_AIESEC Brand Experience Toolkit

The Brand Experience Toolkit

Brand Experience Toolkit [August 2007]

Table of Contents

1.0

History of the AIESEC Brand 1.1 1.2 1.3

2.0

The Brand Experience 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

3.0

What is a brand? Why do we have a global brand? Brand Promise vs. Brand Experience: an evolution

An overview Our competitors Our target audiences Physical manifestations Benefits Differentiator Essence

Filter tool – how to use the Brand Experience in practice 3.1 3.2

Assessing your results Finding support

Brand Experience Toolkit


1.0 – History of the AIESEC brand

History of the AIESEC brand The global AIESEC brand as we know it today was launched by AIESEC International in 2004. The first Brand Toolkit included explanations on what is a brand, why we need one and the steps in order to achieve that, including our Brand Promise, visual guidelines and marketing campaign.

1.1

What is a brand?

A brand is more than just a logo, slogan or a colour scheme; it is the image and reputation that we want others to associate with our organization. But, a brand is also more than just the image that we want others to have of us; it is also a description of the organization that we want to be. A brand is an expression of your actions and what you do every day. In AIESEC, our global brand is represented through our living The AIESEC Way. Our ―Brand Experience‖ is the experience we want our stakeholders (members, supporters and enablers) to live when they interact with AIESEC. The closer we can make this experience to the entirety of our Brand Experience the more we are strengthening our global brand every day.

1.2

Why do we have a global brand?

Having a global brand allows AIESEC (1) to be more consistent and credible, (2) to attract more stakeholders and give AIESEC a clear competitive advantage; (3) to attract the right stakeholders and to set the right expectations; and (4) to align the organization to globally leverage the AIESEC Experience.



1.3

1.0 – History of the AIESEC brand

Brand Promise vs. Brand Experience: an evolution

The Brand Promise introduced in 2004 was the start of the branding initiative from AIESEC International, bringing the ne twork together to have one visual identity and synergizing messages across the network. While the earlier brand promise helped quite a bit to align the organization to be transmitting common messages, it was difficult to apply to products and also quite i nternally focused, not providing reasons for partners to engage with AIESEC rather than our competition. The brand promise was made up of words that we felt best described AIESEC, but there was no clear plan on how to use it in pr actice. Now a few years later, we see the need to evolve this fur ther in order for it to be used in practice, including how it should be used in relation to product development and messaging —a crucial step on the path to creating a strong global brand for AIESEC. As a result, with the help of consultants from Unilever, we now have what we call the Brand Experience. This methodology will serve as a tool that can be used to filter everything we do quickly and easily to understand its alignment to our brand, which in the end supports in its strengthening. Unlike the brand promise which was internally focused, the Brand Experience first considers the outside environment and looks inward, reflecting how our stakeholders actually experience our brand when they interact with AIESEC, and how we do things differently than our competitors. By being conscious of this we can ensure that we are strengthening our global brand in all actions we take, meeting the needs of our stakeholders and putting us ahead of our competitors at the same ti me.



The Brand Experience


2.0 – The Brand Experience


2.1 – The Brand Experience: an overview

The Brand Experience: an overview The Brand Experience is a simple way to understand how our target audiences (members, supporters and enablers) experience (or interact with) the AIESEC brand. The interactions and touch points they have with AIESEC will shape the impression of what AIESEC is to them, and by being conscious of this we can manage the kind of experience we would like our target audiences to have with AIESEC. The Brand Experience has several elements that will be discussed in more detail in this toolkit. They include:

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Our competitors

(organizations offering similar products to our target audiences)

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Target audiences

(our potential members, enablers and supporters)



Physical manifestations

(the first interaction point to AIESEC for our target audiences)

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Benefits

(what our target audiences get out of engaging with AIESEC)

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Our Values

(reflective of The AIESEC Way)

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Discriminator

(what distinguishes us from our competitors)

Essence

(what we do in AIESEC, what we are about)

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The next few pages of this toolkit will explain each section of the Brand Experience in more detail.


2.2 – Our Competitors Brand Experience Toolkit [August 2007]

Our Competitors Our competitors are other organizations that offer similar experiences to our target audiences as we do. They may be slightly or even very similar to us, based on what they offer. These include organizations offering:     

Work abroad opportunities Volunteer abroad opportunities Cultural experiences Skills development Networks

Although there may be a few common competitors for AIESEC across this globe (ie) IAESTE for internships or JCI for volunteer opportunities, your direct competitors will differ from country to country , and perhaps even from city to city. It is important that you are aware of such similar organizations and the work they are doing so that you are able to identify how AIESEC differs from their activities and what we offer to our target audiences vs. what our competitors offer to them.


