4 takeaways from Ubuntu Pathways' rebranding

MANILA — After years of deliberating on a name change, Ubuntu Education Fund has now rebranded itself as Ubuntu Pathways. The shift, as Managing Director and Chief External Operations Officer Jordan Levy told Devex, was a long and painstaking process. But every step was essential, Levy said. Here are the four key takeaways Levy shared from the experience. 1. Make a list of your key stakeholders and create buy-in When Ubuntu started the process of rebranding, they consulted key voices in and around their organization to get a clear sense of how people perceive who they are and what they do. This is crucial, Levy said, not only in developing a clear sense of the brand but also to build a strong support base for rolling out the changes. Consensus building will likely take a significant amount of time, he said. Instead of dismissing voices of concern, Levy said they tried to look for a “safe ground.” “If somebody had a concern, either we adjusted the look or the feel or the writing, or we explain it out,” he said. One of the prime contenders for the name change was for the organization to just be called “Ubuntu,” a shortened version they are often referred to by. Levy said that would’ve been fine, but they had several issues to consider. For one, there is a software called Ubuntu, which is the first thing that comes up in a Google search. “Distinguishing ourselves as just Ubuntu would have been tricky, everything from very practical things on the internet to people understanding what we do,” Levy said. “A lot of people were in favor of that, but we really had to test it out and look at the pros and cons.” 2. Think about your context When Ubuntu decided to change their name, they chose to coincide the roll out with a new website design. It was clear to Levy that most of the organization’s branding was happening online, so they had to make sure the look and feel of their new name would match and fit that context. “Really think [about] where that brand appears most of all, who is it that’s absorbing the brand, and where do they see it,” Levy said. “There are certain words, names, and visual representations of your brand that you might think are nice, but are not going to fit the context where you put them.” 3. Plan a roll-out strategy When Ubuntu rolled out its new name and look early this October, no one — at least internally — was that surprised with the changes. This is because they made sure that their key stakeholders, particularly their executive board, staff, and others involved with the organization, were taken along the journey of rebranding. As Levy mentioned, the organization started consultations early on in the process, and then gathered feedback from the same stakeholders through every iteration of the rebranding, for further refinement. 4. Be your own ‘brutal editor’ Levy emphasized that the rebranding process is not as simple as a name change. They had to consider everything from the logo to the set of colors that would go with the new look, as well as the mission statement and tagline. That messaging piece is equally crucial. The tagline is the first words people will encounter when they see an organization’s new brand. In Ubuntu’s case, it’s “cradle to career,” followed with the statement: “Ubuntu Pathways breaks the cycle of poverty by providing South Africa's most vulnerable children with what all children deserve — everything, every day.” Refining that message took place through a process of elimination, focusing in on the core message. “Try to eliminate as many unnecessary words as possible, and really boil down your messaging to its essence,” he said. “I think when you rebrand, you wanted to distill everything you can to as few words as possible as your core so that you can use it in tight space, such as websites, business cards, elevator pitches. So being a really active editor is a very important stage in the process.” Organizations can always go back and write a longer narrative that fully explains their ethos or approach, “in certain contexts where it works,” Levy said. Read more international development news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive the latest from the world’s leading donors and decision-makers — emailed to you free every business day.