Finding a role for member research in the branding equation
By John Grifferty
“Brand is the little black dress of marketing,” according to Tom Simmons of The Tom Simmons Agency. “Brand raises any marketing conversation to a higher level of elegance and credibility.” On a more anecdotal level, it has been frequently stated that a “brand” is what is said about an organization or a company when “they aren’t in the room.” A brand is essentially the unspoken promise that an organization makes through everything it does. When done right, “branding” provides organizations with a superior understanding of members, customers, competitors and market.
Further, the creation and management of a unified brand is essential to building strong member and customer loyalty and making sound business decisions that are in line with your core mission. According to Dan Driscoll, formerly of Arnold Communications, “The brand becomes a… legitimate basis for deciding on a course of action.” Driscoll continues by stating that decisions based on their congruency with “what other functions… are doing in brand management” ensures “brand integrity.”
Brand management extends far beyond logos, typefaces, and brochures. In the case of an association, the brand encompasses every facet of the organization where there is contact with members, customers, prospects, leadership and even staff. Successful branding harnesses the value of the organization as perceived by its constituents, and reinforces the brand in every experience.
Effective research is critical to building a successful brand, because without a solid understanding of the markets you are attempting to influence, your brand will lack the critical connection it needs: knowledge of the customer. In essence, member research is essential to understanding and quickly reacting to customer needs in the ever-changing competitive landscape.
Uncovering the appropriate brand… through research
Soliciting member and customer perceptions about the association to inform brand strategy is a must. McKinley works with associations regularly on qualitative and quantitative research where the goal is to uncover the components that create the brand, tailoring research methodologies to the objectives of each project. By gathering this feedback, we can:
- Measure the effectiveness of communications and current brand equity
- Identify how and when to extend a brand
- Determine the resonance of proposed messages across markets
- Identify the level of brand knowledge by staff, leadership and members
- Determine gaps in existing brand image
- Solicit the data necessary to establish an overall brand strategy that is appropriate, relevant, and powerful.
Methodologies
Most frequently, branding work includes staff, leadership and members to determine existing perceptions and gauge common opinions on what the brand should reflect. The process often includes a SWOT analysis and brand-mapping exercises to uncover and assess the ideals, images, messages and characteristics that are associated with the brand (or brands) today. Brand-mapping findings are then confirmed and tested via quantitative research methods (i.e., surveys) across broader audiences.
The goal in this is to articulate what participants believe the brand currently represents and apply that knowledge in context with what the brand should represent. Subsequently, we apply the findings including common themes and variances between audiences to develop and provide the tools and guidelines that will enable unified and consistent messaging going forward.
The final product
The analysis of research results has provided clients with insights and specific, detailed brand strategy recommendations. The goal is to provide actionable research that will allow organizations to target promising areas before your competitors or to identify areas of concern before sales and market share begin to erode.
The result of branding efforts based on direct member research is a recognizable, respected and trusted identity that supports organizations’ objectives and is well-positioned for the future. As the driver that can help or hinder the individual branding efforts within an organization, a corporate identity must be managed well in order to fully realize the potential of all of a company's brands. Using research to directly solicit feedback from broad groups across various channels that impact organizations assure development of a strong brand – which is the ultimate competitive advantage.
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