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ur arge au ences


Our target audiences As seen from our Balance Scorecard, our target audiences can be divided into three distinct groups of people: 

Members

Enablers (TN takers, mentors and learning/content partners), and 

Supporters (financial and in-kind partners, Board of Advisors) 

The kinds of characteristics we would be looking for in potential members, enablers and supporters incl ude: Characteristics for potential members:       

Young people – recent graduates and students Youth interested in world issues Those who enjoy challenges Open minded active learners Those with an interest in leadership development Passionate and determined Those looking for lear ning and development opportunities


2.3 – Our target audiences


Characteristics for potential enablers: 



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TN takers Companies expanding to other countries o Companies that needs and employees with specific characteristics o Companies with strong CSR or a willingness to start o Issues focused; market leaders o Learning/content partners Organizations working with issues relevant in society o Global organizations (with global reach) o Research-based organizations o Individuals with specific skills/knowledge/experience in a particular field o Mentors HR companies/specialists o University professors o Alumni o Industry specialists o

Characteristics for potential supporters: 

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Sponsors, financial and in-kind Organizations working on similar issues relevant in society o Companies/organizations that are working with youth o Organizations with the same end benefit o Board of advisors Industry specialists o Alumni o High profile people o


2.4 – Physical manifestations


Physical manifestations This layer includes all the external touch points (or interaction points) our target audiences have with AIESEC. Thus, their first interaction point with AIESEC will affect how they experience our brand. This layer includes things such as our marketing materials and visual branding guidelines (including our logo), but also extends to much more than this. The first interaction point that our target audiences have with AIESEC including everything from physical meetings to our website, conferences, even our Code of Ethics, all shape the way our target audiences will understand AIESEC.

Please note: the visual guidelines are currently being refreshed. The newest version is expected to be released in September 2007.



Benefits Benefits are what our target audiences (or stakeholders) get out of engaging with AIESEC. While the benefits are the same for all target audience groups, the reasons why they are a benefit for each target audience differs based on the different ―experiences‖ that these audiences have with our brand.

These are the benefits that our target audiences experience when they interact with AIESEC. 

Societal impact

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Personal and professional development

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International experience

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Global network

2.5 – Benefits

Although they are benefits for different reasons, the above four are benefits for all of our stakeholders, or target audiences. The chart below explains this in more detail.



Societal impact Benefit for members   

To have an impact on a certain issue Learning opportunity Providing the same experience to others

Benefit for supporters  

Knowledge sharing Feeling of supporting to make an impact in society

Benefit for enablers  

Leadership development Feeling of contributing to having an impact on society through others

Personal and professional development Benefit for members 

Self development (leadership development, self-discovery, skill building)


Benefit for supporters  

Supporting development of others Feeling of supporting to make an impact on society

Benefit for enablers  

Access to top talent; having top talent in their organization Feeling of supporting to make an impact on others

2.5 – Benefits


Global network Benefit for members 

Peers, alumni, businesses all over the world

Benefit for supporters 

Connect to youth around the world, other organizations

Benefit for enablers 

Alumni, youth around the world, other organizations

International experience Benefit for members 

Exchange opportunities, global learning environment, international conferences, etc.

Benefit for supporters 

 


Interaction with members who have international experience (open minded/worldly) Branding and positioning International conference involvement

Benefit for enablers   

Diversity in workforce Branding and positioning Interaction with members who have international experience (open minded/worldly)


Our Values Our values are an important part of the Brand Experience. The organizational values defined in The AIESEC Way were not made to be written up on a wall and forgotten about. They dictate how we should act according to our value system for the organization. Our values are also what our target audiences experience and live when they interact with AIESEC, thus they definitely determine how others view us and experience our brand.

Our values

Imagine a TN taker hears all about the ambitious top talented youth that exist in AIESEC during his first i nteraction at a conference and decides to taken on an intern for himself. Imagine that intern meets all his expectations of being a bright, ambitious and passionate young person that makes a big difference in the company. The impression that TN taker will have of AIESEC will be quite good, because of the way he experienced our brand. Now imagine the same situation but in a negative way, this is not how we want our stakeholders to experience AIESEC. That is why values are so important and interlinked with our brand.


