The document discusses using brand attributes data to understand how the public perceives charities and their brands. It describes how the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) used data from the Brand Attributes Monitor to conduct an "Outside In" review of how the public views the RSPB brand. The review found that the RSPB was seen as traditional but not exciting. It also revealed low emotional engagement with the RSPB brand. This led the RSPB to make changes to become seen as more inspiring, modern, and exciting in order to increase public engagement with the organization.

1. To Affinity...and Beyond!
October 2011
Jennifer Shea, nfpSynergy
Ruth Smyth, RSPB
E: jennifer.shea@nfpsynergy.net
T: 020 7426 8888

2. What is brand made up of?
Name
Visual ID
Messages
Values
Mission
Vision

3. Points along the brand journey

4. Measuring understanding - what does the public
know about:
• What your organisation does
o Services
o Campaign activity
• Your audiences
• The way that you work, your values and style

5. Measuring understanding of specific aspects of your
work and values
Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree
Provides people with xxx condition, their families and carers, and the general
public, with the help, support and advice they need
35% 37% 20%
Speaks up for people with xxx condition and empowers them to speak for
39% 31% 17%
themselves
Promotes a more inclusive society 41% 31% 12%
Is a campaigning organisation 42% 27% 13%
Is innovative and forward-thinking 53% 23% 9%
Encourages members of the public to get involved in its work 48% 19% 7%
Is a charity that is relevant to you and your family and friends 35% 9% 5%
Overall, taking all the above into account, how much do you trust this charity? 38% 34% 20%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
“To what extent, on a scale from 1 to 5, do you think Charity A can be trusted to…?”
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: All those aware of Charity A (1,222) among 2,000 respondents 18+, Britain, Apr 2010

6. Measuring affinity
• How close do your audiences feel to your organisation?
• What do they associate most closely with your brand?
• How do they think you measure up compared to an
„ideal‟ charity?
• Do your communications tally with their perceptions of
your brand?

7. Borrowing from projective techniques to measure
emotional affinity - Charity B
I think they would inspire
46%
me
I would like to talk to them 37%
I think we would become
34%
friends
I would like to get to know
33%
them
I don't think we would have
9%
much in common
I think they would intimidate
2%
me
I think they would bore me 2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
“Imagining if CHARITY B was a person, which of the following statements best describes your reaction to them?”
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: All those aware of Charity B (1,506) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, November 2010

8. Another approach to measuring affinity
x
ME

9. Comparing how close the public feels to your charity,
versus comparator organisations
Not 10
close
9 8.1 8.1
8 7.5
7.0 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.8
7 6.13
5.54 5.75 5.8
6 5.34 5.15 5.32
4.71 4.7
5
3.87
4
3
2
Close 1
Supporters
65+
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
Total
Given me/ someone I know help/
assistance/ advice
Charity C Comparator
“Please indicate how close you feel to (...) by placing where you would like them to sit in relation to you” 1 means
closest and 12 means furthest
Source: nfpSynergy, Brand Attributes Monitor, Nov-10
Base: All those aware of each charity brand among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain

10. Understanding the public’s spontaneous associations
with your brand
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: All those aware of Charity D (1,526) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, April 2010

11. Measuring your brand against public ideals for charities
Focused
Trustworthy Practical
Caring / Compassionate Inspiring
Honest Reputable
36%
29%
Supportive 19% Campaigning
10% 26%
19% 10%
16%
6%
Friendly / Welcoming 34% 8% Accountable
9% 2%
14% 5% 9% 16%
16% 14% 13%
Passionate Sympathetic
The IDEAL charity
Helpful Positive
Average charity
Professional Informative
Approachable Determined / dedicated Charity A
Effective / Cost-effective
“Please choose up to 10 words in each column that you think best describes Charity A”
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: 2,013 adults 16+, Britain, April 2011

12. Measuring your brand against public ideals for charities
working in your sector
Campaigning
Trustworthy Practical
31% 22%
30% 28%
20%
20%
Honest Helpful
27% 27%
22% 20%
8%
20%
27% 8% 32%
Effective / Cost-effective Supportive
25% 24%
24% Charity D
32%
Professional Accountable The IDEAL International
36%
Aid and Development
charity
Caring / Compassionate
“Please choose up to 10 words that you think describe your IDEAL charity working in: International Aid and Development…”
Charity D
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: All those aware of Charity D (1,520) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, Nov 2010

13. Using Brand Attributes data to inform corporate
partnership strategy
Established
Boring Professional
Practical Reputable
Modern Greedy / Rich
Average score of charity
brands
McDonalds
Friendly / welcoming Traditional
Co-op
Helpful Trustworthy
“Please choose up to 10 words that you think describe ... McDonalds/ Co-op”
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, Nov 2010

