IMEX 2015 ICCA Association Expert Branding Keynote

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Building Association Brands Keeping it Simple

Bruce MacMillan bmac@bmaccorp.com

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The  KISS  Principle  

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Takeaways •  What’s in it for you •  An outline of a process

framework •  The role of live events •  Lessons learned from the

school of hard knocks

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BRAND

A unique promise kept over time.

— Brian Collins, Collins

A brand is a simple mental model that represents, collectively, what people feel, think and say about a product, service or company, and where meaning is established over time through consistent positive experiences and engagements.

— Elizabeth Talerman , Nucleus

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BRANDING

A profession that increasingly confuses fame for mastery. And pomposity for profundity.

— Brian Collins, Collins

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THE  DISRUPTION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  ECOSYSTEM  

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THE  DISRUPTION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  ECOSYSTEM  

CORPORATE  BRANDS   ASSOCIATION  BRANDS  

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THE  DISRUPTION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  ECOSYSTEM  Business  brands  have  become  more  socially  and  community  conscious  to  extend  their  

brands.  

AssociaAon/NPO  brands  have  had  to  become  more  entrepreneurial  to  extend  

their  brands.  

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Membership  

WHAT’S  AT  STAKE?  

Sponsorship  

Engagement  

Relevance  

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FRAMEWORK  FOR  BRAND  DEVELOPMENT  

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WHY?

hHps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmG9jzCHtSQ  

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WHY?

Association brands need to show people how and where they fit into a complicated world.

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Branding Objectives

•  Define and project your organizational values

•  Differentiation •  Reputation rescue •  Change in business

strategy •  Capture hearts and minds

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When association brand campaign becomes a

cultural phenomenon…

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hHps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS6ysDFTbLU  

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HOW?

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Brand Development

Process •  Discovery •  Engagement •  Development •  Activation •  Measurement •  Management

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THE STORY: BRAND OWNER PERSPECTIVE: !Their capabilities and vision for the brand!!!!!!WE BELIEVE: !

TARGET INSIGHT: !The brand’s clear audiences, internal and external, demographically and attitudinally. A clear and deep understanding of an unmet need or opportunity. !

DRIVERS: !The emotional and pragmatic benefits that meet customer needs and drive choice. !

WHAT MATTERS TO US: VALUES: !What a brand stands for, the things it holds clear, the principles that define how it behaves!

OUR SPACE: POSITIONING: !The competitive, relevant and differentiating place the brand occupies in its defined market !

OUR ATTITUDE!PERSONALITY: !The human characteristics that are attributed to and personify the brand!

BRAND ESSENCE: !The most inspiring and compelling thing we can convey about the brand!

BRAND CANVAS

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WHAT?

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Bring the brand to life…

At every touchpoint

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And more often than not its done LIVE…

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Defining an association brand in response to a

crisis…

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hHps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8sTvXFawjQ  

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Lessons from the “School of Hard Knocks”

•  Don’t do it alone •  Committees rarely work •  “Its all about THEM” •  When in doubt…ENGAGE! •  Brands happen at the

edges •  Have the courage to act

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Building Association Brands Keeping it Simple

Bruce MacMillan bmac@bmaccorp.com