Why the new name?
Why the new name?
Let’s just get right to it. In case you haven’t heard, the Bozeman Area Community Foundation has changed its name to One Valley Community Foundation. But you probably already know that since you’re reading this on the new One Valley website. So perhaps now you’re wondering why.
It’s pretty simple, really. Your community foundation had outgrown its name. Stated another way, the community foundation in the Gallatin Valley was more than just Bozeman. So the organization created a task force responsible for the rebranding of BACF into something that was much more representative of the people and the area it serves.
After months and months of work, which included multiple rounds of ideas and proposals being suggested, debated, picked apart, and dismissed, the rebrand committee – with the help of its marketing agency of record Armstrong Marketing Solutions – realized that the everyone in the area was in this together. In fact, we were all “one valley.” And the One Valley Community Foundation was born.
But what does it mean to rebrand an organization? To answer that, it probably helps to understand some key marketing terms.
A brand is the names assigned to the products or services offered by a company to consumers. Each individual has their own idea of what a brand for a particular company means to them. But it is the company’s desire to create consistent meanings among the customers it serves.
A brand image summarizes, in the mind of the consumer, what the company stands for and the position it has established. It is unique to each consumer, but typically falls within a semi-structured description. The idea is that whether you’re drinking a Coke in Boston or Bora Bora, you know what a Coke is and what you’ll get if you buy one in either place.
Brand equity is the characters unique to the brand in the minds of consumers. It’s what separates one brand from another, and what gives the brand value.
It is difficult to change the image consumers have of a company or brand. However, rebranding a company can help create an image (Old Spice), change an image (Holiday Inn Express), or rejuvenate an image (KFC). Marketing can help by leveraging a logo and tagline (the official name for a slogan), packaging and labels, or a new name.
When people heard the name Bozeman Area Community Foundation, there was a popular misconception that the organization didn’t serve residents in Belgrade, or Big Sky, or Manhattan, or Three Forks. The reality is that your community foundation does support nonprofit organizations, donors, and people in need in all those areas, and more.
As the reach of the BACF continued to grow, its leadership new it was time the name reflected that. Hence, the effort to rebrand the organization as one that served everyone in Gallatin Valley. And, after almost a year of work, One Valley Community Foundation is here. We hope you like it.