We live in a visual society. Everywhere you
go, you can see various eye-catching logos, trademarks, service marks, and other identifying marks for organizations. These extend to the Internet, perhaps the most eye-appealing resource ever, where librarians increasingly use its power and reach to
communicate with their publics using Flash, animated GIFs, and both audio and video messages

Akers, Susan G.

Hafner, Arthur Wayne, 1943-

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Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 344COMMUNICATING MISSION ANDBUILDING LIBRARY BRAND USINGTAGLINES, SLOGANS, OR LOGOSby Arthur W. Hafner&Susan G. Akerse live in a visual society. Everywhere yougo, you can see various eye-catchinglogos, trademarks, service marks, andother identifying marks for organizations.These extend to the Internet, perhaps themost eye-appealing resource ever, wherelibrarians increasingly use its power and reach tocommunicate with their publics using Flash, animatedGIFs, and both audio and video messages.We librarians can capitalize on this visual trend topromote effectively our library’s programs, services, andcollections. We hear and read a lot about visibly market-ing our libraries and services throughbranding and building brand. Otherstrategies include merchandizingcollections, segmenting customers intouser groups, and other similar con-cepts to demonstrate, instruct, andadvertise what we do.The purpose of this article is tofocus on the concepts of brand,building brand, and using a tag line tocommunicate the library’s mission tothe public it serves. When effectivelycrafted, these concepts are founda-tional in helping the librarian toposition the academic, public, orspecial library in the hearts and minds of its customers.Throughout this article, the word customer refersto a library’s clients, patrons, users, and/or visitors. Thearticle uses the pronoun he and its objective case formhim, both of which are intended to be gender neutral.FIRST AND CONTINUING IMPRESSIONS SHAPETHE LIBRARY’S BRANDWe are all customers and have a range of experi-ences developed over time from using products anddealing with all types of organizations. This includesbusinesses, government, and libraries. When we dealwith any organization, either profit or not-for-profit, wehave expectations that change over time (Schultz &Schultz, 2004, p. 31). A library’s brand is the sum of itscustomers’ perceptions about the library and theirinterpretations of their impressions. Brand is intangibleand important to a librarian because it is the customers’perceived value of the library. From the customers’point of view, brand is the quality that people expect, asnapshot of the library’s promise and its relationshipwith the customer.Of course, library administrators have perceptionsof their library’s brand, too, and they want their cus-tomers’ perceptions to match theirs as closely aspossible. For this reason, administrators use publicityand other marketing strategies that are part of brandmanagement to help shape the customers’ image of thelibrary’s perceived value. Publicity andadvertising describe the library’sbenefits, characteristics, how it inter-acts with other organizations, and eventhe library’s “personality.” Theseefforts are focused to build brandstrength, brand recognition, andachieve greater brand penetration toserve members of its community.BUILDING THE LIBRARY’S BRANDBY USING TAGLINES, SLOGANS,OR LOGOSOne of the most successful andlow-cost ways to convey the library’sbrand is to create a unified, consistent message througha slogan or tagline. “By using carefully chosen wordsand crafting succinct phrases, a tagline is able to conveythe personality of a brand and its unique position inthe marketplace” (Olsen, 2005, newsletter). To accom-plish this, librarians can carefully review the library’sWeb site content and design, promotional and advertis-ing flyers, signage, and other materials that present thelibrary’s face to the public. This is important becausecustomers make judgments about the library fromviewing these documents, even ascribing personalityattributes to a given typeface (Brumberger, 2003, p.213). For this reason, part of providing a consistentidentity may also include using the same fonts, colors,and graphics as part of the library’s identifying marks(Schultz & Barnes, 1999, p. 43). “From the custom-ers’ points of view,brand is the qualitythat people expect, asnapshot of thelibrary’s promiseand its relationshipwith the customer.”Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 3 45Librarians can use taglines, slogans, or logos asvisual opportunities to help develop and reinforce astronger brand association in the customers’ minds.The library’s tagline is the phrase or sentence thatfollows the library’s name, or logo, or that appears atthe end of a promotional message. It has to be some-thing that the librarians and paraprofessional personnelcan turn into a reality to deliver its implied promise.For example, the Ball State University Libraries’tagline is A destination for research, learning, andfriends, as shown in Figure 1. These seven wordssummarize and convey the personality of our brandand its promise, which will be discussed below. Amongother activities, we have used our tagline and have builton the theme of destination to