How K2 Communications helped the Rochester American Marketing Association focus on its own smarter marketing.
For over sixty years, the Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association has been the only local professional organization run by marketers for marketers. As many of you know, this longevity can be both good and bad for a company’s brand. For RAMA, the ‘good’ included recognition and respect throughout the marketing community, both locally and nation-wide.
The ‘bad’ included a tired brand in need of some new energy. K2 Communications was happy to be involved in the process. We started by working with the volunteer board members to understand their goals.
The Objective
The Strategy
In the past, the organization had primarily marketed itself to existing members. We wanted to target the industry as a whole in order to reach a broader market of potential new members.
Utilizing the results from the focus groups and voice-of-customer surveys done by the organization, we needed to position the organization as energetic, knowledgeable, and welcoming. We started with a name change to establish a greater association with the parent group, as well as increase ties to the Rochester community. RAMA would become AMA|Rochester. For social marketing, the organization would simply be known as AMA|ROC.
Then, it was tagline time. This line would need to speak to the organization’s objective to boost energy, generate engagement, and increase event attendance. We proposed a main tag and secondary tag in order to offer flexibility and an additional element of fun. Both were designed to work equally well when used together or on their own.
Next, we developed a visual style guide that would allow us to design communications that reinforced our strong and simple strategy. We would use hot colors, bold graphics, and strong typefaces in order to create a look that was clean, modern and eye catching. Finally, we designed the new logo you see here today.
Since the brand launch in July 2012, AMA|Rochester is feeling energized and their marketing materials reflect that new energy. Event attendance has increased, and they’re on their way to achieving their 2013 financial goals! As for the online results as of March 2013:
Of course AMA|Rochester will continue to evolve. As a group that celebrates good marketing and all the changes that come with it, they have no choice. But now they have a new look that represents who they are today, as well as the organization they want to be in the future. Learn more about K2 Communications and our process.
Authored by Claire Kaler
Founder and Creative Director K2 Communications
K2 Communications volunteers as the design agency for AMA|Rochester
