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Launching Action for Children - The Journey from NCH to Action for Children and Beyond

This article discusses the strategic review and brand audit undertaken by NCH to reposition itself as Action for Children. It covers the challenges faced, key success factors, advertising campaigns, brand tracking, and future challenges.

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Launching Action for Children - The Journey from NCH to Action for Children and Beyond

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  1. Launching Action for ChildrenClare Tickell

  2. The journey from NCH to Action for Children – and beyond... • Strategic review and brand audit – launched December 2005 • Decision to review our brand was taken October 2006 • Decision to change our name was taken July 2007 • Launch of new identity September 2008 • First advertising campaign January 2009 • Campaign and Appeal on neglect launched October 2009 • Brand tracking continues • Work on better delivering our brand through our services has just begun • Brand Health Indicators inform us of progress and help decision-making

  3. Strategic review and brand audit • NCH was uncertain about its role as a voice for children • Brand audit was an integral part of Building on Success strategic review • The review confirmed our vision, values, purpose and operational mission • It resolved key questions over our strategic direction, including the duty to speak out fearlessly for children • Brand audit found extremely low public awareness and a brand that did not support fundraising • Our profile with commissioners and some other key stakeholders was positive but everyone saw NCH as a poor communicator • All stakeholders believed our brand failed to express our values and strengths

  4. Change of identity was part of Change for Children • The strategic review led to a new strategy launched in 2007 • A transformational change programme was required to deliver it, and we introduced a programme management approach • The Brand Programme was one of four major change themes • The Brand Programme contained six projects: • Promotion • Rollout (the most complex and risky) • Internal engagement (arguably the most important) • Web development • Tracking • Fundraising

  5. The biggest challenges • Being as scientific as possible about something that is not a science • Integrating our brand values into our fundraising – ultimately only solved by structural change • Setting realistic targets for awareness and understanding the level of investment (financial and time) required to improve it • Rolling out a new brand across an organisation whose infrastructure was in need of modernisation • Achieving and retaining staff commitment (but we moved from 75% against to 80% in favour)

  6. Key success factors • Appointing the right agency for us • Properly researched Stakeholder Matrix (with clarity on existing and desired perceptions) • Making an evidence-based case for investment (there wasn’t a recession then!) and being clear about the need to hold our nerve • Developing our brand platform based on who we truly are, which then demonstrated that we needed to change our name – we didn’t impose a name change • Our internal engagement focused on understanding what “brand” means and on our values – not just on “this is why we are rebranding” • Trust between lead director and Chief Executive, and between Chief Executive and trustees

  7. Advertising • We had never advertised before • All parts of the organisation were involved in developing the advertising campaign • Transformation is fundamental to our brand – we show need and solutions • The campaign uses children’s real stories, told by them • As at every stage, we did substantial research on our advertising with our key stakeholder groups including service users • We had to differentiate ourselves clearly from the market leader in terms of awareness and voluntary income (NSPCC) and from our nearest competitor (Barnardo’s) • Fundraising messages were a major challenge: integrating a “sales” message into a pure, values-based brand

  8. Brand tracking • We have awareness targets and clear objectives for all stakeholder groups • We need to be flexible and respond if our Brand Health Indicators show up problems • We submit targets annually for agreement by trustees and report annually against targets and on stakeholder perceptions • So far all targets have been met and we know we have: • improved brand awareness among the public • considerably enhanced policy-makers’ and media perceptions that we are a voice for children • retained staff buy-in to the new brand • improved commissioners’ brand relationship

  9. Next challenges • Continuing to build awareness on a much reduced spend • Giving brand its proper place in our decisions about service development and strategy • Competitors are now responding to what we’ve done – how do we respond to this? • Continually improving integration especially across campaigning and fundraising • Development of new digital communications strategy

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