The communicator s guide to co-operative identity

The communicator s guide to co-operative identity

A domains.coop publication sponsored by the International Co-operative Alliance www.identity.coop @DomainsdotCoop DomainsdotCoop

3 Charles Gould Director-General International Co-operative Alliance Co-operatives can t just be different or better and hope the world sees. We need to intentionally manage the co-operative image. We want to reinforce the message that co-operatives are genuine self-help models for addressing some of the world s most intractable problems: hunger, poverty, inequality, unemployment, environmental degradation. We want to further explain that they are successful, world-class businesses that operate ethically at scale. To this end, the International Co-operative Alliance commissioned the design of a global Co-operative Marque, which could be made available to co-operatives around the world as a shared graphic identity: contemporary, businesslike and capable of cross-sector use. The Marque is intended to complement the online co-operative identity that is essential for every co-operative, and which is secured by having a.coop top level domain identity. This guide offers perspectives on how to benefit from the goodwill that has been built over decades in the co-operative identity.

4 Dame Pauline Green: Let s be loud and proud Co-operatives have a powerful identity, built on seven unique principles that no private business can replicate. From agriculture to insurance, co-ops put people, rather than a rush to maximise profit, at the heart of economic decision-making. Those principles, tried and tested since the Rochdale Pioneers set up shop in 1844, encapsulate our identity. We were born a movement for the people and it s time to grasp the mantle and demonstrate another way of working. Earlier this year in the UK, research by Co-operative News found that retail co-operatives invest almost 60% more of their profits in communities compared with major private retailers. This pattern is repeated around the world. An ethical approach and social agenda are not the sole property of co-operatives. Many of our competitors lay claim to these and that s why, to casual observers, we all look the same. But add our principles and you have something very different. As the global steward for the principles, the International Co-operative Alliance recognises the need to make our case more powerfully. In 2012, the Alliance launched the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade.

5 Our principles are a great marketing advantage, ready to be turned into sellable messages A key theme was co-operative identity crucial in a world where consumers feel disconnected from the short-term focus of private enterprise. Co-operatives are inherently local, but now we have ways of linking co-ops across the world. Firstly, the global Co-operative Marque. Free to use, this is a unique stamp of co-operation that sets the sector apart. We want it to become one of the best known ethical marques in the world by 2020, with users in 100 countries. Another part of our common global identity is the.coop domain name. Together the Marque and.coop demonstrate our identity and unity of purpose. These are simple tools, but it is up to the movement s communicators and marketers to make our co-operative message real for people. It is important that we collectively make a strong statement about who we are, because only then will the public recognise the co-operative difference. Let s be proud of who we are.

6 Laser image from the launch of the Marque in Cape Town, 2013 Our co-operative identity Co-operative identity forms a key pillar of the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade. The global Co-operative Marque, launched in 2013, was the first significant change to the visual identity of the movement in almost 100 years. It is a clear signal that co-operative enterprise is professional and contemporary. One of the strongest messages from across the global sector was that co-ops need a way to define themselves. This was taken up by the ICA s communications committee, chaired by Co-operatives UK s Ed Mayo, and led to the design of the Marque by UK worker co-operative Calverts, with research and support from Barcelona- and Buenos Aires-based Guerrini Design Island. Signature images were developed by The Hague-based BrandOutLoud. This co-operation created the Marque. Our.coop identity The.coop domain is used by thousands of co-ops. Exclusive to bona fide co-operatives, it improves connections between co-ops and members around the world. The domain and the Marque are the clothes that we wear. By displaying the co-operative identity to customers and contacts, we differentiate ourselves from other forms of business.

7 Global Co-operative Marque The global Co-operative Marque is available free to all co-ops, offering greater visibility and strengthening our distinct model of enterprise. The new visual identity includes: The Marque for your letterhead, emails, homepage, products and packaging, advertising and promotions. It is available in plum (reserved for use by the Alliance), black, red, orange, emerald green, spring green, blue and turquoise. A slogan co-operative enterprises build a better world for use alongside the Marque. A range of co-operative messages to use in place of the slogan. There are also instructions on how to create your own slogan. A set of seven signature images for the co-operative values and principles. Each image contains a representation of the interlocking o s from the Marque: cityscape, farming, festival, football, formation, living and seascape.

8 Tips: using the Marque Calverts, the agency that designed the Marque, explains how to make the most of it. Appoint a Marque champion in your organisation, with responsibility for making sure everyone uses the Marque correctly, consistently and creatively. Keep the Marque style guide handy, and preferably in a shared access folder, so that you and others can easily check that they are using the Marque in the right way. Give a copy to any external designers who are working with the Marque artwork on your behalf. Consider which colour version of the Marque harmonises best with your own visual identity. Seven colours are available, plus black. Use the Marque at a size which balances well on the page with your own logo.

