14.10.13
Branding in the public sector
Source: Public Sector Executive Sept/Oct 2013
It goes without saying that the public sector has changed hugely over the past few years; budget cuts and austerity are now central to everything and, let’s face it, the status-quo isn’t going to change anytime soon.
The services delivered – of course – always will be the most important thing but the public sector shouldn’t take its eye off the ball when it comes to communicating with end users. Marketing is often the first department to take a financial hit but to be truly effective there needs to be a high level of engagement to drive awareness, loyalty and understanding. That aim should be just as relevant in the public sector as it is in the private.
Branding often divides opinion but it should be a key element in building and maintaining an organisation’s profile and not an after-thought. However, there’s often a lack of understanding, which means it’s sometimes not used in the right way or to maximum effect. Many people view ‘branding’ as just a name or logo and a waste of public money; especially now when every penny, quite rightly, needs to be justified. However, that perception is wrong.
At its core sits a cultural alignment between all stakeholders. It also champions a consistent identity that everyone can relate to and even provides guidance on the expected conduct of those delivering the service.
When we develop a brand, we consider three principal attributes: values, proposition and brand essence.
The brand proposition is the value / benefit to the customer and the promise of a service level experience; brand values are the beliefs that guide the behaviours and interactions between the organisation and its end users and they should also drive the internal culture; whilst brand essence is the defining idea – what the organisation is all about.
We’re passionate that these factors should become an integral part of the working day and that employees become ‘brand advocates’ whose behaviour and attitudes match the values being communicated.
Creating a new brand identity and defining a customer promise will mean zilch if there’s not a commitment from every member of staff to deliver consistently on the brand promise and align their own behaviour to its values.
To sum up, an effective brand strategy must be upheld by everyone and then supported by effective marketing communications if you want to positively shape views and build lasting loyalty and trust.
Nick Wright is strategy director at Studio North.