, and resources. But if used consistently, it's a great way to get everyone singing from the same song sheet; a way to produce harmony instead of noise when it comes to explaining who you are, what you do, how you do it-and why anyone should care enough to support you.

As you know, Kiwanis has a Graphic Standards Manual both on the Web site and available as a hard copy. A Resource CD with a small photo library, photos, and stationery templates also is available. Your club can request a graphic standards manual and/or Resource CD by contacting Kay Williams. Please provide a contact name and address.

Reprinted with permission: Checco Communications, Larry Checco, Principal