Branding

Over the past couple of weeks Kane (one of our Igniteqp graphic designers) did a series of logos for the Queensland Junior Rugby Union State Championships. The QJRU were looking to give their state championships a more professional image so they could go out into the marketplace and attract corporate sponsorship to support the ever increasing costs of running the event and in getting the participants from north Queensland to the event.

After initially having the logo designs approved Kane produced a mock up of a colour poster promoting the event (which included actual sponsor logos) and using our digital printing technology we produced personalised sponsorship proposals for each potential corporate partner.

Last week the QJRU sponsorship person had a meeting with the first of their identified potential corporate partners and received a very favourable hearing from this multi-national corporation. She has told us that the words THE BEST PRESENTATION were used in the conversation.

I believe that this is an excellent example for sporting, community, charity and faith based organisations. There is some serious competition out there for the business sponsorship dollar and just asking for a hand out doesn't cut it anymore. A well written, professional presentation is essential. Sponsors want outcomes both for themselves and for the organisation they are potentially supporting. In other words they want to see a return on their investment both for themselves (measured by sales, brand loyalty, brand positioning, public relations) and a benefit to the organisation greater than just the dollars they have supplied. How will the sponsorship be invested to gain long term benefits to the organisation? They also want to be confident their brand won't be damaged by the association.

Branding is not just a logo. It is how an organisation is seen each and every time they go out into their community and the general public. Stationery, email, website, staff clothing, vehicle & building signage, publicity, advertising etc are all part of an organisation's brand. It is essential to have a recogniseable brand and then absolutely essential to protect it.

If community organisations are not getting the results they want then I suggest spending some time on their strategic planning and brand development. These two steps are actually really interesting and often re-invigorate an organisation. In essence they help you see what you want to achieve and how to get there.
Learn more visit www.qprint.com.au or email us on don@qprint.com.au