Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D. - Proposition | Tags: branding, brands, charities, volunteering
For the evaluation of my brief I found interesting and essential to discuss these 3 ideas with some students who are part of my focus group. Their ideas and opinions led me to focus more in my strategy, to redefine my brief and to concentrate more in one of the ideas.
Vaggelis Pilios
Greek – 23 years old
Postgraduate in Financial
Not Volunteer
He mentioned that the idea of University it sounds real. “It is interesting to have the choice to improve your knowledge through this kind of education”. Also it will more exciting to study one year, for your masters, in real cases because it will be a motivation to be more concentrate in your mission. You will feel that via your studies you contribute to solve the real problems of human rights.”
Santi Silvero
Spanish – 21 years old
Undergraduate in Sociology
He said that it will be great to work during your studies in something relevant with your studies. “Usually, if you study in a university, sometimes you need money to pay your fees. So you are looking for part time jobs, like in pubs and shops. With this idea you can work in something relevant with your skills. This seems to me that in the same time you can have a practice and you can use this experience in your CV.”
Katerina Kombogeorga
English/Greek – 23 years old
Undergraduate in Sociology
Volunteer
She said that in this time if you are a volunteer, charities ask you in which sector do yo want to work and which skills do you want to learn, but the idea of the university and the certifications will be more serious and more useful for a new volunteer. Also she is already a volunteer and she is interesting in human rights and she mentioned about the site that it is fascinating to have a site, especially for human rights, where we can share our ideas about human rights.
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D. - Proposition | Tags: Arts, brand, brand development, branding, charities, design
The proposition is the strategy which you suggest as a solution of a problem. In this case, the problem in charities are the images of them and especially how people perceive them. After the definition of my territory, I try to apply my proposition in one brand. This is Amnesty International. Amnesty is an international non government organization which aims to protect human rights. The choice of one brand will help me to apply in a better way my strategy and to have more real results.
The proposition is the result of the evaluation of the territory and of my audience.
My proposition called “Real Action in the Real World” and it aims to strength the prestige of Amnesty International. The audience is young people and the aim is to approach them providing a relevant way of volunteering. The strategy is based in 2 guidelines:
- a new way of volunteering
- better communication system
The 3 ideas which aim to cover the problem and young people’s needs are:
a) Amnesty University – Young people mentioned that they need through their volunteering experience to learn new skills. So the idea of a university, will provide the opportunity to improve their knowledge and in the same time to be interested with human rights.
b) International cooperation - Young people mentioned that in the future will travel abroad as a soution to find a good job. So it will be essential to have a support which will help them to find all the particular information they need. Amnesty international will be the support and it will help them to find job in a foreign country. This job will be in Amnesty or in employers who cover Amnesty’s criteria. The only term is that they have to be members of Amnesty International.
c) Amnesty “Youtube” – Young people mentioned that in the future the Internet will be the unique medium for their information. So Amnesty needs to adopt the needs of young people and to design a site where a user will have the opportunity to be informed about human rights, to create his own blog and to upload videos relating to human rights.
These 3 ideas, are under the same “strategy” and it aims to show that real action is more important than donations. Amnesty wants to engage with young and to present a new way of volunteering. More effective and more real. A way which cover the needs of the era and which is going to create the next generation of volunteers.
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D - Audience | Tags: brand development, branding, charities, future trends, young people
The idea of something new requires to predict the future. The future trends in this stage play a crucial role to realize the needs and the wants of your focus group. Your audience always is giving the solution to you. The only thing that you have to do is to be objective. You have to listen carefully their opinions and their beliefs. The translation of these information will lead you to define your brief and to start thinking for the new product which will fulfill the gap in the market.
I found a report which called “Future Leaders Survey 07/08″ which was published by UCAS and the Forum of the future. In this survey there are the results of 25.000 responds of students who study in U.K. They mentioned their opinions about the future of Universities in U.K., what they believe about the politics and how their behavior will impact in the future.
The results of this survey showed that young people believe that a good job in the future will provide them happiness. The good job, which means good salary and friendly working environment, is a basic factor to have happiness in their lives. Also they believe that in the future will be an option to travel abroad to find a job. The globalization plays a very important role in our lives and the next generation knows that it is going impact more and more their lives. Finally they mentioned that the internet is going to be the unique medium of information. In the future, more than these days, the internet will be the medium for everything that they need. Social Networking like facebook and the platform like Youtube are two particular examples which shows this trend.
As a conclusion, the next generation realizes that the future will be very competitive and the high education (skills, degrees, masters, languages) is going to be the most powerful and useful tool for them.
http://vasgrav.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/futureleaders0708.pdf
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D - Audience | Tags: Arts, branding, charities, design, volunteering
The area of the charities presents a big problem. People trust less the charities than before and at the same time they found them boring and old-fashioned. This is one point that charities cant engage with young people. But young people are the hope for the future of charities. Young people believe that charities have the power to contribute to society and to change the conditions in a better way. But the problem is that charities can not approach young people. The services and the applications that they provide to them cant cover the needs and the wants of this group.
