PC Sweeney

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Branding Libraries: Final Steps- Live the Message! – Measurements – Conclusion

Branding Libraries: Step 8 – Advertise the image #library

Posted on October 12, 2009October 14, 2009 by pcsweeney

The projecting of the image of the library brand must be carried out among all contact points with the consumer. As previously mentioned this means that the logo, the brand, the ideal about the library that you are trying to communicate should be promoted at every possible customer touch point within the library itself and at meaningful contact points throughout the community such as outreach programs and services. The library floor space should be studied to find pause points where the customer stops to find direction, to make decisions, or to turn around. At these points the marketing that contains the brand image, the advertising, the message, and the logo should be put in such a place that the customers eyes are drawn to them. The marketing should not be obscured, hidden, or cluttered with other materials that could draw attention away from the customer’s connection with the brand image at the touch point. (Underhill, 1999)

It is also important that the name, logo, advertising, and all marketing communications materials consistently communicate the brand’s same homogeneous message outside the library as much as it does inside. To do so, the library must utilize the same types of marketing techniques that the other companies are using as well. The library needs to understand that the customers are continuously bombarded with marketing from every other organization. In order to maintain the library at a consistent position within the customer’s minds without being lost in the soup of other organization’s marketing, they must use some of the same avenues that the competition does. Some of these include; websites, mailings, sponsorships, partnerships, billboards, posters, business cards, commercials (radio and television if possible), and face-to-face interactions with customers whenever and wherever they are present. At these places the libraries brand and distinction from other organizations should be continuously presented.

All Library Branding Posts

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Branding Libraries: Final Steps- Live the Message! – Measurements – Conclusion

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Posted on October 9, 2009October 14, 2009 by pcsweeney

Finally we can begin to discuss the creation of a logo, a memorable name, and maybe a tagline although the logo can be all three at once. If it is not then each of these must communicate thoroughly and concisely the essence of the library’s unique selling proposition. The logo of the library should represent everything that the library does. If we look at the business model we can find examples of logos that represent and embody the companies entire ideal. One such company is Nike with its “swoosh” that represents movement, speed, agility, and all around athleticism. In the same way the libraries logo should suggest some kind of community meaning, define the mission of the library, and set the tone for the entire company. Also, it should be understood that this logo is used to enhance the consumer’s impression of the library.

“Ideally, your company logo enhances potential customers and partners’ crucial first impression of your business. A good logo can build loyalty between your business and your customers, establish a brand identity, and provide the professional look of an established enterprise.” (How to Create a Logo, 2006)

So, how should a library begin the process of creating a logo? The first step is to look at the logos of other businesses with similar goals, missions, and commitments. For example, if we look at the logos of other book suppliers we can see that the logos are largely text based. Border’s, Amazon’s, and Barnes and Noble’s logos are all textual in nature. The logo’s communicate the name and image of those companies and they are clean and functional. By clean functional I mean that the logo is reproducible, easy to scale, it is memorable and distinct in such a way to be as recognizable on business cards as it is on a billboard on the side of the road. There are no complex graphics, clipart, or photography that take time to decipher the meaning of or understand without looking for some time. The simplicity of their logos allows them to be understood wherever they are seen no matter how long or short of time they are looked at.

This type of simplicity and usability is important in a logo because the logo should be everywhere the library products are, or wherever there is a point in the community where they could be reminded of the library. For example, if we continue to look at corporate bookstores as the model brands we will notice that while in the stores we are continuously surrounded by brand images. The logo is on the books, it is on the bags, the walls, windows, signs, outside of the store, in fact it is on every possible customer touch-point. This is what connects the company to the logo of the brand and through the brand to the customers.

Since the logo should be everywhere library patrons are it is important to understand that in many places this logo is the “face” of the library. In other words the logo must do a number of things. The first, and perhaps most obvious is that the since brand image must remain constant to keep from telling a confusing story then the logo must remain constant. Second, the logo must communicate the brand story in some way. And third, it must be continuously connected to the library itself.

All Library Branding Posts

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Branding Libraries: Final Steps- Live the Message! – Measurements – Conclusion

Branding Libraries: Step 6 – Tapping into Emotion

Posted on October 8, 2009October 14, 2009 by pcsweeney

As pointed out earlier, perhaps one of the greatest areas of improvement would be the inclusion of emotional content in the creation of a library brand. To do this we must develop emotionally accessible attributes for the brand. This means that the brand should readily tap into the target market’s psyche and evoke an emotional response.

To look at the business model literature we can see a very large discussion of the importance of emotional branding. In fact, “over the last decade, emotional branding has emerged as a highly influential brand management paradigm” (Gobe, 2001). This is in large part because connecting the products to the emotions of the consumers creates a more experiential experience of the product. By doing so the consumers connect to the product and the product itself becomes a part of the consumer’s identity. Therefore, for a consumer to leave to brand would now mean that the consumer loses a sense of identity. In this way “emotional branding is a consumer-centric, relational, and story-driven approach to forging deep and enduring affective bonds between consumers and brands” (Roberts 2004).

The idea of the library as a community driven organization can actually work to benefit the creation of the brand identity. This is because “proponents of emotional branding proclaim that this high degree of consumer passion is seldom, if ever, cultivated through rational arguments about tangible benefits or even appeals to symbolic benefits, such as heightened self-esteem or status” (Gobe 2001). Instead we see that “these potent consumer–brand linkages typically emerge when branding strategies use narratives and tactics that demonstrate an empathetic understanding of customers’ inspirations, aspirations, and life circumstances and that generate warm feelings of community among brand users (Muniz and Schau 2005).

