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There have been several kerfuffles in the last few months regarding the brand images designed to replace the existing written statements for foto-friday, et al. Yes, Photographers was branded before the word ‘brand’ was ever used to describe anything it does. It has lent much to the success of the group. Now that some time has passed and the ‘emotion’ has died down some, it is time to bring the topic up again, explain what was not clearly explained, and hopefully clear up some misconceptions.
To help achieve that, let’s take look at defining what branding is, how it applies to Newsvine Photographers, and attempt to address some specific issues and concerns that have come up. Let us push the rock from the road and leave it in the rear view mirror.
The concept of branding is actually quite complicated. Charmin doesn’t just sell their customers bathroom tissue; Charmin sells ideas and emotion they want the consumer to associate with their bathroom tissue. The message is primarily about using less (quality over quantity) and tissue that doesn’t fall apart as you wipe (soft but strong) and, of course, bears and butterflies (to be more appealing, it is @!$%#-wipe ;). In a world where choice is now practically unlimited, it’s much easier for the consumer to find and choose a brand like Charmin to ‘fit in’ with their identity. It can otherwise be too difficult to choose and lead to unhappiness.
What began as a way for a company to show product consistency in the early 20th century became a way for the consumer to represent identity today. You are what you buy. Soon, if the trend continues, everything will be branded.
The research indicates that brand is more important than product and that has caused some to sound the alarms. That large companies could be misleading consumers into buying misrepresented products is of genuine concern to all but when you look at what it takes to successfully manage a brand, those fears aren’t quite justified. Most brands fail simply because they’re difficult to build and maintain. Nor can they be conjured from the air. They must be drawn from reality. It takes an awesome amount of consistency across the organization and if a company manages to obtain the necessary cooperation, they need to still create and build trust in their customers and then deliver on those promises (doing so consistently, as the consumer is extremely unforgiving).
The Newsvine Photographers group isn’t exactly on par with the power-house organizations (with great brands) like Charmin but there is a culture behind what Photographers does and that gives it an identity same as the big guys. Maintaining an environment that we can all share and relate is essential to keeping our 'brand' of culture alive. Defining and building upon what already exists will help us to ensure its ‘long-term’ survival.
Undoubtedly, the biggest aspect of the Photographers brand is that of support for each other and the greater community. Through our participation, we hope to help each other cultivate better quality content and hopefully increase the reach of our group (and our columns) and make some sort of impact. The written statements the group began using in 2009 have always served as an ‘advertisement’ to our audiences: it informs them what you (and others) are doing and implicitly asks they too join in the 'fun'. Without the support those text statements provided the group in those early days, foto-friday would have likely never gained any traction and no value would have ever been created.
For Photographers to continue to build and sustain that value, its members must continually support group efforts like these. Unfortunately, in addition to defining branding and relating it to Photographers, the weather must clear before the journey can continue.
Apparently there’s a perception that using brand images is being strictly enforced by the administrative team and that it is mandatory. Never has any such communication been made. Nor has anyone been, or will be, booted from the group because the brand imaging was not used. However, if too many “columnists” appropriate the group’s value without giving anything in return, it eats at the value until there is nothing left. Internal forces are most often more destructive than external threats.
Considering all, preventing that from happening should be a genuine concern to anyone that wishes to sustain and build on the positive cultures the groups here have created. These efforts need support to exist and thrive, and those groups would do well to keep that in check.
Another perception was that the standards being were being strictly enforced were unachievable. The branding is an image that you upload to your article and is not any different than uploading a photograph, which this group [obviously] does routinely. You all have demonstrated your abilities and proven to be quite capable. No one should be selling themselves short.
It's also faster to upload than that silly statement that got us this far, and is easier for the audience to recognize.
These draconian perceptions appear to be fueled by a few incidents where the branding was misused. The copyright for the branding belongs to Newsvine Photographers and is all rights reserved (FYI - unless otherwise specified, this copyright is automatically applied to any content published on the internet). Although group members are welcome and encouraged to use these images in their articles, they must do so appropriately. This means using it as was designed. Making and publishing derivatives or displaying it improperly (smaller, partially, etc) is disrespectful to the group and violates this copyright.
Everything must 'evolve' to survive time and the switch from a written statement to a visual one is one of those changes. It serves to further establish our group identity. That little stick man photographer represents beginnings; the mountain, great ambition. Together they invoke a sense of discovery. It is also not a world of black and white, there is color yet to behold. That is what Photographers has always been about.
The bottom line is as the title says. The brand images are preferred, because it supports the group, but is not required for membership. However, while the choice to use the branding is up to the individual, the branding has less (or no) value if it is not used consistently, and because of that misuse won't be tolerated.
