02 Dec How Brands Miss the Mark copy
There are a lot of different ways to miss the mark in branding — industry-specific ways as well as universal ways.
Museums
CEOs of some of our nation’s oldest and most beloved museums have recently engaged in rebranding efforts. As part of these rebranding efforts, some have renamed the museums they’re leading.
The “Philadelphia Museum of Art” is now the “Philadelphia Art Museum.”
The vowel at the end of “Philadelphia” followed by the vowel in “Art” makes “Philadelphia Art Museum” awkward to pronounce.
The original name, “The Philadelphia Museum of Art,” while longer, rolls off the tongue more easily. The original name is also more elegant and conveys something about the museum’s history and stature that the new, more casual name cannot.
Renaming a Museum: A Change Management Challenge
It’s risky and a very high level rebranding challenge to discard the historic name of a beloved cultural institution.
The original name is an integral part of the institution’s history.
The name embodies the institution’s essence and identity.
When so much is changing all around us, we cherish and feel reassured by the iconic architecture, parks, and cultural institutions that do not change in fundamental, unnecessary ways.
Clearly, it’s crucial to invest in the expansion and evolution of these institutions to keep them relevant. It’s also important to refresh the brands of museums which are some of the oldest institutions in the U.S.
Museums all have essentially the same rebranding objectives. They are seeking to be more relevant in this moment, more inclusive, to appeal to a more diverse audience, and to increase engagement.
In some cases, when the original name is too limiting, it might be the right thing to change the name.
When changing the names of historic institutions, CEOs should not under-estimate the importance of the “change management” communications needed to help the public accept the change.
Even when it’s the right thing to change an institution’s name, doing so may represent a major loss for the community. They might even need time to navigate the stages of grief, starting with anger and ending with acceptance.
Skillful strategic communications can foster acceptance of the new name but only if it’s really a better name.
The Strategic Communication Challenge: Get Buy-in
The Philadelphia Art Museum rebrand can serve as a cautionary tale.
According to the press, the administration unveiled the rebrand without the support and approval of the Board of Directors.
The backlash in the press reveals the public also felt blindsided by the “failure to honor the history” of the museum. The rebrand has been described as “out of touch and inappropriate” and as “an unnecessary act of brand buchery.”
CEOs of museums are the stewards of these historic institutions. They report to the museum’s Board of Directors. They serve the members of the museum and the general public.
The most important strategic communication objective is to get input and buy-in from both the Board and the public.
A preliminary focus group and/or a survey/poll of museum members is so easy to do and would have revealed what multiple headlines conveyed: people “hate” the rebrand.
A competitive differentiation, which features substantive, in-depth listening with key stakeholders, would have provided the insight needed for a more successful rebrand early in the process.
It’s never too late to do the important work of listening, and to do what needs to be done to strengthen a brand. And as the new museum chief, Daniel Weiss, says, “what needs fixing can be fixed.”
Maybe that means they’ll be calling this beloved museum by its real name again: The Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Technology-intensive Companies
If you’re offering technical products and services, your copy and brand identity has to be excruciatingly clear. The reader should not be left wondering after reading your website, “What exactly do you do?”
The mantra for you is Steve Jobs’ “Simple can be harder than complex.”
Make the writing simple. Make the design excruciatingly clear.
These things can all make it hard to understand what you offer:
- Tiny type
- Long line lengths
- A confusing menu system or site structure
- Too much content on the page
- A lack of white space
- A confusing brand identity
People are not likely to invest the time needed to understand what you offer if they have to navigate design obstacles to do so.
Excruciating clarity is a good look for any brand in any industry. For the tech-intensive it’s crucial.
Jakob Nielsen’s pro tips on writing for the web and also the Nielsen/Norman group’s “Aesthetic and Minimalist Design” are must reading for those offering technical products and services.
Property Management Companies
Property management has never been more challenging. Boards and property managers are navigating an ever-lengthening list of compliance requirements especially related to energy efficiency, and an unforgiving insurance environment.
Further, both pre-war buildings and more modern ones all necessitate time, attention, and ongoing investments in the battle against entropy.
One thing property managers and Co-op Boards can count on is that costs will be higher next year.
It’s not easy to be a property manager — or a Board. The pressure to do more while containing costs is intense for both.
In a landscape characterized by change, heavy workloads, and increasing costs, property managers are dealing with the challenges in different ways.
The newer players in the industry promise technology that will offer operational efficiencies, but will they ever set foot in your building?
Some of the more traditional players are proposing solutions that are not exactly a “win win.” The Board does even more work in their unpaid positions while the building pays additional hefty fees for help with capital projects and insurance claims.
Boards that aren’t discerning may hire a property manager with a low management fee and then be blindsided by new fees on capital projects and insurance claims.
In the absence of an industry-wide conversation on how to deal with an increasingly challenging environment, the broad listening we do as part of a competitive differentiation would serve property managers well.
The competitive differentiation:
- Helps you understand what your clients want and need.
- Sheds light on how you’re perceived versus how your peers are perceived.
- Can clue you in on what your peers are doing that you are not.
The insights you gain from a competitive differentiation enable you to:
- Refine or change your strategy
- Correct misperceptions
- Capitalize on your real strengths
- Determine what your unique competitive advantages are among your peers
- Refine and re-commit to your purpose
- Communicate in the most authentic, relevant and skillful way to your clients and prospects
Other Ways to Miss the Mark
Some of the other ways brands miss the mark include:
Not understanding the strategic value of an objective competitive differentiation.
Insularity and politics often prevent organizations from learning how they’re perceived by the world and from gaining important insights on the competitive landscape.
Without insights on how they’re perceived or the competitive landscape, these organizations are likely missing opportunities to reach a broader audience, fulfill their purpose, and reach their potential.
Underinvesting in communications, especially up front.
It’s worth investing in a methodical process of listening when you’re creating your “message platform,” the foundation for your brand and communications.
If you take the time to do a competitive differentiation and refine your positioning and messages up front, you will save a lot of time and money longer-term. And your communications will be more likely to achieve the outcomes you seek.
Refining Your Brand
To refine your brand, we work with you to clarify what’s unique, credible, deeply authentic, and relevant to your audiences.
With clarity on your unique competitive advantages, we help you refine your positioning and messages to create a brand that has impact — one that conveys your true essence and engages all of your important audiences.
