Why should you attend?
What is a brand? What constitutes branding? Is branding possible for governments and public sector organizations? What are the key branding challenges and issues faced by governments? What lessons can governments learn from commercial branding? What’s the difference between messaging, positioning and branding? How are they linked in doing strategic communications? How can you structure messages to reach different audiences while maintaining overall coherence and consistency? These and many other questions will be addressed in this two-day workshop designed to provide understanding of branding, positioning and messaging and their application to the challenges faced by federal government communicators.
What will you learn?
The workshop will focus on:
- Understanding the differences between public and private sector branding
- Key issues and challenges in government branding
- Current Canadian public sector branding examples
- The branding process
- Branding benefits and challenges
- Linkages between branding, positioning and messaging
- The positioning process
- Crafting and applying a positioning statement
- Ensuring the branding – positioning – messaging linkage
What will you take away?
- Workbook
- Exercises and handouts
Professional Competencies
- Thinking Things Through: Innovating through analysis and ideas
Sample Agenda
Day 1
| Activity |
|---|
| Introductions and Workshop Overview |
| Branding Basics What is a brand and branding? What does it mean in a public sector context? What are the main issues and challenges in government branding? Branding and communications. Mini-exercise |
| BREAK |
| Approaches to Branding Differences between the public and private sectors. Developing and sustaining a brand image. The benefits and challenges of branding government and its organizations. Branding Quiz |
| LUNCH |
| The Branding Process Branding as a goal and a process. Essential steps. Key implementation issues. Getting started – The “Elevator Pitch”. Group Exercise |
| BREAK |
| Building a Public Sector Brand Strategy Key elements of a branding strategy: SWOT analysis, branding objectives, architecture, brand promise and positioning, segmentation and messaging, tactics, internal brand, sub-brands, co-branding, monitoring and evaluation, critical success factors, risk assessment. Group Exercise |
| Wrap-up and Q & As |
Day 2
| Activity |
|---|
| Day One Review |
| Public Sector Branding Experiences Examples of Canadian and international branding. Lessons learned. Being realistic. Group Exercise |
| BREAK |
| The Importance of Positioning What is positioning, and why is it important to branding? The strategic planning context.The positioning process. Developing a positioning statement. Group Exercise |
| LUNCH |
| Brand and Messaging Linkages between positioning, messaging and branding. The importance of audience segmentation. Messaging around a brand. Developing and living the “Message Pyramid” Group Exercise |
| BREAK |
| Brand Implementation Process: Getting it Right Key challenges in implementing a public sector branding strategy and action plan. Developing the plan. Understanding brand management tools. Asking the right questions. Group Exercise |
| Wrap-up and Workshop Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation. |
You continue to offer exactly what government workers need to learn – at the right time!