PREPARED FOR
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
SAFETY ENGINEERS
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 2017
Strategic Framework
In March 2016, the Board approved a branding initiative to:
•
Refresh the ASSE brand aligned to strategic priorities including Education, Standards, Advocacy
and Membership
•
Bring consistency to how the ASSE brand is expressed
•
Strengthen the relationship with current members and expand relevance among business, young
professionals and global audiences
•
Develop research-based brand guidelines considering the organization’s name, logo, tagline,
positioning, personality and visual representation
•
Set up the ASSE website redesign for success
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
2
Branding Partner
An agency located in downtown Chicago that
builds, elevates and extends brands.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
3
88’s Branding Workflow
STEP 1
Uncover the
Challenge
STEP 2
Define the
Brand Strategy
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
STEP 3
Create the
Brand Identity
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
4
Step 1 - Uncover the Challenge
STEP 1
Uncover the
Challenge
RECAP: ASSE’S CHALLENGES
•
Lack of brand consistency
•
Lack of global relevance and desire to unify under one global brand
•
Difficulty attracting and retaining younger professionals (22–35 years of age)
•
Desire to increase awareness and recognition of ASSE beyond members to industry leaders
and businesses
•
Desire to deepen relationship with current members
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
5
Step 2 – Define the Brand Strategy
POSITIONING PLATFORM
A clear statement of differentiation, what you alone can provide to your audience, and
how they benefit.
Supported by 2–3 statements of proof. Answers the question: What makes your
statement credible?
STEP 2
Define the
Brand Strategy
Provides a foundation for all brand expression.
MESSAGE PLATFORM
The key messages that will anchor your brand and ensure consistent and compelling
communications.
BRAND PERSONALITY
The intrinsic traits that inform the brand identity development and future expression.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE
A framework for managing the inter relationships between sub-brands and a master
brand.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
6
Step 2 – Define the Brand Strategy
Who are we?
ASSE is a global association for occupational safety and health
professionals.
What do we do?
We provide education, standards development, advocacy and a professional
community to support the advancement of our members and the profession
as a whole.
Why does it matter?
Our members are dedicated to creating safe work environments by
preventing workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. Sound safety practices
are both socially responsible and good business, leading to increased
productivity, a better reputation and higher employee satisfaction.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
7
Step 2 – Define the Brand Strategy
Reason to Believe / General
For more than 100 years, ASSE has been at the forefront of helping
occupational safety and health professionals protect people and property.
Reason to Believe / Community
ASSE is where occupational safety and health professionals find a vibrant
community—one that helps them grow professionally through education and
networking, and advocates for the profession.
Reason to Believe / Education
ASSE is the preferred source for education among safety professionals,
providing valuable training, networking, knowledge, skills and continuing
education.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
8
Step 2 – Define the Brand Strategy
Reason to Believe / Standards
ASSE is a leader in the evolution of voluntary occupational safety and health
standards that reflect recognized best practices, both in the United States
and internationally.
Reason to Believe / Value of the Profession
ASSE strives to uphold and elevate the value of the safety and health
profession through innovation, thought leadership, and objective, unbiased,
science-based approaches to safety and health practices.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
9
Step 3 – Create the Brand Identity
NAME
Your most essential brand asset, most often the first impression you make on your
audience.
LOGO(S)
Your primary visual brand asset—anything from a wordmark to an abstract symbol.
STEP 3
Create the
Brand Identity
TAGLINE
A short, audience-facing phrase that captures your brand essence, personality and
positioning.
COLOR PALETTE & TYPOGRAPHY
A primary and secondary system of color and typeface that keeps your brand cohesive
and differentiated.
VOICE ATTRIBUTES
The distinctive and memorable tone in which you speak to your audience.
IMAGERY SYSTEM
How your brand is represented through the use of photography, illustration,
iconography and other visual cues.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
10
Brand Identity Research
The goals of the research are as follows:
• Assess members’ attitudes toward ASSE’s current name and logo
• Gather reactions to proposed new names and logos/identity concepts for ASSE
• Identify initial preferences regarding proposed colors, imagery and other elements that may be
applied to the brand identity
• Examine the impact that changes to the name or identity may have on perceptions of the brand
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
11
Research Learnings
As it relates to the potential name change of the organization, the three research studies showed that:
• Using the acronym ASSE as the name had very low preference.
• Individuals share concern about the word “engineers” in the name noting that the term was not inclusive and
did not represent the diverse membership of the organization.
• Of the proposed names that include “professional,” the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and
the International Society of Safety Professionals (ISSP) perform the best.
• International members felt the name “American” was an asset, citing the high bar that has been set in the U.S.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
12
Case Example
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
•
The Society for Human resource
Management (SHRM) has over 400 staff
members and over 285,000 members in
165 countries.
•
Founded in 1948 as the American Society
for Personnel Administration (ASPA)
•
ASPA changed its name to the Society for
Human Resource Management (SHRM)
in 1989 to reflect the modern role of
human resource management, and its
broadened scope and influence in
business and politics, both domestically
and internationally.
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
13
Research Learnings
As it relates to the logo and visual identity elements of the organization, the three research studies
showed that:
• There are mixed perceptions of the current logo
Positive Perceptions
Negative Perceptions
• Familiar/well known
• Bland/outdated
• Stands out
• Arrangement of the ASSE letters
• Conveys a meaning of safety
• Religious concerns about the cross
(specifically in certain geographies)
• Cross/plus sign
• Green color
• Shield shape
• Yellow in combination with the
green
• Leverage the existing brand equity and address concerns raised by membership.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
14
Brand Identity Recommendation
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
15
Where we are today
On January 31, 2017, ASSE’s Board of Directors moved to adopt the new name and brand identity
elements. This recommendation will move forward to the House of Delegates in a motion, at SAFETY
2017, to change the name and logo for the organization.
For a name change, a membership vote is needed. ASSE has plans in place, should the House pass
that motion.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
16
What we need from you
We would like your feedback.
This is a decision that should not be taken lightly and we want you and your constituents to have the information
you need to make an informed decision.
•
A microsite will be provided to you and your membership proving details regarding this process, our findings and reasoning for
our recommendations.
•
Members will have the ability to share their thoughts and feedback to the proposed recommendations.
•
Our process was vetted and included member and non-member input.
We would like your support.
In the upcoming weeks/months each of you will have the opportunity to talk with your colleagues about this process
and pending vote.
•
Help us spread the word. Encourage feedback and dialogue. And help keep the conversation positive and constructive.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
17
Communication Schedule
•
March: Microsite launch to delegates and members
•
April: Delegate motion package publication, continued delegate and member communications
•
May: Continued delegate and member communications
•
June: HOD vote at SAFETY 2017, followed by membership vote as needed
•
Fall: Chapter brand toolkit roll-out
•
December (tentative): Official brand launch
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
18
This is an exciting time.
ASSE has the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and where we
should be going in the future.
CLIENT
American Society of
Safety Engineers
PROJECT
Branding Initiative
DATE
February 9, 2017
19