Of course they can! I think that doing good is always cool. But do most Americans think nonprofits are cool? Probably not. We are the bleeding hearts, the scavengers for cash, the reminders that the world is not perfect. I think most everyone know that nonprofits are necessary and useful in this world, but not exactly innovative, ground-breaking, exclusive or cool.
I think it’s time to change that. The people in Millennial and Generation Z age groups are worried about their future and their kids’ futures. They are looking for ways to change the world. They are primed to join movements that support causes that help people marginalized by poverty, war, hatred and other systematic wrongs. I think that the ability to appeal to these digital natives with broad worldviews will be the path to long-term sustainability for many nonprofits.
Being considered cool certainly couldn’t hurt. There is a fascinating study published in the June 2019 Journal of Marketing on measuring brand coolness. The researchers decided that most of the brands considered to be cool exhibit one or more of these attributes:
- extraordinary
- aesthetically appealing
- energetic
- original
- authentic
- rebellious
- high status
- subcultural
- iconic
- popular
Makes sense, right? I think we would all say that we would use one or more of the above attributes to describe Nike, Apple, TOMS and Under Amour, all relatively considered cool. How many nonprofits could use these same attributes to describe their organizations? Not many, I bet.
The researchers said that not all of the characteristics are necessary for every brand to be cool but the more you have, the cooler the brand. They say that consumers form their actual perceptions of brand coolness over multiple exposures to various brand marketing and social signals over a long period of time. Very much like those formative high school years, the process of becoming cool is not a short-term project, it’s a long-term committment to building an image.
The researchers also provided a scale to use as a tool to create and manage a cool brand. Leaders can drill down into which attributes of coolness are competitive strengths or weaknesses for their brand, which attributes are the most important in shaping perceived coolness, and how these coolness attributes might vary across locations, consumer segments, and even over time.
It is a great place to start if your nonprofit is worried about appealing to the younger generations. We must first be perceived by these influencers as cool so that they’ll pay attention to our mission. We know that our innate ability to tell a good story about the impact our organizations make every day will convince those who are interested to get involved. Getting them to listen is most of the battle. If coolness is that hook, let’s go for it!
How will you show coolness at your nonprofit?
#nonprofitbranding #nonprofitcommunication #nonprofitmarketing
