Branding Gender or Gender Branding:

about branding through gender

WAGGGS Forum
26 September 2004
Public Relations Consultant Michael Trinskjr
Overview
Three main topics

Branding as a concept
Trends and tendencies

Defining the target group

Youth culture
Mapping your target group
Creating identification
Gender as a branding tool

Selecting communication channels

Categories of media
New media vs. traditional media
The art of persuasion: tools and methods

Discussion

Your next steps

Check lists for your own branding projects

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 Branding as a concept

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Branding: clarifying the concept

Branding is the communication of clear, unique and

unambiguous values through all internal and external
activities of the organisation.

Marketing is a set of external communication activities

aimed at strengthening the position of the organisation
towards relevant target groups on the market.

Recruitment is a specific marketing activity aimed at

increasing the membership by attracting new members.

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Branding: important definitions
A brand is the essence of the values and the history of the
organisation; the red line in all activities

A brand is unique and not subject to the changes and variations of

everyday life

A brand describes the internal values of the organisation and not the
external appearance and features

A brand is the result of a deliberate and controlled process, where

values are expressed clearly and consistently

Inconsistent communication will result in de-branding and an

unclear image

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Communicating values: prerequisites

Must be an integrated part of the daily actvities of the organisation

Must be an integrated part of any transformation process

There are no easy solutions

Your habits and conventions must be challenged

It will be demanding and frustratingand then it will be fun

and remember: not everything is a communication problem

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Trends and tendencies:
the youth community
Increasing consumer mentality
Individualism
Focus on personal gain and benefits
Whats in it for me?

The guide/scout movement is part of the entertainment industry

Increasing focus on action and having fun boredom is not an option
It is legitimate just to want to enjoy and have fun
Very tough competition on the fun leisure time market

Competitors who are we up against?

Other youth organisations
The music industry (concerts, CDs, videos)
The film industry (cinemas, DVD)
Digital media (mobile phones, internet, computer games)
The toy and game industry (Barbie, Bratz, Disney)

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Trends and tendencies:
communication and media
Too much focus on appearance
A new design, a new leaflet, and a new website are not enough

Too much focus on recruitment

What about retaining the members that you already have?

Too much focus on the needs of the sender

Needs and preferences of the target group are ignored

Too much focus on conventions and habits

This is what we normally do

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Trends and tendencies:
scouting organisations
Everybody knows your namebut nobody knows who you are
Public image affected by prejudice and ignorance
The general public is not a priority target group

Declining membership
Guiding and scouting is seen as old-fashioned
Difficult to attract teenagers

A new generation gap

More children less teenagers and too many leaders who are too old

Many diverse target groups with very different needs

Guides/scouts in different age groups
Leaders at many levels
Parents
Cooperation partners

A growing communication gap

Old habits, hierarchies and structures diminish the effect of modern communication initiatives
Can the activities of the organisation deliver on the promises made in communication
material?

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A first step towards real branding
Define your USP = Unique Selling Position
Know your market
Know your target group
Know your competitors
Find your own spotand stay there!

Create your platform

Define your values a clear and simple statement
Define your activities and focus on the target group
Ensure consistency between values, target groups, and activities
Ensure consistency between what you say and what you do

Goodbye to conventional thinking

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 Defining the target group

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The young consumer: four categories
North Poll: lifestyle survey Nordic youth 10-24 years (source: zapera.com)

Quiet mice (21%)

Introvert and insecure; majority of women; few friends; prefers to stay at home; watches TV
and reads books; the world is a scary placebut tries not to worry. Clothing preferences:
Hennes & Mauritz, Vero Moda, The Gap

Clever owls (31%)

Introvert and self-confident; few friends but good friends; reads a lot of books; frequent
internet user, focuses on work, school, and politics; quite serious; interested in science; often
many hobbies. Clothing: no brand preferences.

