Welcome to Brand Team Notes!
Here you will find recent plans and activities being initiated by the Association’s
Brand Team.
The Brand Team was created in late May 2003 to achieve the marketing and communications
objectives outlined in the Association’s Strategic Plan. The results of the
Association’s name change vote in June did not deter plans to change the brand
image and perceptions of the Association and the members it represents. It is
the team’s mission to bring new meaning to the brand name “Special Libraries
Association," drawing attention to the contributions information professionals
make to society and the myriad roles they play in the information economy.
The Brand Team is a blend of association staff members and external resources.
Staff members include: Janice Lachance, Executive Director, Lynn Smith, Deputy
Executive Director, Anthony Blue, Director, Public Relations, Jeff Leach, Director,
Marketing, Doug Newcomb, Director, Public Policy, Natasha Jones, Marketing Enthusiast
and Nathan Yungkans, Desktop Publishing Specialist. Complementing the team is
Valerie Cochran, an award-winning designer, and Carmen Miller, a member of the
association and an information professional with strong communications and web
development skills. The team is led by Chris Olson, a marketing consultant and
long-time member of the association. Team activities and plans are coordinated
with the association’s Board of Directors and the Public Relations Committee.
The team meets bi-weekly to plan, review and discuss branding initiatives,
opportunities and accomplishments. Updates on team activities are presented
in Brand Talk, a regular column in Information Outlook®, as well as being
posted on the Brand Team Notes web pages. Questions regarding the Association’s
branding initiative may be sent to BrandTeam@sla.org.
Current Activities
Implementing a branding initiative typically involves a multitude of concurrent
activities. The list of projects and issues to be addressed by the team is a
long one, and will require months of effort. The following list is not comprehensive,
but is intended to provide a glimpse into our current projects.
• Develop a new brand identity-logo
• Identify key brand messages
• Outline the elements of Brand Identity Guidelines to maintain the integrity
of the logo and message delivery of our new brand image
• Assist the short-term Slogan Task Force charged with developing the tagline
message
• Expand the communications system and build a network of contacts for broadcasting
news
• Monitor where, when and how the Association is mentioned in the news
• Establish a robust electronic press room that can serve both information
industry and non-industry media inquiries
• Create and implement communications channels (Brand Talk and Brand Team
Notes) for distributing recent news about the branding initiative
• Develop a dynamic Brand Blueprint for the branding initiative
• Integrate branding activities with Association marketing and communications
strategies
• Coordinate activities with the Public Relations Committee
• Create a brand launch plan and strategy
• Identify opportunities for involving Association Public Relations Chair
people
• Monitor the Association web site revamp endeavors and schedules
Brand Talk
Beginning with the July 2003 issue of Information Outlook®, the activities
of the brand team are shared in a regular column called Brand Talk. Each column
summarizes the plans and accomplishments of the Brand Team along with highlighting
a particular branding concept. It should be noted that many times the subject
of the Communications column in Information Outlook® is coordinated with
Brand Talk, expanding or augmenting a brand point, allowing the two columns
to be companion pieces.
Brand Talk Archives (accessible only to members)
July
2003
August
2003 Communications
Column
September
2003
Communications Column
Plans
The goals of the branding initiative are two-fold.
1. To brand the association as a global organization and a network where information
professionals are empowered to share, lead, and grow.
2. To replace traditional perceptions widely held outside our profession with
new understandings of who we are, what value we add, and why it matters.
To achieve these goals will take time and energy, and it will take all of
us. Each member will have the responsibility to “be the brand” to the best of
their ability. When decision-makers in organizations read our brand messages,
see our ads, listen to our broadcasts, our members will need to be there to
reinforce the brand and dispel stereotype perceptions. As individuals we can
make a difference. Supported with a focused branding initiative and the collective
strength of 13,000 colleagues, we can change perceptions of our profession and
who we are as information professionals. We can establish a brand which represents
our passion for information and the value we bring to our organizations.
Resources
The following links lead to branding resources which may be of interest.
The Advertising and Marketing Division maintains a list
of resources which address all aspects of branding. Articles in recent
issues of Information Outlook®
April
2003 contains 3 excellent articles on the topic of branding
a November
2002 offers the informative article “Identify Your Brand Before You Market”
March
2001 posts an interesting question in the article “Would you Buy SLA?”
Historic Perspective
The call for stronger branding and marketing tactics was articulated in
the Special
Libraries Association (SLA) Strategic Plan adopted in June 2000. The objective
of “promoting our value through marketing and public relations” was augmented
with a pithy list of endeavors, including “use branding to explain who we are
and what we do.” Towards this end, a number of activities were initiated.
In the April 2003 issue of Information Outlook®, is the article
“Branding Our Association: A New name—A New Vision” by Cindy Romaine. The
article contains a chart prepared by Holly Bussey, which outlines activities
and people involved in various branding activities between 2000 through Spring
2003.
The endeavor to change the name of the association was one of the activities
to emerge from the branding initiative. Led by the Branding Task Force, the
name change initiative generated insightful and visionary documentation and
considerations regarding the selection of a new brand name for the association.
The working documents of the Task Force are held in archive pages entitled “Branding
and the Special Libraries Association.” The results, accountings and opinions
of the June 2003 name change vote can be found in association
press release announcementsand various
industry media stories.
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