Where better to generate warm feelings of belonging and community than within an organization that has this as its main goal. The library should be presenting in a continuous narrative to the consumers that the library is not only a community-centered organization but also that when they use the library the users are a part of the community. They belong to the community, and the library is their key to that sense of belonging. So how can this story be told?

I would argue that perhaps we can convey this message through partnerships with the community, or through partnerships with other community organizations. These partnerships would have to be with organizations with similar goals of the library such as education, community building, literacy, etc. If the library partners with organizations that do not have the same goals then it is possible that the story gets confusing or diluted and the brand identity of an organization as a place in jeopardy since the consumers will no longer understand the story being told to them through the brand story.

All Library Branding Posts

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Branding Libraries: Final Steps- Live the Message! – Measurements – Conclusion

Branding Libraries: Step 5 – Owning a Phrase

Posted on October 8, 2009October 14, 2009 by pcsweeney

Next in developing a brand, a library must own a word or phrase. When we are defining our message, we are trying to own a single word or short phrase in the mind of the target market. To say “own,” I mean that no other company could ever use that slogan to mean anything else other than what we have conveyed it to mean. By analyzing the strengths of the distinctions, and by understanding the role of libraries as community organizations I might argue that a strong choice would be; “Libraries ARE the community” or “The library IS the community.” This message conveys some of the same aspects of power that Nike conveys when they say “Just Do it.” It also promotes the ideology, and the mission of the library in the same way that “The Ultimate Shopping Experience” does for the Seattle shopping center Pacific Place.

If this hypothetical phrase is the one to be used then the next step would be to be sure that it is not owned by anyone else. Or that it has ever been owned by anyone else. Obviously, if it is already in use by another organization it can’t be used because it would simply cost too much in promotions, advertising, money, time, and effort to change the meaning in the minds of the patrons to that of fitting the library. It is clear that with such a slogan as “Libraries ARE the Community” it is unlikely that it has been used by any other organizations but it is important to understand if some other slogan is what will be used. Also, if the slogan has been used in the past by an organization that lost public favor such as Enron or the like then it should not be used either. This could lead to an association with negativity and that is exactly what a brand wishes to avoid.

All Library Branding Posts

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image

Branding Libraries: Final Steps- Live the Message! – Measurements – Conclusion

Amazing video! Range and Scope of Change in Technology. #library

Posted on October 7, 2009October 7, 2009 by pcsweeney

Whenever I see one of these videos I always wonder how I can possibly keep up without taking on learning technology as a full time job. I also wonder how libraries or other organizations are supposed to keep up without having a full time position dedicated to learning and implementing new technologies. This is not to say that every technology needs to be used or even that every technology should be used. But this video confirms my belief that organizations need to be quicker to respond to changes in technology, and a full-time staff person would be a great way to ensure that this happens.

Info about the video

“This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Design and development by XPLANE, http://www.xplane.com. You can follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/xplane”

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Posted on October 7, 2009October 14, 2009 by pcsweeney

Next libraries need to identify their brand’s distinction. This means that libraries must define their message and position while determining what it is that sets them apart from the competition. This distinction is the potentially branded product. So, to determine what the distinction is, libraries need to ask themselves; are they the first, best, most innovative, or luxurious in the category of companies performing similar functions in the community?

The First

It looks as though libraries have two services that are important to the target market. These being free access to information and also as a community centered organization. So to answer this question, I might say that actually libraries were the first at providing free access to information within a community. Having been in existence as a concept for thousands of years libraries have had very little to compete with as far as firsts in freedom of information. However, as a community centered organization libraries might not be the first or the original. There have been gathering areas within communities since the beginning of communities, whether it was the tribal fires where members would gather for stories, the Stoa where Socrates gathered members of the Greek community to teach, or any of the other millions of examples of community gathering places throughout history. So we need to recognize that while libraries are viewed in the public’s perception as places of information they still do have heavy competition for the community’s view of libraries as a first in community gathering places.

The Best

Once again libraries are the best at providing free access to information. Even with the invention of the Internet, libraries are more cost effective when quality of information is taken into account. Also, for the patrons, libraries cost nothing (outside of time) if the patron wishes to use a computer to access the Internet. Unlike a home computer that can cost thousands of dollars before access can be had, and even after this startup price there are still monthly fees the library is free no matter what the patrons financial status. So libraries are the best at providing free access to information, but how are they as a community center? This may be the libraries advantage. Although community centers have been around for thousands of years, in the current society there are very few community-centered organizations that work to provide services for the betterment of the community or as points of gathering in the community that are as good or comprehensive as the library. The library may not be a perfect community centered organization but they still may be on of the best.

Innovative

Libraries downfall may be that they might be one of the least innovative information sources available. There are a number of libraries that do not have enough (or any) of the latest technology to access or use information. With the constantly changing information age storage formats are outdated and useless at a much quicker rate. This means that libraries must continuously be innovative and keep up to date with information systems as well as being innovative in creating some of their own. On the other hand, libraries are very innovative when it comes to being a community-centered organization. They are so much so that oftentimes the successful community programs developed by the library are integrated in to private businesses such as bookstores, and after school literacy programs.

Luxury

Lastly, the luxuriousness of libraries is on the increase with such library systems as San Jose, San Francisco and Chicago. These types of systems are highly luxurious and are oftentimes destinations themselves simply because of the luxuries they offer. With this understanding of the distinctions of a library they can then continue to move to distinguish those distinctions in the minds of the patrons. By promoting the fact that libraries are the first at providing free access to information, or by selling the community empowerment of a library, they can help develop the library brand’s meaning for the patrons.

All Library Branding Posts

Branding Libraries: Step 3 – Quality Products/Services

Branding Libraries: Step 4 – Library’s Brand Distinction

Branding Libraries: Step 7 – Building the Libraries Brand Image