Bridging the gap

Editor’s note: Jennifer Hirt-Marchand is vice president and director of research for Marcus Thomas LLC, a Cleveland advertising and public relations agency.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation was founded in 1999 after the Cleveland Browns returned to Cleveland following a three-year hiatus from the NFL. The Foundation provides programs that benefit youths and funds nonprofit organizations that service underprivileged children in northeast Ohio.

In early 2002, after three years of existence, the Foundation felt it was time to elevate its philanthropic efforts in the area. It began developing a branding initiative with Cleveland-based Marcus Thomas LLC to differentiate its efforts from other local foundations and charity organizations. Research conducted with the Foundation’s key stakeholders and current and prospective donors directly fed an advertising campaign created to support the branding efforts and increase awareness of the Foundation’s commitment to youths in northeast Ohio.

Applying qualitative and quantitative research methodologies

Research findings from both qualitative and quantitative studies were used to develop a brand identity for the Foundation and a supporting advertising campaign. The first research phase involved in-depth, one-on-one, internal interviews conducted with key stakeholders of the Foundation, including management and board members. The research objective was to determine how the staff wanted the Foundation to be perceived and to identify obstacles to achieving that brand positioning.

Findings from that study fed directly into development of the second, quantitative phase. The quantitative phase queried members of the Foundation’s target audience in an online survey, including current donors and prospects, about their perceptions of the Foundation. Information gathered from both research studies was compared to determine whether a perceptual gap existed between how stakeholders wanted to be perceived and how target audiences actually perceived the Foundation.

Qualitative phase

In the first phase, one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with multiple staff and board members to determine the desired brand positioning for the Foundation. The interviews were completed over a three-day period and lasted approximately 45 to 60 minutes each. Participants were asked to take part in two projective exercises designed to bypass defense mechanisms and delve further into the audience’s thought processes.

First, internal audiences were shown a series of 18 pictures or illustrations that, at first glance, had little (if anything) to do with charitable organizations or athletics. Participants were asked whether each image was associated with their “ideal image” of the Foundation. Participants were asked to think of their ideal image of the Foundation along the same lines as answering the question, “Who do I want to be when I grow up?” After participants selected pictures that best characterized their ideal Cleveland Browns Foundation, they were asked to clarify why they chose each one and to explain how each image characterized their ideal representation of the Foundation.

Second, participants were asked to select words from a list of 24 that were most frequently associated with their ideal Foundation and explain each word’s connection to their view. This task forced participants to reveal their beliefs and value sets that influence how they view the Foundation.

Quantitative phase

In the second phase, Marcus Thomas conducted 213 online surveys with Cleveland Browns Foundation donors and prospects, who were revealed and defined during the in-depth interviews conducted with Foundation board members and staff. The survey was housed at www.brownsfoundationtalk.com and remained live for nine days.

Screening questions ensured respondents were not employees of the Cleveland Browns or the Cleveland Browns Foundation. Throughout all phases of research, anonymity was guaranteed, with no responses linked directly to a respondent. This encouraged candid feedback and provided a richer understanding of the perceptions and motivations of all audiences.

Survey respondents were recruited through two methods. First, an e-mail invitation was distributed among all audiences for which the Browns had available e-mail addresses. Second, an oversized postcard invitation to complete the survey was mailed to audiences whose e-mail addresses were not available to the Browns, in order to ensure a valid representation of the target audience and to enhance response rates.

The total number of unique respondents was 213. About one-quarter reported having previously donated to the Cleveland Browns Foundation.

Identical words and images used in the qualitative study with the Foundation’s management team and board were applied in the online surveys, allowing researchers to draw comparisons between the two studies. The key difference, though, was that donors and prospects were queried about what images and words represent their “current image” of the Cleveland Browns Foundation, not their “ideal image,” as management and board members were asked.

Audience insight - identifying perceptual gaps

Overall, there were few differences between management’s and board members’ perception of the ideal Foundation and prospective and existing donors’ current perceptions. However, not surprisingly, the second study revealed that external audiences have little awareness and knowledge of the relatively new Foundation beyond its charitable mission to help community members in need.

Of all images evaluated across both studies, respondents most frequently associated the Foundation with images of folded hands, mechanical gears, a man leaping over a canyon and a runner stretching.

Respondents associated the folded hands and gears images with “working together with the community.” While board members and managers said the images represented the ability for the Foundation and the Browns to work together to improve the community, few external audience members mentioned a relationship between the Browns team and the Cleveland Browns Foundation.

Respondents associated the image of the man leaping the canyon with “bridging the gap” or “helping” others (e.g., kids, underprivileged) to overcome life’s obstacles and achieve goals. Board members and managers chose this photo to represent their ideal Foundation, one which would set goals and not be afraid to take risks in growing the Foundation’s donor base and providing support in the community.

The image of the runner stretching was most often linked with the Foundation, because of its association with sports and athletics. This is indicative of the influence the Cleveland Browns organization plays in generating perceptions of a Foundation associated with such a high-profile sports team and the ability of the Foundation to capitalize on such an affiliation in soliciting support and donations.

For the word association exercise, more than two-thirds of respondents from the external audience associated “community,” “local,” “responsible” and “respectful” with the Foundation as a current perception. All of these, with the exception of “local,” were associated with the ideal Foundation during branding interviews conducted with managers and board members.

Charitable giving motivations and obstacles

The most frequently reported reason for donating to the Foundation for prospective and existing donors was the affiliation of the Cleveland Browns team and the chance to meet the players. This finding was consistent with perceptions determined during one-on-one brand interviews conducted with staff and board members.

Not surprisingly, altruistic responses were mentioned most frequently for what respondents from the external audience liked best about the Foundation. Specifically, sponsoring events that help underprivileged children received a high percentage of all responses.

By far, the most frequently reported obstacle for not donating to the Browns Foundation was a lack of awareness and knowledge about the organization, justifying the need to “spread the word.”

The creative process

Findings from both research phases were used to develop a credible, relevant and unique brand image for the Foundation that provided the groundwork for all communications efforts. Research revealed that the advertising needed to distinguish the Cleveland Browns Foundation from other local foundations through its tie to the Cleveland Browns and emphasize that it supports programs benefiting underprivileged children in northeast Ohio.

The campaign was designed to give Browns fans and all northeast Ohio residents a better understanding of what the Foundation does and how it benefits the region. The integrated local campaign utilized print, radio, television and billboard ads to show how the Foundation supports educational programs and activities such as dance and art for underprivileged children in northeast Ohio.

But beyond communicating the function of the Foundation, the advertising campaign also had to connect the spirit of the Browns to the spirit of the Foundation, according to Joanne Kim, a partner and creative director at Marcus Thomas. That spirit is expressed in the color orange (the color of Browns helmets), which creates an almost visceral reaction in fans. The tie to youths is made via the image of a young ballerina touching her orange ballet slippers in the print, television and billboard ads; and the sounds of cheering in a radio spot about a young boy’s accomplishments. The tagline, “This victory dance brought to you by the Cleveland Browns Foundation,” creates a double meaning. To differentiate the Foundation from other local charities with a less specific focus, the ads include a call to action to contact the Foundation to help children accomplish great things.

Campaign evaluation metrics

Elements from the advertising campaign were used throughout 2002 and some pieces may run again in 2003. Marcus Thomas plans to evaluate the success of the campaign based on changes in annual donations secured by the Foundation.