SAIF Brand Case Study 2008-03

SAIF Corporation | A New Vision for an Old Brand

1Chapter one

IntroductIon:

Why Now? A Tarnished and Aging Brand Faces a Grave Challenge

Since 1914, SaIF Corporation has been providing workers’ compensation insurance and service to the people and businesses of Oregon. As the only state-chartered, not-for-profit provider, we have played a leadership role in keeping rates affordable and the oregon economy competitive for more than 90 years. Yet after 40 years without an update, the SaIF brand was lost without a clear direction. Some controversial (and public) management decisions contributed to a 2004 state ballot measure calling for the abolition of the organization. the measure fortunately failed, and we recognized the need to manage our own message. We needed a plan to re-engage with our customers, employees, and the public. We had allowed other people with their own agendas to tell our story for too long. It was time for us to share our own story.

2Chapter tWo

SelectIng an agency:

Judge the Work, Then Judge the Fit

With newly appointed Ceo Brenda rocklin’s directive that branding was to be a key priority, we set about developing the strategy to revitalize the brand. Knowing we would need outside expertise to help guide us down the right path, we formed a brand committee and started the search for an agency to partner with. our recruiting and selection process had two key phases: (1) Judge the work, and (2) judge the fit. We recruited agencies through an rFI and word of mouth, asking interested companies to submit their portfolio with a Q&a and statement of interest. this resulted in 15 submissions. We wanted to see their work first, so that we could make our initial decision based on the quality and effectiveness of previous efforts and avoid selecting an agency for the wrong reason. each committee member received a copy of the submissions to review individually, and then we convened the group and scored each one. We culled the original field down to four agencies that were invited to pitch. We selected ID Branding because of their relevant and measurable success with such organizations as triMet, their evidence-based methodology, and the stark and pointed assessment of what they felt our biggest challenges were.

3Chapter three

Brand Platform:

Defining the Truths of the SAIF Brand

our ultimate mission was to foster a rich and meaningful relationship with our stakeholder audiences, so we set out to capture the true identity of the organization and assess the state of our constituent relationships, from policyholders and injured workers to oregonians at large. Inside SaIF, the agency conducted a workshop with key executives, designers, and marketing leadership and distributed a company-wide employee survey. to understand the external point-of-view and assess the ways in which our brand had been experienced by people throughout the state, the agency conducted in-depth interviews, a communications and research audit, a competitive landscape review, and a public domain exploration.

our collaborative discovery work led to some amazing insights regarding the SaIF brand culture. externally, we learned that we have some incredible fans: fans who recognize the positive impact that we have had, for example, on keeping insurance rates affordable for oregon businesses. In fact, most people who actually knew something about us had a positive perception. and what we re-discovered about the company’s internal culture made this understandable. SaIF has incredibly dedicated employees who believe in what they are doing—people who get out of bed each morning committed to making a difference in the lives of workers injured on the job. this led to what would become the heart of the SaIF brand platform: the Dedicated advocate persona as the embodiment of SaIF’s employees and its core identity.

Any branding effort includes an examination of these three key components, which are fundamental statements of who we are, where we’re going, and how we’re getting there.What drives us is our charter. But how we fulfill our charter is outlined

in our vision, mission, and values statements.our VisionSAIF will be an industry innovator that makes Oregon the safest place to work. We exist to serve and protect the Oregon workforce, meeting the needs of workers and employers and strengthening Oregon’s economy.our mission

To constantly improve Oregon’s workers’ compensation system by setting the industry standard for affordability, availability, innovation, efficiency, and service quality.our characteristics and ValuesThese are the characteristics and values of our brand and our company: We are not motivated by profit Commitment to helping injured workers Making workers’ compensation available and accessible

Preventing injuries Being the catalyst that keeps industry rates affordable Efficiency

our Vision, mission, and Values

our charter

SAIF Corporation was created by the people of Oregon through the

Oregon state legislature. We began in 1914 as a state agency, and became

a self-supporting, not-for-profit public corporation in 1980. Our charter

is contained in Oregon Revised Statute 656.752, which clearly states our

fundamental purpose:

“To make insurance available to as many Oregon employers as inexpensively as

may be consistent with protecting the integrity of the Industrial Accident Fund…

and sound principles of insurance.”

