Dear Dreamers and Doers,

THANK YOU for the awesome response to last month’s #1 Brand Truth, Connect the community to your CAUSE, not your programs. Many of you wrote back to let us know that one really hit home and prompted plans to refocus your message. Dream. Come. True.

If you’re new to this series, we’re presenting DRMTM’s ten Bold Brand truths as discussed in our signature workshops. This list is based on years of learning people’s habits about giving their time and money. These truths not only build your brand but build CAPACITY.

What’s the #2 tried and true truth of a bold arts and culture brand?Your brand is not about you – it’s about THEM.

Yup. That’s right. As much as your brand is built to capture your raison d’être, your real reason for existing is for your community. So everything we as nonprofit cultural organizations do is for and about them. At least that’s the way it should be. We live to serve.

And guess what. You are what THEY think you are. It doesn’t matter how clever we craft the look and copy, how much we post on social, or how many impressions we gain from media —  if our mission and message don’t resonate, we create a communications wasteland of lost opportunity. Our friend Brian Sooy, in his book Raise Your Voice – A Cause Manifesto, says “your cause truly becomes meaningful when your audience says it does, and not a moment earlier.” So we may love our really sick logo, but if it doesn’t connect with them, we’re caput.

Here’s your word to remember: RELEVANCE. It’s why great brands speak the language of their people and give them what they need. Attaining relevance in the minds and hearts of an audience is the greatest sign of a brand aligned with its purpose and community.

So, how do you know your brand is truly relevant? Our Tips:

• Only in-depth research can tell us what is in the minds and hearts of our audiences — and our relevance there. So get ready to research.
• Understanding your external perception begins with internal research. Start there and ask: “How do the people inside my organization perceive our brand?” 
• Then you have to ask people outside your organization how they perceive your brand. The magic of this research allows you to compare internal perceptions against external perceptions to identify gaps in alignment. 
• The gaps tell you where things are off, and where to get to work.

And guess what else. DRMTM can guide this research and take you through an in-depth Relevancy Evaluation. Email hello@thedrmtm.com to get your free consultation on the calendar!

20% OFF FOR OUR READERS! Mention code SILVER LINING to get your discount on a DRMTM Relevancy Evaluation.

Here’s to a Bold, Relevant Raison d’ê​tre,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Let’s get down to it. 

When our team is on the road teaching, we start every session with our ten brand truths. They come from decades of learning how people respond to appeals for their time and money. Your brand, if done well, is undeniable in its power to build capacity across every aspect of your organization.

What’s the #1 tried and true truth of a bold arts and culture brand? Connect the community to your CAUSE, not your programs.

Whaaaa???

Causes connect people to ideals in which they believe or want to belong. The cultural arts connect us to what it means to be human. Your people don’t show up for a program, they come for an experience. They show up to FEEL.

Leading your message with programs and activities can be an endless advertising trap. Lots of organizations offer exhibits and performances. Why should people attend with you?

Your cause tells people why you exist, what you believe in, and how you want to touch the world. Your mission, vision and core values should be packed with purpose, sharing WHY you do this work, which is where it gets meaningful, or ahem, meaningfeel. Your cause creates the critical emotional connection needed for one to identify with YOU for their cultural experiences over another organization.

Programs are important. We’re not dismissing them. But they are secondary to your brand message. Programs can rapidly change. Your mission does not.

So, how do you stop struggling over your message and craft your cause? Our Tips:

• Impart your higher purpose: ask yourself what you really do without mentioning your programs and describe how you do it differently. Hint: It’s not ticket sales, galas, giving tours or offering performances. It’s creating transcendent experiences, forming community, connecting and healing through art, or carving space where people belong.
• Go right now and check your homepage. Is your first message about what’s happening this weekend or is it an invitation into your cultural community?
• Ask your audiences what they believe is your higher purpose. Why do they care about you? Is there a loyalty bond? Why?

Questioning your brand? We’re here to help. Email hello@thedrmtm.com to get your free consultation on the calendar! We promise it’s fun and painless.

20% OFF FOR OUR READERS! Ask about our Bold Brand Assessment if you want to know where your brand currently stands.

Here’s to being a Bold Brand Rebel With A Cause,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​“Branding is a tool of the empire.” 

That’s what we heard recently in a fascinating conversation with an organization devoted to art, nature and mindfulness. It’s quite a quote, and one we don’t necessarily disagree with. Actually, we would say this is the point of view from which most people first come to know branding – as a cog in the wheel of the big commercial propaganda machine.  And for those of us who communicate on behalf of nonprofit services or arts and culture organizations, the Empire Method of marketing does not represent our truths or values in what we provide or how we speak to our communities.

This quote, entirely, captures why DRMTM came into existence: to turn this idea on its head and teach arts and culture organizations how to understand the power of branding to share their mission and build relationships, not sell tickets or fill up program rosters. If you offer a compelling community experience people want and need, the rest follows.

