Any rebrand is difficult. Folks change into emotionally hooked up to even the smallest nuance of brand design and model colours. However doing a rebrand full with a full title change? That’s a next-level problem.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service took on that problem, reworking into International Refuge. However what didn’t change on this in depth rebrand course of is its dedication to advocating for refugees and serving to them really feel welcome and settled in the US. In reality, that mission has solely grown, because the 85-year-old group ballooned from about 75 staff two and a half years in the past to 560 at this time.
The non-profit’s board requested it to find out a reputation that will assist set an even bigger desk for the various refugees all over the world, together with migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. It additionally thought of a full rebrand alongside the title change.
Right here’s how LIRS deliberate and rolled out its new delivery as International Refuge.
What’s in a reputation?
LIRS started this journey with Legend Labs, a model consulting firm based mostly in Austin, Texas. With Legend’s assist, LIRS started to conduct deep analysis together with a employees survey, donor survey and a nationwide, statistically vital survey to raised perceive present information of the model and what compels folks to donate to a company like theirs. LIRS coupled this quantitative knowledge with qualitative knowledge based mostly on interviews with board members, associates, former shoppers, authorities companions and others.
A number of key factors revealed themselves.
First was the important thing position of mission in non-profit names. “We all know that in such a crowded model house, you could have to have the ability to in a short time seize someone’s consideration, and what does your title sign?” Erin Taylor, chief communications officer at International Refuge, informed PR Each day. “And if we had been going to vary our title, we needed one thing that stayed true to our mission, however would enable us possibly faster recognition in that vital second the place someone’s making an attempt to study you.”
LIRS additionally suffered from low title recognition, a real drawback. A part of which will have been the acronym itself, which added to what Taylor known as “alphabet soup” within the non-profit house.
The group was getting nearer to what it wanted from a brand new title. However there was nonetheless one main resolution to be made.
Reformers
“Lutheran” performed a key position within the unique title of the group. And whereas it not seems within the title, it’s nonetheless an important a part of the charity.
“We’re completely remaining a Lutheran faith-based group. Our mission, imaginative and prescient and values haven’t modified,” Taylor mentioned.
However the inclusion of the denomination within the title did trigger some confusion among the many group’s constituents. The group helps all, no matter faith. However for a lot of of LIRS constituents, the inclusion of “Lutheran” within the title was an vital touchstone to religion, and eradicating it harm.
Taylor mentioned they acknowledge and honor that harm, and that the workforce has taken time to journey throughout the nation for face-to-face conferences with folks skeptical of the title change. However she additionally harassed that Christian religion remains to be embedded within the title, albeit extra subtly.
“Refuge is definitely an vital a part of Psalm 46 within the Bible: ‘And so God is our refuge and energy, a really current assist in bother,’” Taylor quoted. “And that’s really a passage that loads resonates with numerous members of the Lutheran religion.”
In the end, her workforce understands not everybody will agree with change, however that it, too, is a core a part of Lutheranism.
“The Lutheran church is in and of itself a reformer, proper? That’s how the church shaped, began,” she mentioned, referencing church founder Martin Luther, who famously nailed his 95 theses to a church door and began the Protestant Reformation.
“The concept that our group continues to evolve to fulfill wants and serve shoppers is absolutely vital to us.”
Rolling it out
In spite of everything this analysis and dialog, the group settled on International Refuge. It was shorter, made up of actual phrases, and eradicated the necessity for an acronym. It set that greater desk that the board needed whereas nonetheless retaining religion id by way of the inclusion of “refuge,” with its nod to Psalm 46. It additionally extra shortly helped folks perceive what they did. A fast spherical of market testing revealed that the title resonated with their goal audiences too.
Now the inventive endeavor was over and the onerous work of rolling out logistical adjustments wanted to start.
The interior rollout was notably vital.
“We see our employees as a few of our greatest model ambassadors, and folk that will must be early on board when it comes to with the ability to share the information and articulate the why behind it,” Taylor mentioned.
That work began with an all-staff, in-person assembly in San Antonio, however continued with in-person, in-depth conversations.
“We tried to succeed in as many individuals in individual as we may to speak in a clear approach about what this modification was and what it could imply for the group and, critically, what it wouldn’t imply for the group — once more, that the work was not altering,” Taylor mentioned.
The comms workforce additionally created a wide range of collateral supplies, starting from an in-depth 15-page FAQ, in addition to a bodily at-a-glance one sheet on the rebrand.
The one-sheet additionally included key messages and even an elevator pitch – a number of phrases staff may share in the event that they met somebody for less than a quick second. The workforce even went past simply sending collateral supplies by offering coaching to assist workforce members adapt the speaking factors for his or her explicit viewers.
The interior and exterior response to the rebrand has been constructive. However most vital has been the incorporation of shopper voices into their new id.
“Past the title, it’s, it’s the storytelling, it’s the inclusivity, it’s the welcoming messaging that we’re constructing in that may then be mirrored throughout our comms supplies,” Taylor mentioned. “So we’re actually jazzed about that, too.”
Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Each day. Comply with her on X or LinkedIn.
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