Headlights2013/Brand

Participants discuss on public-w3c-brand@w3.org (archive).

Chair:

Marilyn Siderwicz, W3C Staff

Participants:

Troy Allison, Intel
Manyoung Cho, W3Labs (Korea)
Ian Jacobs, W3C Staff
Karen Myers, W3C Staff
Amy van der Hiel, W3C Staff

Goals of the Branding Task Force:

Create a proposal for W3M and Members that begins to define a refreshed brand for W3C based on preliminary market research results. Identify ways to fund and implement the proposal.

[[from Landor Associates: The purpose of branding is to drive change, not to provide an intellectual model, and that change requires building passion in (stakeholders) and staff. The currency of brands is passion, and we need to think of that first and foremost….

…How can we make brands more about consequence and outputs and less about inputs? Simplicity, passion, and storytelling—these are the ways that we can get brands to be more effective and drive business results. http://landor.com/#!/talk/articles-publications/articles/landor%E2%80%99s-2013-trends-forecast-eight-hot-topics/trend-eight-future-of-branding/]]

Objectives of Branding project:

Define and raise visibility of W3C (not just of products like HTML5) to help meet org objectives.

Establish new visual identity. Simplify existing brand architecture.

Help inform W3C Website refresh headlights project. (and other integrated marketing tactics where possible)

Indirectly, modernize the perception of engineering/computer science (out front, not just in back room)

Objectives of the Brand task force proposal:

Suggest updated W3C brand positioning

Who is W3C today? Who does it want to be?

Suggest key messages and articulate proof points for each

Further refine W3C value proposition (e.g. What makes W3C distinct and worth supporting?)

Outline strategies for securing funding for design and implementation, including how would we would identify, secure and recognize an agency and how it might benefit from collaborating with us on this project.

Deadline for the proposal:

May 31, 2013 (to be presented at the June AC Meeting Agenda in Tokyo, Japan)

       Final proposal to be presented to W3M at July Woods Management Meeting, Cambridge, MA

Deadline for the Brand implementation:

Early 2014: anniversaries of W3C and the Web

Confirm Target Markets and whether messaging should be adapted per segment:

Key Prospects, typical IT people who aren’t familiar with us yet or with our value prop(e.g. LinkedIn before they attended performance workshop)
Business people from these IT companies (this is new group!)
all types of people (tech and business) from other non-typical W3C industries like auto, publishing, TV, retail, etc. (this is also a new group)
developers
youth?
everyman?
staff
Other: media/analysts/governments/etc.

Strategies:

Leverage our market research results so proposal is based on real world findings, not conjecture.

Humanize what we do so we can create an emotional connection to the people/work. Perhaps relying on storytelling to help establish context and provide real world benefits.

Funding Opportunities: (e.g. W3C@20 and Web@25 anniversary celebration partners?)

How we intend to measuring results of rebranding:

(see same anniversary task force bullets)

• Social media mentions

• New memberships

• New participation in BGs, CGs,

• Greater interest by vertical markets (TV, Auto, HC, Banking….)

• Greater internal cohesion among global staff

• More requests for W3C staff to speak at conferences

• Etc…..

Next Steps for Task Force members:

(see same anniversary task force bullets)

• Identify others who should/might join the task force

- - Marilyn suggests: (coming soon!)

• Determine process for collaboration

• Draft the brand campaign proposal

• Come to agreement on creative themes

• Consider/ suggest appropriate integrated marketing tactics (e.g. branding guideline documents, redesigned web site (see separate headlights task force).

• Identify resource funding opportunities

• Define roles and responsibilities

Documents to share with the group:

Quantitative market survey and staff survey. Each survey is currently in draft stage. Working with contractor Elaine Salloway or Salloway & Associates. Plan is to conduct both surveys in April 2013.

Report summarizing qualitative market research results (Fall 2012).

http://www.w3.org/2013/01/24-global-brand.pdf

Report summarizing W3C selected management personal interview responses and correlation to market findings. (Not Yet Received From Salloway)