Lutheran Social Services of Mid-America sheds its long, confusing name and opts for a sleek, more focused brand.

By Christine Weiser

Making the New Brand Decision

BrandEquity’s Steve Smith suggests the following tips when selecting a new name and/or logo:

1. Before you rebrand, be clear on your organization’s mission — and be willing to listen to an outside branding professional.

2. Appoint a key decision maker (usually the CEO). If the final decision maker isn’t present for discussions, the process is interrupted.

3. If your organization needs to get the approval of multiple decision makers before you can finalize your new brand (such as a voting board), start the process with a small team, then take just one single recommendation to the larger group.

4. The strongest rebranding efforts associate a name change with some other organization news, such as an anniversary or launch of a new Web site. Create an event to tie in with your new brand announcement.

Lutheran Social Services of Mid-America had a problem: Its name confused people. The Ohio-based organization works with people of all faiths, not just Lutherans, offering services from credit counseling to senior-living facilities. The “mid-America” was unclear, too. What to do?

“Many people didn’t know about our organization,” says Pam Blumensheid, director of marketing for Lutheran Social Services of Mid-America. “We were providing good work, but people didn’t know about it. We needed to build identity.”

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Rebranding With Grace