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Demonstrating integrity

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Acting sustainably

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Activating leadership

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Enjoying participation

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Living diversity

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Striving for excellence


Differentiator Youth driven impactful experience Our differentiator is what makes us unique, or si mply put, what sets us apart from the competition. This layer is very much linked with the next (the essence). While the essence may not be unique to our competitors, our differentiator is the unique point —how we do what we do differently than our competitors. Through the result of discussions held at the Global Brand Principles meeting held in May 2007, three concrete things that combined set AIESEC apart include: Youth driven – the concept that AIESEC is run by youth for youth Integrated experience – the AIESEC experience comprised of l eadership opportunities, an international exchange and a global learning environment Impact/activating positive leadership – making a positive impact on society 

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2.7 – Differentiator

To express these three differentiators in one sentence we have come up with the phrase: Youth driven impactful experience. Each part of this phrase has a strong meaning behind it.



Youth driven This emphasizes energy, passion, emotion, and leadership or leading, essentially what AIESEC is about. It also reinforces the fact that we are youth run.

Impactful This is about the kind of experience that our stakeholders have when they engage with AIESEC, and the positive impact it can have on them and/or on society.

Experience The complete yet individual experience th at our stakeholders have with AIESEC from a member’s AIESEC experience to a TN taker’s experience with an intern to a sponsor’s experience at a conference. This experience draws together all aspects of the AIESEC experience – leadership opportunities, international exchange and a global learning environment.

What the differentiator is not This sentence is not meant to be used explicitly to explain AIESEC. The essence behind this statement is what matters. When you are explaining what sets AIESEC apart these are elements that should come up in your explanation, though the actual phrase ―youth driven impactful experience‖ is not meant to be a slogan.


2.8 – Essence Brand Experience Toolkit [August 2007]

Essence This is the essence of what we do as an organization. This may not be different to our competitors, but it is the centre of our actions. Our differentiator is how we do this differently to our competitors. Our essence is taken from the essence of the brand promise: activating leadership. AIESEC is about providing the platform and necessary tools for youth to develop themselves, so that they can have a positive impact on their environments. Through activating leadership we also want to communicate the important role the individual plays in the experience - the selfdriven element. We do this through the concept of AIESEC as a pl atform of opportunities from which individuals can drive their own experience. The essence of activating leadership can be captured in three simple elements:   

AIESEC is the platform - individuals drive their own experience We help individuals to both develop and discover their potential Our ambition is to develop people that will have a positive impact on society


3.0 – The filter tool


The Filter tool – how to use the Brand Experience in practice In order to use the Brand Experience in practice, a filter tool has been created which is a simple set of questions that you can apply to any product or message to check if it is aligned to the Brand Experience or not. If it is not, using this tool will also help to indicate what areas need to be improved in order for your product/messaging to be strengthening our brand. To use this tool, you will need to have your product in question with you. Go through the series of questions below and answer them using a ―traffic li ght‖ system: green if the answer if completely true, red if it is completely untrue and yellow if it is somewhere in the middle. The Filter tool questions:

Question 1. Is it true to the essence (activating leadership )? 2. Is it true to our differentiator (youth driven impactful experience ) and thus different to those offered by our competitors? 3. Is it consistent with or not contradicting any of our values? 4. Is it reflecting the integrated development experience in The AIESEC Way (exchange, leadership, global learning environment) and our current organizational strategy? 5. Is it reflecting at least two primary benefits? 6. Is it adhering to the visual guidelines?


Green

Yellow

Red


3.1

3.1 – Assessing your results

Assessing your results

After going through the filter tool above with a product, idea for a product or general messaging you should have a grid of green/yellow and/or red that will give you an indication of how closely your assessment reflects the Brand Experience. For products with many green’s, this is a very good representation of the Brand Experience and will help to strengthen our global brand. For products with many yellows, this should be an indicator that some parts of the product need to be worked on a bit more in order to better reflect the whole of our Brand Experience and contribute to strengthening our brand. Use the Brand Experience filter tool to help you identify what areas exactly need a bit of work i n order to be more reflective of our ideal Brand Experience, and strive for this. For products with many red’s, first consider how much this product is reflecting our Brand Experience. If it is not, then it is not the ideal way we would want our target audiences to interact with AIESEC. In this case, consider the need of this product in your LC or MC and work out a plan to ensure the product will be redefined in the future, towards our Brand Experience, or consider phasing out the product altogether, by finding other more aligned products to help meet the financial resources brought in by your nonaligned product.

3.2

Finding support

The Global Communication Crew can help you to use this tool to help strengthen our brand. Check out the Global Branding Community on www.aiesec.net for more information.


_AIESEC Brand Experience Toolkit

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