http://www.nonprofituniversityblog.org/2008/07/taglinesjust-do-it/ A blog for the business of nonprofits Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:39:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.nonprofituniversityblog.org/2008/07/taglinesjust-do-it/comment-page-1/#comment-624 editor Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:24:09 +0000 http://www.nonprofituniversityblog.org/?p=78#comment-624 Great comment. We in the nonprofit world so often covet what for profits can do and take the obvious "easy" routes and then wonder why they haven't transformed us. Marketing is a process, and while each component has value, without a commitment to it at all levels, you probably won't see measurable results. Great comment. We in the nonprofit world so often covet what for profits can do and take the obvious “easy” routes and then wonder why they haven’t transformed us. Marketing is a process, and while each component has value, without a commitment to it at all levels, you probably won’t see measurable results.

]]> http://www.nonprofituniversityblog.org/2008/07/taglinesjust-do-it/comment-page-1/#comment-623 Patricia LePera Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:14:47 +0000 http://www.nonprofituniversityblog.org/?p=78#comment-623 I agree that the time and energy (translation -- dollars) spent honing just the right tagline could often be more effectively applied. Our firm works exclusively with nonprofits, helping them sharpen their image in the marketplace. Make no mistake, we believe establishing and communicating a strong brand is critical to a nonprofit's success. Understanding and articulating a position, shaping and illustrating clear messages, creating and consistently using a logo -- these are all necessary components of a solid communications program. But we see many boards determined to have a tagline, influenced by success of "Just Do It" and other corporate slogans. While nonprofit taglines -- if done right -- can serve as a punctuation mark and accent the brand, they are rarely backed by the hefty advertising budgets needed to give them broad and deep exposure. Sometimes tags are important -- in campaigns, for example, they provide a theme for volunteers and donors to rally around. But we agree -- institutional taglines are icing. Many attributes of the marketing program should be in place first. No matter how large the nonprofit, marketing resources are always finite and need to be prioritized carefully. Patricia LePera, Steege/Thomson Communications I agree that the time and energy (translation — dollars) spent honing just the right tagline could often be more effectively applied. Our firm works exclusively with nonprofits, helping them sharpen their image in the marketplace. Make no mistake, we believe establishing and communicating a strong brand is critical to a nonprofit’s success. Understanding and articulating a position, shaping and illustrating clear messages, creating and consistently using a logo — these are all necessary components of a solid communications program. But we see many boards determined to have a tagline, influenced by success of “Just Do It” and other corporate slogans. While nonprofit taglines — if done right — can serve as a punctuation mark and accent the brand, they are rarely backed by the hefty advertising budgets needed to give them broad and deep exposure. Sometimes tags are important — in campaigns, for example, they provide a theme for volunteers and donors to rally around. But we agree — institutional taglines are icing. Many attributes of the marketing program should be in place first. No matter how large the nonprofit, marketing resources are always finite and need to be prioritized carefully.
Patricia LePera, Steege/Thomson Communications

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