Introducing Branding Inside Out: a new Best Practice Guide

Download your own version of Branding Inside Out here.

Ten years ago, whilst I was at NSPCC in the heydays of Full Stop, NfP Synergy published a report called Polishing the Diamond, an introduction to the importance of branding for charities. It struck a chord with me as there was nothing else like it focussed on the charity sector and it became a useful tool for me as Brand Manager at Shelter, my next career stop.

Way back then I was a very rare and lonely breed and brand was a dirty work in a charity context. In fact I was told not to use the word on my first day in the job! Fast-forward several years and I set up the CharityComms Brand Breakfasts with Serena Donne at Cancer Research UK, still going strong three years on we now pack a room full of Brand Managers from across the sector.

Yes, it is fair to say that in the ten years since Polishing the Diamond was published branding in the charity sector has come on leaps and bounds. CharityComms 2012 Benchmark Report identified that ‘branding’ is now seen as more relevant to charities than ever before, with 82% considering it important or essential compared with 67% four years ago. Understanding of branding has undoubtedly improved, but there is still a long, long way to go.

Just this month I questioned why charities weren’t included in the annual CoolBrands survey and the reply made my heart dip, for charity brands don’t yet demonstrate the qualities required to be a ‘Cool Brand’ in Britain such as style, innovation, originality and desirability.

Alas, as the years went by (and I got older and wiser) the contents of Polishing the Diamond became increasingly out of date, and I’ve witnessed people struggling to build the business case for brand investment without up to date case studies at their disposal. For me the name also compounded a commonly held myth, that branding is just about ‘marketing gloss’ and logos rather than defining and projecting what your charity stands for to inspire support.

The reality is that for any charity to operate at its full potential, its brand must do it justice. Branding encompasses who you are, what you do, what you say as well as how you look; connecting your audiences to the heart and soul of your charity, the principles you stand for and the impression you want to make. Getting it right means your charity can command (and maintain) public attention.

And so I started to lobby Joe Saxton and Vicky Browning at CharityComms to publish a new report on best practice in charity branding and I am very glad they agreed. The new report, Branding Inside Out, has new authors, including me, and chapters of every element of branding under the sun, from integrating your brand with fundraising (as we champion here at The Good Agency), to getting everyone on board with it and bringing it to life online, including top tips from charity Brand Managers and a plethora of recent case studies.

It’s been hugely enjoyable to help put Branding Inside Out together, and even therapeutic: Ten years of what I’ve learnt through working on charity brands ranging from NSPCC, Shelter, Parkinson’s UK, Cancer Research UK, Mind, Blue Cross and RSPB all down on paper. It’s something I am proud of; something I hope people across the sector will find useful; and something that will boost the profile of branding even further in the future. Who knows where charity branding will be in the next ten years? Hopefully flying high in the CoolBrands table.

Download your own version of Branding Inside Out here.

Branding and advertising | Charity | Dan Dufour