14. Measuring the fit between your communications
materials and your brand
Boring
Established Responsive
Traditional Conservative
Reputable Supportive
Practical Friendly / Welcoming
Informative Helpful
Campaigning Positive
Charity E Brand
Trustworthy Honest Charity E advert image
Professional Determined / Dedicated
Caring / Compassionate Passionate
Focused
Please choose up to 10 words that you think describe the Advert Image/
Please choose up to 10 words that you think describe Charity E
Source: Brand Attributes, nfpSynergy
Base: 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, November 2010; All those aware of Charity E (1,264) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain, November 2010

15. Measuring emotional affinity - Charity F
1. Supportive/Support/Support
families
“Giving practical support and care
to vulnerable people”
“Such a great support to many
sufferers and helps families to
cope”
2. Helping people/families 3. Caring/ Caring charity/ Compassionate
“Bringing care and sensitivity to support
“A great help to people at a traumatic people to manage difficult situations”
time in their lives” “Such caring and supportive people.
“There to help” They are people who must be angels on
“Helping to make life a bit easier earth”
“Which of the following faces best represents how you feel about Charity F/ “This is because”
Source: nfpSynergy, Brand Attributes Monitor, Nov-10
Base: All those aware of Charity F (1506) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain

16. Highlighting barriers to engagement by measuring
emotional affinity
1. Don't know much about them/
Charity C 2. Not well known/ not much
media coverage
“Don‟t know what they do”
” Not a charity I know a lot about I just am “Not sure what they're doing
aware of the name” now, no publicity”
“A great charity but I don‟t know much “Not in the public eye as much
about them!” as it used to be”
Caring/ Caring charity/ Compassionate Helping people/families
10% 1. Sad/upsetting subject (18%)
“Bringing care “It makes me think of people who have
and sensitivity to “A great help to people at a traumatic
support peopledifficulties” difficult
to manage time in their lives”
situations” “I think they deal with a lot of sadness” “There to help”
“Such caring and supportivedependants on the charity”
“Feel sad for people. “Helping to make life a bit easier
They are people who must be angels
on earth”
“Which of the following faces best represents how you feel about Charity G”/ “This is because”
Source: nfpSynergy, Brand Attributes Monitor, Nov-10
Base: All those aware of Charity G (1,181) among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain

17. Using Brand Attributes data
• What do the public associate with your brand?
• How accurately do the public understand the work you
do?
• How do public perceptions measure up to what the
public say they want from a charity in your sector?
• Benchmark brand perceptions before a major brand
refresh or rebrand
• Understand how your campaigns tally with public
perceptions of your brand
• Build upon this knowledge to increase engagement with
your target audiences

18. RSPB’s ‘Outside In’ Review
How the RSPB has used the Brand
Attributes Monitor

19. What I’ll talk about...
• The RSPB
• The ‘Outside In’ Insight Project
• The Sargeant model
• Applying it to the Brand Attributes Monitor
• What it led to
• Handout – with notes & contact details

20. What we do

21. What we do

22. Where our income
comes from

23. ...a club for bird
watchers...
...an animal
hospital...

24. Brand shift was slow...
Snail. Flickr Creative Commons:
Meneer Zjeroen

25. The Outside In Review
Questions:
• How and why are perceptions formed?
• Can they be changed?
• How - and with how much effort?
Method:
• Multiple sources

26. The Sargeant Model:
Differentiation for charities

27. The Sargeant Model
Emotional Exciting, Fun, Heroic, Innovative,
Engagement Inspiring, Modern
Service Approachable, Compassionate,
Dedicated
Voice Ambitious, Authoritative, Bold
Tradition Traditional

28. Using the model: the ideal charity
Heroic, Innovative,
Inspiring, Modern RSPB
2 Ideal Charity
1.5
1
0.5
Approachable,
Traditional 0
Dedicated
Ambitious,
Authoritative,
Bold

29. Using the model: comparing charities
Heroic, Innovative,
Inspiring, Modern
2 RSPB
1.5 Charity A
1
Charity B
0.5
Traditional 0 Approachable,
Dedicated
Ambitious,
Authoritative,
Bold

30. Using the other data from BA
Boring
12%
10%
8%
6% 1. Not interested/ not
4% relevant/ don't like birds
2% “It is not an exciting charity”
0% “Not relevant to me”
RSPB Charity A Charity B “Not a charity very close to my
heart”
“It is for bird people”

31. How close does the public feel to charity brands?
High affinity Medium affinity Low affinity
“Please indicate how close you feel to (...) by placing where you would like them to sit in relation to you” 1 means
closest and 12 means furthest
Source: nfpSynergy, Brand Attributes Monitor, Nov-10
Base: All those aware of) each charity brand among 2,000 adults 18+, Britain

32. Outcomes
Arne Reserve, Dorset. RSPB Images

33. Any Questions?