To make donations is something difficult and impossible for the majority of young people and the volunteering is the only way to support them. So in this phase I created a questionnaire about the volunteering. It was published in Bath Spa University and the sample are 300 students (16-25 years old). The questionnaire was divided in two parts. The first one was for people who are not volunteers and the second who are. The reason that I created this questionnaire was that I need to realize the needs and the wants of my focus group. What are their opinions about the volunteering and what do they expect for this area.
http://vasgrav.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/surveysummary_040720081.pdf
From the first questionnaire which was for people who are not volunteers the results showed me that main reason is the time. Young people they dont have enough time to spent for volunteering. Studies and working are the two basic reasons who spend they time. But on the other hand they mentioned that if they had the opportunity to be volunteers they would prefer to learn skills through this experience. This point shows that young people are not interested in the way and the image of the volunteering these days. They need to spend the only free time that they have in something more useful about their life. Of course the cause and to help people is the first priority t be volunteer but if we see again the results of the “UK Giving 07″, we conclude that it is not enough for them.
http://vasgrav.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/surveysummary_040720085.pdf
The second questionnaire was for people who are volunteers and the spotlights of this research showed that charities need a better communication system and also a better structure. About the communication, the responders mentioned that they were informed about the volunteering with the word of mouth. This means that charities dont have a good communication system to transmit their actions. Also they mentioned that they found difficult to leave a charity. They have the feeling of working.
The evaluation of the information leads to realize what exactly young people expect through the volunteering. We are in a nodal point which means that we talk about a new generation of volunteers. To build a wall, to carry a table or to give prospectus in the streets are not something exciting for the next generation. They need something more tangible. Something relevant with their skills….
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D - Audience | Tags: Add new tag, art, brand development, branding, charities, design, volunteering
Young people during the surveys showed me that are the most positive group which believe that charities can change something. But there are evidences and especially surveys which prove that young people are the least group likely to donate and to be volunteers.
NCVO and CAF published an survey which called “UK Giving 2007″ and it includes results about the volunteering in U.K. There are many information which showed the behavior and the attitude per gender and how social events impact in their life.
The summary of this survey showed that women and a group aged (45-65) are the groups who most likely to donate and to be volunteers. On the other hand, young people are the group with the lowest support in the charities.
So here we have a question: Why young people, the most positive group for the charities, support them less than the other ages.
The answer for the donations is simple. Young people are students and so it is difficult for them to contribute to charities with money. So the only way is via the volunteering. But at the same time, young people are the lowest group who are volunteers. Why????
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D - Audience | Tags: Arts, branding, brands, charity, design, volunteering
The magazine Third Sector in 26th of March 2008, was published a survey about the trust of the charities. It is an annual survey of 1.000. The results of this survey shows that people trust the charities less than the previous year. Especially it is dropped 9% down than the previous year. That means that 2 in 5 adults trust the charities.
Also in the most positive group is young people (16-25), who trust charities and they believe that charities can change something in the future.
Filed under: N.P.D | Tags: Arts, branding, brands, charity, design, volunteering, young people
When you start to define your territory is the first view to understand what happen in this area… What is the product, the competitors, the audience… Everything which be relevant to your territory… The research is the first stage to realize your area and to start thinking what maybe is the problem, or better the gap in this market…
I strongly believe that all the markets have “gaps” and this is the only way to go on, to adopt the trends and to development their profiles… The most common mistake is to define what is the “gap”… The only way to succeed is to look deep in your research… The answer is in your hands but you have to be rational and to look objectively the informations that you have already collect…
In my area, “charities in UK”, I collect many informations like financial reports, annual reports and social demographic statistics, which all of them describe with numbers this territory… When I evaluated more these informations, more and more questions were born in my mind… And this is the point…If you have a questions and you need an answer, you are in a correct road to find a gap and to try to fill it… Some of my questions are: Why people prefer to donate than to be volunteer? Why they prefer to give money in medical research than in human rights? Why young people are the lowest group which take attention in charities (donation and volunteering)?
So the result of these questions is that I found a gap in this area:
Young people (16-24) they dont give so much attention about charities….like the other age groups? But WHY???
Giving Money: It is obviously that young people are not employers, and if they have money they prefer to spend them in different interests (food, clothes, entertainment…)
Volunteering: Young people dont volunteer because:
NOT
- dont have enough time
- bureaucracy
- dont have the essential informations (poor communication)
- worried about the risks
- dont get the right skills
- they feel that charities are not well-organized
- wouldn’t be able to stop once get involved
- volunteer is becoming too much like paid work
Why young people prefer to volunteer?
