BrandXcellence

“In developing a brand strategy for your organization, just as in architecture, LESS IS MORE. You have to sharpen your message to get into the mind. Jettison the ambiguities. Simplify, then simplify some more if you want to make a long-lasting impression. Select the attributes and competencies of your business that have the best chance of getting through. It’s an overcommunicated society. Oversimplify your organization’s message.” — March 18, “One Charity. One Problem. One Goal” posted by Mike DiFrisco, founder, BrandXcellence, on the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s blog, The Integrator.

Something to ponder from the whitepaper “7 Secrets to Branding in the Nonprofit Organization,” produced by marketing firm BrandXcellence: “You’re probably familiar with department store magnate John Wanamaker’s legendary saying: ‘Fifty percent of my advertising is wasted; I just don’t know which fifty percent.’ If that statement weren’t so accurate, we might laugh a little harder. The fact is, the Advertising Research Foundation reports that, while the number is actually closer to 20 percent — but with some estimates as high as 80 percent — businesses waste between $30 and $50 billion each year on ineffective marketing. And the primary cause of all those dollars

Often the biggest hurdle you’ll face in developing or refining the brand strategy for your organization is the reluctance of the CEO to buy into the importance of branding. But it’s critical to get the full support and backing from the CEO or your board before proceeding down the brand path. Bob Lamons, communications consultant and founder of Robert Lamons and Associates, says, “The CEO needs to be the No. 1 brand champion. No exceptions. No extenuating circumstances. If she resists accepting this responsibility, the company will suffer.” I’ve heard more than one CEO ask the questions, “But how does the brand fit

All nonprofit organizations are marketing organizations in that they use marketing activities to get prospects to become members, supporters or donors. An organization can’t market itself well without an understanding of its brand strategy, e.g., its market position, what differentiates it, etc. This is the focus of “7 Secrets to Branding in the Nonprofit Organization,” a white paper by Michael DiFrisco, founder of BrandXcellence, a firm that provides brand-strategy workshops and solutions to nonprofit organizations. Operating without a brand strategy in place is like trying to build your organization on shifting sand, DiFrisco writes. Organizations and businesses alike waste billions of dollars on ineffective