position our librariesfavorably in the campus community. Its three-partpromise conveys the idea of the libraries providingstudents and faculty with a research, learning, andsocial dimension.A slogan, derived from a Scottish word meaning“battle cry,” expresses the library’s aims or nature(Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2007). For ex-ample, the Ball State University Libraries’ slogan is Yourbest bet for information solutions! These six wordsconvey what the University Libraries are about andlikely are unambiguous when heard by our customers,and they serve to create some interest in us. Oursecondary slogan is powerful, yet it is less a rallying callbecause its meaning and understanding by our custom-ers is sometimes not immediately clear, The UniversityLibraries … second only to the classroom for learningand discovery.A library’s logo is a symbol, graphic element, ortrademark designed for easy and definite recognition ofthe brand. A library’s logo influences its brand sincepeople think of the organization or product when theysee the logo or graphic. Because the Ball State Univer-sity Libraries are part of the university, the Libraries donot use a separate graphic; however, we use Ball State’sBeneficence, as can be seen at the top right of ournewsletter’s masthead, The Library Insider,www.bsu.edu/library/virtualpress/libinsider. Someacademic libraries have their own graphic identity astheir visual and unique identifying mark.Taglines, slogans, and logos are low-cost and aregenerally easy to implement. These devices helplibrarians create a meaningful visual distinction thatallows their library to stand out from other similarorganizations, that is, to differentiate their library fromother information marketplace competitors such asmega bookstores, “… the Internet, large wholesaleclearinghouses, even supermarkets and conveniencestores where information can be retrieved quickly andat insignificant or no cost” (Vazquez, 2006, p. 55). Theobjective in creating a strong library brand is forcustomers to perceive quality that exceed their needs.Furthermore, based on the customers’ positivelibrary experiences, they will advocate for it throughword-of-mouth to their friends, colleagues, and associ-ates (Samson, 2006, p. 649). This brand loyalty, intandem with a favorable view of the library, keeps yourlibrary’s clientele coming back to enjoy its programs,services, and collections.DELIVERING ON THE BRAND’S PROMISEThe Ball State University Libraries’ tagline conveys athree-part promise: that the libraries are a destinationfor research, learning, and friends. To deliver on thepromise implicit in the tagline, the Libraries’ adminis-tration has to do its part, too. This begins with person-nel and includes the libraries’ facilities. The libraries’professional and paraprofessional personnel arechampioned to provide a customer-friendly, invitingfacility. Our research promise incorporates the librar-ians and other personnel who are available to helpstudents and faculty with their research projects andassignments. Our learning promise includes our qualityprint and digital collections for discovery and learningand a large number and variety of individual andcollaborative spaces for research and study. Thesespaces are where customers can interact with eachother with excellent, educative technology. Lastly, ourpromise of friends includes social spaces such as thecafé in Bracken Library that provides students andfaculty with a place to meet and talk, that offers areasonably priced menu for food and beverages, andthat contributes to students remaining longer in thelibrary because of the café’s convenience.Yet communicating a consistent message is onlypart of the story. Additionally, the library’s brand has todemonstrate to its customers that it delivers value, thatis, the library’s perceived quality must exceed thecustomers’ expectations (Aaker, 1996, p. 83).Library publicity and advertising typically conveythe library’s brand image and promise. For a publicFigure 1 - Ball State University Libraries’ name followed by their tagline.Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 346library, for example, the promise might be that thelibrary is a technology center for the community, or aresource for small businesses, or a literacy or ESL orother type of training center (Sneary, 2007). Further, itcan be a place to find bestsellers and other recreationalreading for life-long learning and personal develop-ment. Depending on the library’s resources for pro-gramming, it may be all of these.Based on the customer’s experience, his first andsubsequent visits are pivotal for him to determine if thebrand delivers on its promise. After each experience,the customer readjusts his opinion about the library. Inthis way, a library’s brand is intangible, psychological,ever changing, and builds slightly over time.The principal drivers of a library’s operationalstrategy for it to achieve its goals and objectives are itsmission, vision, and values. Together, these philosophi-cal underpinnings create the context for the library’sbrand and give the library its personality. For example,the library’s mission captures its role as an organizationthat creates and adds value through providing meaning-ful experiences for its customers through its programs,services, and