YES
- help people
- cause is important for me
- learn new skills
- enchaining their employment prospects
- meet new friends
- satisfaction about the last result
- better position in the community
So…Combine them and look what the young people want????
Your audience has the answer…listen them!!!
Filed under: N.P.D | Tags: advertiing, Arts, branding, brands, charity, design, social, society
I was in the Centre of Bath when a guy for the ActionAid stopped me… I was sure that he wanted money for his organization… In the moment I though to move, to bother him, but after I said “Ok” lets listened him… I was correct…”we are from the actioaid…..blabla…do you want to give money… Finally I said “No” and I felt guilty that I didnt…. But wait… All the time we associate a problem in Africa with these organizations (Oxfam, UNICEF, ActionAid…) and of course to donate money… As a result people bored these kinds of movements and they need something new…
All the charities say to you “Give or Volunteer”…. But they dont have problem with the money…. They earn billions each year… So the problem is not the money…. The problem is that we have associated the “charities” with donate money…. As a result ,young people, students who cant afford or maybe sometimes are suspicious for the charities they dont care about them… But all the young people spend hours and hours in social networking places and sometimes they discuss about the causes and problems that they have…
So maybe the next generation of the charities will be “The Facebook in the road”…!!!
This charity will not have logo… Its message is “NOT MONEY – ONLY TIME”… Its members will be young people who are implement their skills to find a solution in a problem….And this problem will be a local problem… Because a worldwide problem is divided in small local problems… So this charity will show to the members and to the publicity “What is the problem? And what is the solution?” And the most important…We can solve it with NO MONEY….Only WITH our TIME
Filed under: N.P.D, N.P.D - Territory | Tags: advertiing, Arts, branding, brands, charity, design, social, society
When you begin to understand a new territory you have to approach it from different areas. Definition, History, Present, Statistics, Financials Reports, Trends and finally the Results are the steps that you have to follow and to illustrate this area…My territory is “Charities in UK”…
1. Definition: Charity is an non-profit organization which is founded to promote the public good and to undertake activities that contribute to society.
2. History: Charities were founded in UK in 16th centuries and the first charitable activities were
- a). The relief of poverty - b). The advancement of education – c). The advancement of religion
3. Present: Today in UK there are 190.000 charities which are separated in 3 categories:
- charities with annual income more than 10.000 pounds and are required to register to charity commission
- small charities which called (excepted charities)
- large charities which are registered by other agencies (exempt charities)
In these research there are some statistics about the number of charities in each region of UK. Above there is a table.
4. Causes
In this area there is not any official report which mention the “official” causes that charities are looking to tackle. Usually the most common are: mediacal research, health, animals, overseas, religious, disabled, climate change, education, environment, elderly, young people.etc… But some of them can be involved in the same category… So I try to categorized them in 6 categories…
- Health
- Human Services
- Animals
- Environment
- Cultural – Arts – Sports
- Religious
The charities are brands. They have logo, products, strategy, visions, missions, campaigns, audience and some of them shops. There is a big market. In the same time they use the media (TV, Radio, Magazines and Internet to promote their campaigns). What is quite interesting in this point is that the consumers dont have a clear view about the products. We can see that charities “sell” two kinds of products:
1st degree product – causes – activities and services which undertake to tackle the problem
2st degree product – clothes, cd’s, books and generally “second hand” stuff
5. Statistics – Financials Reports
The National Trust (352 millions pounds) and the Oxfam (290 millions pounds) are the charities which have the highest total income in UK. (source “Top Charities Financials 2005″
Also some more statistics about “Giving in UK 2006/07 “
- 9,5 bn pounds giving for charities
- 54% of the public gave to the charities
- 53% women – 48% men
- 59% a group of people aged (45 – 65) like to donate to charities
- 17% prefer to donate to “medical research” – 13% young people
- People prefer to give “cash” source:
“UK Giving 2006/07″
6. Trends
- Ribbon Culture
The people prefer to wear a symbol (like a ribbon), because it gives to them awareness. They feel that they are a part of a social group. In the same time this symbol is a way to avoid somebody who try to inform them in the road for maybe a different cause.
Something similar to the ribbon culture is the anti-poverty movement “MakePovertyHistory”, which use the white band as a symbol against the poverty.
- Fairtrade
The products with the fairtrade mark symbolized the fair trade on the south.
- Charities – Life Style
Some of the charities try to create a life style. They provide services (p.x Oxjam Festival) as a way to raise money and to approach a different audience (young people).
People dont trust the charities. They dont want to give money for something that they dont know really well and in the same time they dont trust them. What is the problem?? What is the gap??
