Branding is no longer limited to groceries or cosmetics.

According to James Twitchell, professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida, nonprofits—even cultural or educational institutions—need to brand in the same way profits do. He discusses three specific nonprofits in his book Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld.

B&S: What is Branded Nation‘s contribution to the concept of branding as storytelling?

James Twitchell: I’m an English teacher, so storytelling is different to me than it is in the commercial world. Essentially, storytelling generates feeling. Commercial storytelling applies this emotionality to a thing as opposed to a human character. It may be a story about Coke as opposed to Pepsi or McDonald’s as opposed to Burger King. But we’re connecting to sensations, not objects.

Do you agree with the notion that branding is first and foremost about the spirit of a product or service?

Yes, especially in relation to luxury products. They’re ordinary things that have been spiritualized. They’re just shoes, handbags, purses, scarves, ties—things you could buy at Kmart. “Luxury” is the only thing separating them (the quality might be superior, but not always).

Marketers have tapped into the human response to religion; owning these designer products feeds our need to feel special or redeemed.

Explain the Diderot Effect and how it relates to brand coherence.

According to the story, Dennis Diderot, a seventeenth century French philosopher, bought a new dressing gown. Since his old furnishings and clothes didn’t match his fancy new gown, he decided to buy new ones—and replaced everything from wallpaper to paintings to slippers.

This phenomenon is part and parcel with modern consumption. You buy the Armani shirt, and then you have to have the Louis Vuitton purse and the Prada shoes. In other words, things fit together in constellations and ensembles.

How do you recommend older nonprofit organizations rediscover the essence of their brand?

In the realm of branding, there’s no difference between colleges, museums, philanthropies, and Proctor & Gamble. As long as you have a large number of suppliers in the market, the process of branding inevitably follows. The story you tell is the experience you provide. You separate yourself not by the product, but by the spirituality, which is the branding.

Branding is not the luxury of the rich. Any organization can take the time to develop a clear, consistent message about who it is. No time for the work of rebranding? According to DK Holland, nonprofit brand expert, your mission will forever be “fuzzy” in the minds of your constituents.

In this CZ interview, Holland shoots straight about the value of branding—for all organizations.

B&S: What can’t branding do for a nonprofit?
Holland: It can’t fix a bad nonprofit. It can only work with a really good nonprofit. Some nonprofits are so internally screwed up that they can’t improve.

Also, it can’t create differentiation where there is none. If there are other organizations doing pretty much what your organization is doing, branding really can’t help—unless the other ones are not doing it very well. And you are.

So how do you define branding?
It is clearing up the perception of who you are. If you can’t cling to an image of something, it’s very difficult to brand it.

For instance, if I say “target,” what do you think of? Probably the store Target—and what its brand represents. If you can’t cling to an impression of something, how do you tell someone else about it? And that’s what you want a brand to do: to spread by word-of-mouth.

How should a nonprofit start a re-branding process?
Ask your audience—your sector and stakeholders—a lot of questions. Evaluate your organization on what I call the Four Branding Markers: 1. Reputation (How well known is your organization?); 2. Esteem (How highly thought of is your organization?); 3. Relevance (How important are your organization’s mission and activities to your audiences?); and, 4. Differentiation (Are there other organizations that do what yours does? Is your organization distinct in the minds of its target audiences?).

What if your board is reluctant?
Often, good organizations re-brand when they’re going downhill. So I would paint that picture to the board. Say, “This is happening, but we know we are better than that.” Then show how branding can reverse the “bad” perception.

Because nonprofits are generally more introspective, they are less concerned about their audiences than their mission. But if the board doesn’t have a clear perception of what the organization does and who it is, how are you going to execute your mission?