I had lunch last week with 10 of the most knowledgeable, analytical and perspicacious minds in the sector, all of whom lead the research function at very successful UK charities. Away from the office and with some delicious Indian food courtesy of the Cinnamon Kitchen, we mused over the findings of the first stage of nfpSynergy’s latest analysis into media expenditure, brand awareness and income. A full report will be released later this year, but I thought I would share with you some of the initial conclusions and reflections from the collective nourished brain power in the room.

Unsurprisingly, the results of our analysis (rate card data from Neilson, awareness data from our Charity Awareness Monitor and voluntary income data categorised by Caritas) showed that high media buyers tend to have high profiles; only household names spent more than £10million on media in a single year. We also found that high profile brands tend to have high income - no charity in our sample had raised more than £200 million and not been a household name (defined as having a prompted awareness of 80%+).

However, equally unsurprisingly we found as many exceptions as we did rules. Increasing awareness does not automatically equal an increase in income.

Some charities proactively drive income with brand awareness, typically yielding a high volume of low value donations over the long term. WaterAid may be the best of example of employing this strategy, with media spend, brand awareness and voluntary income all consistently increasing over the last five years.

Some charities drive income with very targeted or very direct media and fundraising and little above the line advertising. Smile Train may be a good example of an organisation that has consistently increased their media spending and voluntary income, but not their brand awareness. And of course, other charities may be strategically using their brand to drive outcomes other than income - public education, service engagement and campaigning action were all discussed.

We mustn’t forget either that simply spending money is not the only ingredient for successfully increasing brand awareness. It also requires time and consistency. Perhaps compare the NSPCC and the British Heart Foundation over the early noughties. While both spent large sums on TV ads, the NSPCC focused on a single campaign, Full Stop, and steadily raised their profile (the number of people mentioning them as one of the first charities they thought of). Meanwhile, the BHF covered several public health messages and awareness of their brand flat-lined.

Branding is also important. Most advert tracking research we have done shows that a logo in the corner of a poster or at the end of a video usually results in low attribution of the advertising to that brand, so it will do little to raise brand awareness.

Given all of the above, the importance of investing in proper measurement to evaluate and inform the direction of brand becomes critically apparent. Robust brand research will allow you to identify how your brand can strengthen engagement and growth, understand how your brand can improve and evolve and justify the original investment. It also helps make the case for further investment.

Crucial to the successful use of brand research is matching measurements to your strategy and your audience. For example, a high volume, low value, income-driving strategy approach is likely to require focus on broad awareness and support for the brand (which correlates highly with income) among the general public. Conversely, a low volume, high value income-driving strategy is likely to require measurement of awareness among a subsection of the public or another key audience. 

Headline general public figures will not always be sensitive to movements among specific groups, but this can often be ascertained with further analysis. More importantly, an audience’s affinity to the brand that will unlock higher value donations must also be measured. Levels of trust, for example, correlate highly with support.

Belief in the brand, perceptions of need and relevance were also discussed. The insights generated in the Brand Attributes Monitor were considered by the group to be particularly pertinent here, including the emotional associations and closeness people feel with individual charities.

Of course, if the objective of the brand strategy is to raise service use, then awareness among potential service users and understanding of what the organisations does will be the most important measures.

So whatever your strategy, objects or audience, investing in brand should mean investing in measurement. For more information on any nfpSynergy’s research and how it can help your brand thrive, call us on 020 7426 8888 or send us an email. Alternatively, you can see our Monitors here.

Patrick Brennan