This charter will not change with our new logo and new brand identity.

First of all, we think it’s just fine. Second, that’s up to the legislature

and the people of Oregon. Our charter continues to be the single most

important statement of what we’re about.

BEGAN

1914PUBLIC CORPORATION

1980

3Chapter three

We also re-discovered, thanks to our agency’s encouragement, the leadership role we had taken in the industry and with our clients. In market terms, we were (and are) the market share leader. But our leadership has gone further. We have led the industry in making insurance available to all kinds of businesses through programs like our assigned risk pool depopulation initiative, and our affordable premiums have helped to keep market rates lower than in most states. In fact, oregon has seen 18 consecutive years of flat or declining rates, a record better than any other state in the nation. We have also led our clients to increased levels of workplace safety. For these reasons, we focused our brand positioning on the concept of Leadership. We will strive to be leaders in all we do, earning that position for our brand in the minds of our constituents.

our Position

Leadership is the quality we want people to associate with SAIF. We intend to own this position in the minds of our customers and the rest of the world. For instance, Volvo owns the position of “Safety.” Our position is: “Leadership.”

The leadership position represents strength, guidance, and innovation in the marketplace. We can own this position because SAIF leads the field with 46 percent of premium market share, and considerably more among small businesses. We also lead the industry in making workers’ compensation coverage affordable and available, as stated in our charter. Our premiums help drive the market in keeping rates low and keeping Oregon competitive and attractive. We also champion an ever-improving level of safety in the workplace. When you look at workers’ compensation insurance in Oregon, it is clear that SAIF is a leader.

OUR POsITION Is:

“Leadership”

4Chapter Four

IdentIty exPreSSIon:

Expressing SAIF’s True Identity in Relevant and Meaningful Terms

the SaIF brand platform is rounded out with a number of critical attributes that define and shape our true brand identity. While the Dedicated advocate persona is the heart of this identity, it was important to capture the belief system and personality of the Dedicated advocate in key places such as our mission and vision. We also molded the promise that the Dedicated advocate would make to each client or business partner and articulated the Dedicated advocate’s personality attributes and core values. through these, we could further connect the brand back to our inspired employees, helping them to see their own values and beliefs in those of SaIF.

With the core attributes of the brand defined, we set out to develop our first updated logo in 40 years. To be a success, it would need to capture the true essence of our dedication and rekindle the meaningful associations that so many had with our brand. Working with our agency, we narrowed the design concepts to two finalists before testing them with current policyholders and members of the public. the results were conclusive. one mark stood out because of its simple yet distinct visual representation of our commitment to the people, businesses, and economy of oregon.

once the logo was done, the hard work had to start—applying the new brand identity across the organization’s countless documents and applications. It was clear from the start that it was going to have to be a phased approach. there was simply no

4Chapter Four

way to change over everything at once. So we formed a corporate brand team to help identify what needed to change and set priorities for the changeover. they decided that we should start with our policyholder materials first, to make sure our customers were taken care of, and then phase in the rest.

In addition to the sheer size of the job, we also faced two other challenges that can plague organizations as they re-brand: (1) not knowing how to design according to the new brand specifications; and (2) employees, accustomed to working without brand oversight, using the logo in inappropriate ways. Fortunately, the solutions to these challenges are simple: a good set of brand guidelines plus practice over time, and restricted access to the logo outside of the core communications team.

5Chapter FIve

Internal launch:

Rallying Our Dedicated Advocates

With our brand platform and revitalized identity system nearing completion, the time had arrived to reintroduce SaIF to the 800+ brand stewards who represent our brand every day. recognizing that meaningful and enduring brands are built from the inside out, we orchestrated our efforts with the help of a strategic plan focused first on creating clarity for employees regarding the changes taking place and the resulting implications. Employees were justifiably anxious about impending changes and what they would mean. So we worked with the brand team and other internal advocates, gave them a view into the process and a set of brand talking points, and let them spread the word regarding what was happening.

