Branding
27 Brand Vision
The Power of Brand
Brands are powerful. When you explain why a brand is your favourite, you probably identify some of the traits or features of its products or services that explain rationally what makes it better than others. But rational explanations are just part of the story. Strong brands are powerful because they also tap into emotions. They make you feel a certain way, and that feeling is hard for any other brand to replicate—let alone replace. This leads us to our unique selling proposition.
Grab a piece of paper and jot down answers to the following questions:
- What is your favourite brand of clothing?
- Why is it your favourite?
- List a word or phrase that describes how this brand makes you feel
- What is your favourite charity?
- Why is it your favourite?
- List a word or phrase that describes how this charity (which is also a brand) makes you feel.
- What is your favourite local community place to stop for coffee, donuts, a bagel, or some other snack?
- Why is it your favourite?
- List a word or phrase that describes how this place (which is also a brand) makes you feel.
Set the paper aside for a moment and keep reading. We’ll come back to it.
Create a Mission Statement
- Take the why of a vision statement and provide a broad description of how a movement will advocate its social cause to make its vision a reality.
- The overall guiding force that inspires a movement is the delivery of a not-for-profit organization’s (NPO’s) mission. The mission contains the primary direction for an NPO’s movement, including who your audience is, where you’re located, and who are partners that help your movement get off the ground, overcome obstacles, and reach new heights. In a brand new organization, though, where does that mission come from?
Starting from scratch? Follow these mission statement guidelines
- Clear & Simple Language
- Inspire, Motivate & Unify others
- Describe Organization Goals
- Explain Intended Impact (the why)
- Easily Recognizable & Explainable
- Distinguished Vision Statement
Questions to ask yourself?
- What do we do?
- Who do we serve?
- How do we serve them?
Examples: Mission Statement
- Plan International (Because I am a Girl): “Plan International Canada works for and with children, community members and governments so that all children around the world can exercise their rights. We do this by focusing on eight core areas, with gender equality as foundational objectives. Our work seeks to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and remove barriers that keep children, especially girls from reaching their full potential.”
- BCSPCA: “To protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia”
The Vision for your Organization
- Broad expression of what a not-for-profit organization’s (NPO’s) founders want a movement to accomplish.
- The vision statement is usually very broad, and it does not even have to mention social cause of movement. The vision statement does not describe the strategy and the organization will use it to follow its vision. It is simply a sentence or two that states why the NPO exists.
Guidelines for a vision statement
- Use Concise & Unambiguous Language
- Aligned with Personal & Social Core Values
- Use Present Tense
- Inspiring & Exciting
- Provide Guidance while being short and sweet
- Distinguished from Mission Statement
Questions to ask yourself
- What are the organization’s hopes and dreams?
- Who do we serve?
- Who and what is our organization trying to inspire?
- What are our movements WHY?
Examples: Vision Statements
- Kids Help Phone: “A future where every young person in Canada will access the support they need, in the way they need it most.”
- Canadian Red Cross: “The Canadian Red Cross is the leading humanitarian organization through which people voluntarily demonstrate their caring for others in need.”
Attributions:
This page contains material taken from:
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Laja, P. (2019, May 16). How to Create a Unique Value Proposition (with Examples). Retrieved June 5, 2020, from https://cxl.com/blog/value-proposition-examples-how-to-create/
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Principles of Marketing [Deprecated]. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/marketing-spring2016/chapter/why-it-matters-branding/
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Unbounce. (n.d.). What Is A Unique Value Proposition (UVP)? Retrieved from https://unbounce.com/conversion-glossary/definition/unique-value-proposition/
