Your Brand is an Invitation

Fake Brands in Nanjing China (via Flickr)

The social sector sucks at branding.

In much of the nonprofit sector, the concept of "brand" has been poisoned by anti-globalization advocates who conflate conspicuous consumption, reckless and exploitative business behavior, and lemming like devotion to particular brand identities with the idea of brand itself. While much of this "No Logo" style critique is vital, what's always frustrated me is the misdiagnosis of branding (rather than the exploitation of brand power) as the problem. Brand-washing - where a brand is used to cover up nastiness behind it is a problem; brand itself is an opportunity. And as we write away branding as ancillary to the mission rather than the core means of building a community of believers, we lose that opportunity.

A brand is about more than the logo. Brand is about how to distill complex concepts into associational chunks, and share with the world in the simplest terms the core of what we care about. Your organization's brand is its DNA, a combination of description and inspiration that helps people identify your company or nonprofit as a fellow traveler.

The social sector should totally kick ass at branding.

The social sector has an incredible story to tell. In some way or form, every organization is imbued with a passion for a more equitable, just world. Every organization has programmed into its core the idea that the world can be a better place, and that problems created by people can also be fixed by people.

We live in a moment where people want that message. We want to believe in ourselves, and moreover, we want to believe in a more complex conception of ourselves. Big box brands and botique brands aren't going away, but in a world of such turmoil and instability, brands that make us feel anchored in values and connected to something bigger than ourselves are immensely important, and have the potential to keep the flame of entrepreneurship and justice alive in tough times.

It's right to recognize that brands cannot in themselves create quality. But they can create a pathway for new people to be inspired by and contribute to quality, and it's worth carving out just a little bit more time and space in our organizations for translating the values we hold and the impact we make into a brand that invites new people to be a part of changing the world.