9 Use.png rather than.jpg versions of the Marque artwork for all screen applications (for instance web pages, email footers, e-newsletters and presentation slides). The.jpg versions can appear blotchy ; flat colours work best in.png format. A slogan and six other key messages are available to download and use as part of the Marque. But you can also create your own slogan, provided it s an alignment rather than a selling message, and you follow the guidelines. Your message here The master artworks from which all the others are made including your bespoke version are in.eps (encapsulated postscript) format. You will need the help of a professional designer, or be able to use design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, to work with the.eps files. Co-operatives working together under a shared identity

10 How co-operatives are using The Phone Co-op provides phone and internet services to customers across the UK. The customer-owned co-op has used the Co-operative Marque on the packaging of its new pay as you go mobile service and was the first product to be sold in the UK with the Co-operative Marque. The Neighbouring Food Coop Assocation is a network of over 30 food coops in New England, USA, that employ 1,500 people, are owned by 90,000 members and turnover $225 million. It is using the Co-operative Marque to show its co-operative difference on its websites and promotional materials. Sicredi is a network of 106 credit unions serving 2.4 million members through 120 branches across Brazil. The financial co-operative has used the global Marque to brand its branches in order to reinforce its co-operative identity.

11 Brazilian financial co-operative, Sicoob, is a national co-operative bank. Its north west headquarters, currently being developed, will feature the global Marque in order to demonstrate that it is more than a bank it is a co-operative. the Marque Since its launch in 2013, co-operatives around the world have begun to use the global Marque to highlight that they are a co-operative. Here we showcase a few of the boldest and most imaginative uses.

12 Working with other co-ops What do energy co-operatives, credit unions and consumer co-ops have in common? They have all found common ground by getting behind a unique identity. Touchstone Energy and the Credit Unions of Ontario are two very different clusters of co-operatives that have joined to raise awareness of their difference and the Alliance is following suit with the global Co-operative Marque. It is not intended as brand replacement, but to push the co-operative message. The challenge is to raise public awareness. We have already seen movements such as Fairtrade tackle this, says Nicola Huckerby, guardian for identity.coop. It has taken a good decade for the public to be fully aware of what the label means. We are in this for the long haul, but look forward to the day when the co-operative difference makes a tangible difference in the way consumers shop.

13 Energy co-ops in the US launched Touchstone Energy Cooperative, a brand alliance which saw 749 energy co-operatives in 46 states pool resources. It has effectively created a national corporation covering 75% of the US, with two million miles of power line serving 32 million members. It scored 81 points on the American Customer Satisfaction Index; other investor-owned utilities were rated 75, while municipal-owned scored 72. In 2014, the Credit Unions of Ontario saw the benefits of speaking with a common voice. The province has over 100 financial co-ops serving 1.4 million members but only 11% of the population banks with them. To remedy this, credit unions have joined to push the co-operative banking message, while retaining their own identities. Credit unions have taken home the Ipsos Best Banking Award for overall Customer Service Excellence for nine consecutive years, yet we are still the best-kept financial services secret in Ontario, said Stephen Bolton, president and chief executive of Libro Credit Union. We intend to change that.

14 7 reasons blurb Seven reasons to adopt the In a crowded and busy market, how can you distinguish your business? Evidence shows that people associate co-operatives with trust and fairness. If you want to mark out your business, demonstrating that it is a co-op can be effective. Here are seven reasons to adopt the global Co-operative Marque. 1. Use the global identity to show you align with co-op values. It says you are different to investor or privately owned businesses. 2. You can have a.coop domain as your online identity and use the Marque in your visual identity if you are a co-op, or serve co-ops. 3. A.coop extension on your web pages and emails sparks off great business conversations. No need to hide behind a generic.com,.org or.net address. 4. A.coop domain and the Marque on your homepage, email signature, advertising, products and packaging means your co-op brand is visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. 5..coop is a restricted domain so it is easy to choose a name that s memorable, unique, relevant and short. 6. With an automatic listing in directory.coop, it is easy for people to find you. 7. Find a great.coop name using the domain checker at domains.coop. At less than 2 USD per week, it is a fantastic investment.

15 global co-operative identity Participants felt that co-operatives have been timid about marketing themselves as cooperatives. They agree that the model is one with strong appeal, but stated that they have not heard enough about how it works or even which organizations are cooperatives. They want to hear more communication on how these cooperatives ensure that the way they operate is distinct from traditional enterprises so that the true benefit of the model becomes clear to all The Cooperative Movement: A global research study on perceptions towards cooperatives Ipsos Marketing and Université du Québec à Montréal