With anticipation naturally building, we collaborated with our agency to develop an employee teaser campaign to drive traffic to the brand section of the SaIF intranet, and ultimately create clarity and excitement surrounding the launch. the campaign involved a series of comic strips featuring real employees, thematically based on the rumors that had been circulating regarding the new identity. the comics were published over eight weeks as banners on the @SaIF intranet homepage. the increase in traffic to the brand page was significant, rising 45 percent in the first week and staying up throughout the campaign.

In addition to the comics, the agency developed a three-part booklet series that covered the basics of branding, the core of SAIF’s brand platform, and finally, the SAIF brand manifesto, which was delivered as part of the company-wide launch event,

5Chapter FIve

expressing in words and pictures the essence of the SaIF brand. the booklet series not only commemorated the initiative but also continues to serve as an ongoing resource and motivational tool for the entire organization.

on July 28, 2006, we met in the Salem Conference Center for the first company-wide meeting in recent memory. The event centered on SaIF’s unique role in the interconnected ecosystem that is oregon, and featured photos of real SaIF employees with images of nature and wildlife (members of the same ecosystem). For the employees, it was their first exposure to the new logo. Of course, we were unable to completely shut down operations for an entire day, which meant that some employees were not able to attend. We took special care to make sure they were included in the day’s events. each person received a video from Ceo Brenda rocklin in which she shared the key messages of the day and unveiled the logo for them to see before it was unveiled at the event. they also received the same gift basket that event attendees received, which included a new logo shirt, water bottle, temporary tattoos and other fun items, and they enjoyed a catered lunch. We recognized the importance of these employees and wanted to make sure they felt like they were a significant part of this momentous occasion.

As a final step before launching publicly, we unveiled the new logo to our independent agents. as stewards of our brand, it was critical that they be prepared for the unveiling so that they could address questions or concerns from their customers once the new brand went live. Furthermore, we recognized that our definition of a consistent brand experience had to include them, because they are seen as an extension of the SaIF brand by our customers.

6Chapter SIx

external launch:

Same Company, New Look

By December, we were ready to unveil the new brand identity to the public. We had succeeded in getting our employees and independent agents engaged with the brand so that the experience of interacting with the organization would feel consistent with the promise made by the new identity. however, we wanted to make it very clear to our policyholders that the changes taking place would have only positive consequences for them. We were updating our brand look and feel and laying the foundation to deliver a more consistent experience.

our policyholder magazine, Comp News, served as a great vehicle to unveil the new brand to these important customers. In addition to redesigning the publication, we also included a letter from Ceo Brenda rocklin, explaining the changes that were taking place and directing them to saif.com for more information. We felt it was important that they hear first directly from us. At the same time, we launched the redesigned saif.com so that the visitors would experience the new brand on the web, too. this proved to be a successful strategy as the brand changed over with virtually no policyholder concerns expressed.

We set a goal of phasing out the old brand materials such as envelopes and letterhead within two months, and were open about that goal. We felt it was the fiscally and environmentally responsible thing to do, and it aligned well with our brand identity to behave in this manner. using up the old materials, rather than disposing of them, saved a lot of waste. It made for a slightly messy transition, but we effectively explained it to our customers, and it bought us time to ensure the new materials were all ready to go when needed.

7Chapter Seven

ongoIng Brand management:

Branding Never Ends

having successfully reintroduced the brand internally and externally, our work is just beginning. We have a number of initiatives currently under way to better align our brand and business strategy and have a lasting impact on the culture of the organization:

Brand experience touchpoint cataloguing: • Documenting the organization’s many brand touchpoints and setting priorities based on relative importance and need.

Sustainable Workforce Initiative:• ensuring we are prepared to maintain a strong and healthy employee population.

Sustainability analysis and reporting:• Demonstrating leadership through social and environmental stewardship.

2008 corporate initiative:• Strengthening the SaIF brand remains a key corporate initiative for 2008.