12.2 Marketing and PR

Over the last 2.5 years I have been educating the managers within the Personnel Unit of my organization to look at Marketing all the time in order to save money. Prior to 2004, the organization would spend money on fliers that said, "Join the Winning Team". Someone would create a new logo, add new bright colors and then send them out to colleges and job fairs. I was brought in at the beginning of 2005 to look at some of the ideas for an upcoming event. I attended the meeting with the confidence that I would be able to offer my opinion without repercussions. What I experienced that day (at the meeting) was a dysfunctional array of ideas and unprofessional materials for publishing. I spent the last 30 minutes of the meeting explaining that the organization had an "identity". That we had a history that allowed us the confidence to compete with any organization in our field. I offered my opinions that showed how these messages and colors were conflicting with the organization's brand.

By the end of the meeting we collaborated on a new slogan that would be used for years to come (still in use today). I developed a Style Guide for all members to use when creating any documents for public outreach. We then proceeded with a new marketing campaign that coincided with the new slogan. We are now on a better foundation for getting our message heard.