UNV brand communications

1. UNV brand communications A guide to our new approach May 2009

2. Things to consider • What are brands? • What makes them special? • Why is it important to UNV? • Why now? • The new approach at UNV

3. Things to practice & discuss • What is the UNV brand? • The UNV ‘elevator pitch’ – what is yours? • The UNV ‘boilerplate’ and how to use it • Idea and difference: share your examples

4. What you receive • EXPRESS:the UNV Brand Communications User Guide • Access to materials online • Access to the brand communications forum • Helpdesk support

5. Part 1: About branding

6. What is a brand? • “the promise that captures and represents what people can expect”

7. What is a brand? • “A statement about aspirations and even beliefs. A source of identity.” Will Hutton Governor, London School of Economics

8. Famous brands

9. Why do brands matter? • “Living the brand makes work matterand people feel like winners”

10. Why do brands matter? • “It can make or break a company or a career.” Will Hutton Governor, London School of Economics

11. Famous branding problems • Swedish vacuum cleaner: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux” • "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation“. In Chinese this became: "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave" • ‘Polio’ laundry soap (Czechoslovakia) • ‘Zit’ soft drink (Greece) • ‘Life’ cigarettes (Mali) • ‘Ayds’ anti-depressant drug (USA) • In one sea port, freight handlers saw a new sticker onsome boxes. It means ‘fragile’, but they hadn’t been told.They thought it meant ‘broken items inside’ and threw them away! (new ideas need to be explained)

12. Personal brand problems • Gerald Ratner owned a highly successful chain of jewelry stores in Great Britain. • But he told a business lunch that his goods were “crap” • People stopped buying and he went broke! • Lessons: • Be consistent in what you say, and how you say it • Your brand relies on people’s trust

13. Personal brand problems • Lawrence Summers, Former World Bank Chief Economist, was President of Harvard University when he said in a speech: • ‘women don’t succeed in math and science because of genetics’ • Donors stopped sending money. • He lost his job and damaged the University’s reputation • Lessons: • Everything you say has an impact • What you say should reflect our core beliefs

14. Corporate branding problems • UNICEF (Germany) launched a campaign to raise money for children’s education in Africa. • It wanted to show that all children are the same, regardless of colour. • But the pictures reminded people outside Germany about bad race relations. • UNICEF headquarters had not been informed. The local branding did not match their international brand image. • UNICEF Germany had to remove the adverts and apologize. • UNICEF lost some support internationally.

15. Ways we communicate the UNV brand • Talking about UNV, our work, volunteerism for peace and development • Meetings with UN, volunteers, governments, NGOs, donors, beneficiaries, media… • Writing reports, email, presentations, newsletters, vacancy announcements

16. Part 2: How we got here

17. Why UNV brand review was needed • Expanding UNV mandate • Business strategy (advocacy, integration, mobilization) needs to be clarified, implemented • Operations growing, diversifying • = need for clarity, consistency

18. How the review worked • UNV hired expert consultants • All major UNV stakeholders were surveyed • Consultants made proposals • Project board (Core Management Team and Head, Communications) responded to proposals • Planned solution was tested on stakeholders • Solution was finalized and announced!

19. Stakeholder perception surveys and interviews • 18 (Senior Management Team members) • 7 x UN partners (UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, DPKO, EAD, UNDP) • 3 x donors (Ireland, Japan, Germany) • 2x G77 (programme Countries) • 1 x civil society (Forum/IVCO)

20. Some key perceptions about UNV • UNV is primarily a supplier of volunteers ..……………..……..(ALL) • In future a wider role : A.I.M ………………. (UNV volunteers, PO’s, HQ) • Partners satisfied with collaboration…………..……..…….. (All partners) • Volunteers’ performance & value for money main motivators.. (ALL) • UNV is ‘practical’ , ‘flexible’ , ‘dynamic’ ……….……..(mostly internal)

21. Key reflections on stakeholder feedback from a branding perspective • Performance • The organization is performing well and meeting partners’ expectations • Lots of view points and messages (perhaps too many messages) • Very broad messaging invites interpretation, e.g. governance connotations, G77 viewpoint • Disconnect between organization at HQ level and service in the field • Reluctance to communicate impact on the ground Conclusions: Danger of being too “fluffy” Need for clarity • Messaging • Culture