collections. Its vision is its aspirationsabout the type of organization it wants to be, such as aninnovative college library aligned with the goals of itsparent institution, or a library at the forefront ofproviding integrated information literacy programs, orbeing the place of choice in its customers’ search forknowledge. Lastly, its values are the beliefs that guideit, such as commitment to accessibility, democracy,inclusiveness, intellectual freedom, and privacy ofinformation, among others.THE IMPACT OF THE LIBRARY’S BRAND ON ITSADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNELThere is another side to library branding, a facetthat may be the most important. It concerns the selec-tion, training, and ongoing orientation of the personnelwhose direct or indirect contact with the public trans-lates the library’s brand since it is the commitment byemployees who will shape and deliver the brandthrough their services and energy (Schultz & Schultz,2004, p. 26). To add value to the brand, the entirelibrary’s operation needs to be aligned and integratedfor communication (Schultz & Barnes, 1999, p. 63) andservice. Quality, excellent service or positive attitudesbetween employees and visitors, and a consistent imageare common attributes associated with libraries(Wolpert, 1999).In addition, library personnel need the righttechnology training and equipment to delight thelibrary’s customers. New and continuing employeesneed to hear regularly about the important role of thelibrary and how it serves its community. In this way, thelibrary’s brand exerts an influence on the library’sadministrators and personnel — branding from theinside out.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONBuilding the library’s brand takes time, discipline,and commitment; yet, building brand and developing itis worthwhile in that this intangible measure is asnapshot of how customers perceive the library andtheir collective interpretation of the library’s ability todeliver on its promises. Librarians can manage thelibrary’s brand through publicity, advertising, and byusing taglines, slogans, or logos to help create a favor-able association in the minds of its publics. Additionalsteps to strengthen the library’s brand are employeeorientation and training, proper equipment, andinviting facilities that allow personnel to deliver thelibrary’s promises. These types of efforts are cost-effective in terms of creating brand loyalty so thatcustomers look to the library to meet their needs andcome back repeatedly to take advantage of the library’sprograms, services, and collections – allowing thelibrary to accomplish its mission.REFERENCESAaker, D. (1996). Building strong brands. New York:The Free Press.Brumberger, E. (2003). The rhetoric of typography: Thepersona of typeface and text. Technical Communi-cation, 50(2), 206. Retrieved February 14, 2007,from the Academic Search Premier database.Olsen, C. (2005, June). Slogans & taglines: There is aDifference! Marketing Treasures, 14 (6). RetrievedFeb. 2, 2007, from www.chrisolson.com/marketingtreasures/vol14/Vol14N6JUNE05.htmlOxford English Dictionary Online (2007). OxfordUniversity Press. Retrieved February 2, 2007, fromhttp://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50227804?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=slogan&first=1&max_to_show=10Samson, A. (2006). Understanding the buzz thatmatters: Negative vs positive word of mouth.International Journal of Market Research, 48(6),647-657. Retrieved February 14, 2007, from theBusiness Source Premier database.Schultz, D.E. & Barnes, B.E. (1999). Strategic brandcommunication campaigns, (5th ed.).Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Business Books.Schultz, D.E. & Schultz, H.F. (2004). Brand babble:Sense and nonsense about branding, Mason, Ohio:Southwestern Educational Publishing.Sneary, A. (2007). 13 ways of looking at a publiclibrary. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://scanblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/13-ways-of-looking-at-public-library.htmlIndiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 3 47Vazquez, D. (2006). Branding: Marketing libraries andtheir values. Colorado Libraries,  32 (4). RetrievedFebruary 14, 2007, from H.W. Wilson Company’sLibrary Literature & Information Science Full Textdatabase.Wolpert, A.J. (1999). Marketing strategies: Lessons forlibraries from commercial brand management.Retrieved February 2, 2007, from www.iatul.org/conference/proceedings/vol09/papers/wolpert.htmlABOUT THE AUTHORSArthur W. Hafner, Ph.D., M.B.A., is Dean of Ball StateUniversity Libraries, AHafner@bsu.edu. He is a librar-ian, administrator, and author whose research interestsare organizational improvement and the library asplace. He has served as Ball State University’s Dean ofUniversity Libraries since November 2002. View hiswebsite at www.bsu.edu/libraries/ahafner/index.html.Susan G. Akers, M.A., is Marketing CommunicationsManager at Ball State University Libraries,SAkers@bsu.edu. She has promoted the services oflibraries, both public and academic, over the past tenyears. She received her M.A. in Public Relations fromBall State University.

Communicating Mission and Building Library Brand Using Taglines, Slogans, or Logos

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