Exploring sheep (23%)

Extrovert and insecure; prefers to go in a group; many friendswhom they copy, interested in
clothing and music; frequent user of digtial media (internet, DVD, computer games). Clothing
preferences: Diesel, Jack & Jones, and Hummel

Social lions (25%)

Extrovert and selfconfident; likes to go out and stay out; many friends; likes sport and
shopping; frequent internet user, dedicated and ambitious at school and work. Clothing
preferences: Nike, Diesel og Adidas

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Identification is the key
Being young is about self-realisation; about becoming whom you
want to be (=identification)

Young people use products/brands to build or support their identity

(=identification)

Products/services must provide a certain meaning for themselves

and the user products are not accepted or endorsed just for
practical purposes (=identification)

Young people require influence, interactivity, and dialogue.

(=identification)

Young people want a good story about prodcuts in order to use them
to stage their own life (=identification)

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Identification through gender
Gender is a powerful branding tool
Gender creates strong identification
Strong identification creates strong values
Strong values create powerful branding

Gender is a unique identification mark

Creates preference among children (boys are stupid)
Defines clear role models and enables self realisation
Reflects the fact that many leisure activities are gender specific as well
as most commercial communication

Bridging the gender gap

Strong gender focus in single sex settings may cause alienation among
teenagers
Lack of gender awareness in co-educational settings may result in
unclear role models, weaker identification, and less powerful branding

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 Selection of
communication channels

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Categories of media
Events og happenings
Press coverage
Advertising
Digital media: internet, games, video/DVD, SMS-mobile phones
Brochures, leaflets, and magazines
Material for activities and educational purposes
Outdoor media: posters, billboards, busses
Merchandise uniforms, clothing, equipment, accesories
The daily activities in the organisation
Networking peer group marketing, schools, teachers, leaders

Traditional media vs. new media

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Traditional media vs. new media:
an example
Peer group party girls.

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The art of persuasion: how far can you
go?
Images for identification
Name and logo must support identity
Appearance: traditional, modern, fashionable
Age-specific activities

Peer group marketing

Co-branding

Innovative merchandise

Non-guiding/scouting activities with a guide/scout touch

CD with dance music
Pinup calendar with male model

Never use innovative media just for fun

Must be part of overall strategy
For youth organisations branding is primarily for internal target groups
(=continuous branding towards members)

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Selection of communication channels:
recommendations
Meetings and activities are the primary branding tool and creator of identity

Other channes are merely supporting channels for meetings and activities

Peer group communication is the most important marketing and recruitment

tool

Communication channels should reflect the overall structure and working

methods

Many existing communication channels are a reflection of old structures and

hierarchies

Communication channels should reflect the variety of target groups and

their different needs in terms of ageand gender!

Distinguish between channels used for communicating factual information

and channels used to convey values and identity

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 Next steps: checklists

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Analyse your communication flow

How do we communicate about regular activities, seminars, training

sessions, camps, national jamboree, etc.?

How do we communicate towards different target groups?

Which channels work well according to the target group?

and which channels do not work well?

Which channels are we not using and why?

Are there any missing channels that have been requested by

members?

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Questions for a market analysis
What are the existing leisure time habits of childen and youth?
What do children and youth expect from their leisure time?
What are the media preferences and habits of childen and youth?
Which factors and values can motivate children and youth to be
active in a scout and guide association?
How much will children and youth commit themselves to working in
an association?
What is the awareness and knowledge of the association among
children and youth?
What is the image of the association among childen and youth?
What barriers do children and youth have towards the association?
How and when would children and youth prefer to be contacted by
the association?
What should the association do to appeal better to children and
youth?

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How to define target groups
Describe the following
Demographic data (gender, age, education, profession, etc.)
Geography: large city, provincial town, village, countryside
Category on the compass
Values what do they like and dislike?
What are their media preferences?

Start with
Existing membershow can you describe them?

Go on to
Potential membersare you missing any groups that you can easily
reach out to?

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Tools for analysis

Quantitative data
Existing research and scientific reports
Statistical material from the National Bureau of Statistics
Questionnaires among members both existing members, past
members, and potential members
Conduct your own telephone survey

Qualitative data
Workshops
Individual interviews
Focus group interviews
SWOT-analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

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The final word

Kill your darlings

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