22. Volunteerism brands Where does UNV fit? … can you guess?! Universal Values based Skills based Special interest

23. In the middle!UNV wanted to remain here, - expressing values, - demonstrating results. How could it do so, effectively? Universal Values based Skills based Special interest

24. Optionsfrom the consultants Universal Values based Skills based Scenario 1focus on advocacy Scenario 2focus on mobilization • ‘Development and peace. Delivered.’ • ‘Volunteering for humanity’ • efficient volunteer organization, making a real impact • world’s advocate of volunteerism, challenges people to contribute Special interest

25. Solutionagreed by UNV Universal Values based Skills based ‘inspiration’ ‘action’ • ‘Action’ expresses UNV’s activities and results • ‘Inspiration’ expresses UNV’s values and ideas Special interest

26. So we get…

27. Part 3:Our inspiration

28. WE BELIEVE...VOLUNTEERISM CAN TRANSFORMTHE PACE AND NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT

29. THAT’S APOWERFUL IDEA

30. IMAGINE… OVER 6 BILLION PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

31. DELIVERING ON THAT POTENTIALIS OUR MISSION

32. THAT’S WHY EVERY ACTIONWE TAKE AS AN ORGANIZATION HAS TO BE AMBITIOUSIT HAS TO LIVE UP TO OUR BIG IDEA

33. OUR ACTIONS SAY A LOTADVOCATINGFOR VOLUNTEERISM,ENCOURAGING PARTNERS TO INTEGRATEVOLUNTEERISM INTO DEVELOPMENTPROGRAMMING, AND MOBILIZINGVOLUNTEERS

34. IF OUR PARTNERS SEE VOLUNTEERISM AS A CORNERSTONEOF THEIR PROGRAMMES,WE CANADDRESS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES TOGETHER

35. PARTNERS INSPIRED BY THE POTENTIALOF VOLUNTEERISM, THE ACTIONS OF VOLUNTEERS,AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF UNVWILL HELP US TO GROW AND EXPAND VOLUNTEERISM

36. OUR ORGANIZATION’S PROMISE IS THAT THE DIFFERENCE WE MAKE IS INSPIREDBYTHE IDEA WE EMBRACE

37. WEAREINSPIRATION IN ACTION

38. EMBRACE THIS IDEALIVE IT EVERY DAY IN UNV

39. TOGETHER, WEAREMAKING A DIFFERENCE

41. Part 4:Guidelines

42. EXPRESS Contents • Tagline • Tone of voice • Idea + Difference • Boilerplate text • Elevator Pitch • Definition of ‘volunteerism for development’

43. Tone of voice • Confident • Clear • Inclusive • Genuine

44. Idea + difference • 1. First step: think about the key ‘idea’ you want to convey. Make sure it appears within your communication • 2. Second step: demonstrate the ‘difference’ Explain how UNV can help, and the results it can produce.e.g. the results produced by UNV as an organization, UNV staff, UNV volunteers, volunteers in general. • Note: the annual report in written in this style. The idea does not have to come first!

45. Idea + difference Example • [idea] • ‘Volunteerism can help communities achieve the Millennium Development Goals’ • [difference] • ‘In India, UNV and the publisher Times of India launched the “Teach India” campaign, which mobilized 50,000 volunteer teachers in one month, significantly contributing to children’s literacy and education (MDG 2).’

46. Boilerplate text

47. Boilerplate text • Standardized text • Always in documents • Never edited! • You can add to it The term comes from hot water boilers which have a standard ‘plate’ of information for safety reasons

48. Boilerplate text Exercise • Describe our organization, our work, and our contribution • Write 50 words in 5 minutes • Pass your text to the person to your left • Did your neighbour write the same thing? • Was it better (or worse!)? • Do you have the same elements as the UNV boilerplate?

49. Boilerplate (short) key elements • ‘The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization thatpromotes volunteerismto supportpeace and developmentworldwide. Volunteerism cantransform the pace and nature of development, and itbenefits both society at large and the individualvolunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development byadvocatingfor volunteerism globally,encouraging partners tointegratevolunteerism into development programming, andmobilizingvolunteers.’

50. Elevator Pitch