Throughout 2024, our emails to you will reveal DRMTM’s Truth of a Bold Relevant Brand. We’re breaking down the tried-and-true points from our intensive workshop that teach you how to communicate your value and purpose and build a loyal following. So take notes. You will find some great capacity-building ideas and language to carry into your main messaging and grant writing work.

You don’t want to miss this series! Our first installment is coming February 20th.

And remember, DRMTM is always available to answer your questions with a free Happy Half-Hour consultation. Email ​hello@thedrmtm.com​ to get your HHH on the calendar! Don’t forget to ask about our Bold Brand Assessment.

Here’s to walking with some Darth Vader swagger as your theme song plays,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​Welcome to 2024! There’s a bright new year ahead, full of possibility. The good news? Anything can happen. The bad news? Anything can happen.

Of course we know everyone is starting off with a very brilliant and easily implemented plan for astounding success so there’s nothing left to do or think about. If. Only.

Working in the creative world of arts and culture is challenging and rewarding no matter what the year may bring. In wrapping up 2023, we had many great conversations with organizations like yours who were asking big questions related to their brand strategy in 2024.

What’s the greatest question asked?

“How do we know if and when we should rebrand?”

Believe it or not, that’s an easy question for DRMTM and one we love to answer. But sometimes the answer is surprising – especially for organizations who want to rebrand but then find out they shouldn’t.

If and when to make brand changes can cause a lot of confusion for organizations. Your brand is a complex, living part of your mission. Making changes makes an impact — good or bad. This is not a time for guesswork.

If your organization is wrestling with real questions about which direction to go, DRMTM can assess your current brand and offer you clarity.

It’s an easy, fun process:

1. Start with our free, expert consultation.

2. Engage in a customized Bold Brand Assessment utilizing DRMTM’s brand research, messaging, design and culture best practices.

3. Get professional advice and tools informing your decision to rework, refresh or rebrand.

As Schoolhouse Rock taught us: Knowledge is Power. Don’t make a branding plan without assessing your brand first. Reach us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn to get your Bold Brand Assessment rolling.

Here’s to KiP,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Streaming apps are in full Holiday movie mode. And so are we.

We’ve all got our favorites. A Christmas Story, The Family Stone, Die Hard, The Holiday, and of course, Home Alone. Little Kevin with his hands framing bright pink lips and an iconic open-mouthed scream of after-shave agony.

What does this have to do with bold branding, you ask? It has to do with Home, and if your family is siloed off in separate rooms, hanging out together in the game room, or heaven forbid, left you all alone.

An alarming number of cultural organizations are feeling alone in their own “homes” because of the fractured culture their complex programming is creating. Recent calls on the DRMTM line are asking how to bring this complexity home under one meaningful brand experience.

It all comes down to your brand and building the right sub-brands. 

Think of your brand as Home. If the foundation is strong, you can build many rooms (programs) with their own décor and ambiance, inviting guests to enjoy diverse offerings and opening doors to connect on deeper levels. These rooms are distinct but well-designed sub-brands, which all support and uplift the roof on your Home.

If the foundation is weak, meaning your home brand is lacking in purpose, cohesion or cultural identity, then mis-aligned programs and sub-brands can create cracks in the walls and quickly erode your house. Guests feel no real connection under your roof and are left without a place to belong or reason to come back, no matter what door they entered through.

Ahead in 2024, DRMTM is building more research and strategy into sub-branding to help your cultural organization firm up the foundation and build loyalty through everything you do. We’ll bring you a lot of thought and tools on this topic so stay tuned.

Feeling Alone at Home? Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn for a free half hour to talk sub-brand basics.

Here’s to Forced Fun,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Remember that nice little lull in the season calendar? 

Yeah. We don’t either.

It’s been a looooooong time since we’ve heard any arts and culture organization say they had a break in the schedule to do some focused planning, strategizing, or just plain fun creative brainstorming around their brand.

Some of the most surprising reveals from our 2023 Bold Brand workshop testimonials, including organizations of all sizes, budgets, knowledge and needs, went like this:

This time spent was a great energizer to move forward on branding opportunities for our organization.

Great opportunity to unplug from everything else to focus on the power of our branding.

It was a great opportunity to get on the same page with our brand goals as a team.

Carving time from your calendar to focus on your brand story and strategy can seem impossible. But in return, you get at least a year’s worth of benefit in cohesive identity, communications and capacity growth.

So set the date, promise lots of premium coffee and snacks, and demand people show up — no excuses.

It’s what many of us as kids now remember fondly as Forced Fun – like when we didn’t want to leave our friends to go on some lame trip with our lame parents but then had a total blast and wouldn’t have missed it for anything when dad lost his swim trunks on the 300-foot water slide – and, well, you get it.

Season schedules are upon us. Time is critical. Give your brand 2 or 3 hours. We guarantee your team wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Need some tips to get started? Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn for a free half hour of brand joy and clarity.

Here’s to Forced Fun,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl