I’m writing this post as an introduction to a topic I will frequently cover. I understand that the core job of a PIO, whether it be in a volunteer or paid department, is to provide information to the public and media. In our world this task is a 24/7 job that keeps our plates quite full. Many PIO’s do not engage in marketing or brand identity, but solely concentrate on providing public information. For those PIO’s whose responsibilities extend into the marketing arena, developing your departments brand is essential to maintain a high public perception of the type of service you provide to the community.
In the competitive business marketplace establishing a quality brand is essential to stand out above the competition.
Companies like Starbucks, Google, Disney etc, not only have tremendous name recognition but back up that name with quality products, customer service and an overall distinction that sets them apart from their competitors.
Every business wants to be a customer’s first choice. Building and managing a brand can play a significant part in making that happen. But in the fire service we have no competition, so is branding still important? I think so.
While we have no competition the concept of a brand extends far beyond our departments logo, down to our core values and to every alarm response and interaction we have with the citizens we serve.
In effect, your departments brand creates and maintains your reputation and so reflects your citizen’s experiences and perception of your department. In the fire service a brand is really your department’s reputation – its “personality.”
Your brand encompasses everything the public witnesses about your department – response time, professionalism on the fire ground, knowledge of your EMT’s, cleanliness of your equipment etc, etc, etc.
Does your brand have the strength in the mind of your public to allow them to feel safe and secure with the service you provide?
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Less in More in Social Media – August 31, 2010
- The PIO Should Keep Homeowners Informed on the Fire Ground – November 2, 2010
- PIO Help Wanted – September 1, 2010
- What’s in your PIO or PAO “Go To” bag? – October 18, 2010
I have taken the job of PIO and made Branding a major part of my focus. In fact, my Chief even had us appoint one additional PIO just to allow the expanded focus. We’ve started Tweeting about events and emergency operations, we have begun developing a Brand Awareness Document that (we hope) everyone will follow and we have been trying to get the public to identify our organization not only with fire and EMS, but for professional care and service. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy. A major hurdle has been trying to get some of the administration to get past the idea that a PIO is strictly for “emergency information dissemination”. I’ve had my share of “trials and tribulations” along the way but I think slowly but surely we’ll get there.
I think Branding and Marketing should be just as big a part of our position as PIO’s as emergency info dissemination. In fact, I think we, as public servants, have to be even more creative in how we market our department due to financial constraints. I know I don’t exactly have a large budget in which I can conduct a huge marketing campaign.
Although they have two distinct functions, marketing and pr are becoming more closely aligned in any well developed public relations outreach plan.
It would be great if you can share some of the elements of your Brand Awareness Document once it is fully developed.
Here are some more participants in the discussion via Linkedin.
From Rick Ornberg at Eagle Mountain Promotions
“Yes, in the context of your blog post, “branding” of sorts is very important. Full time departments have to compete with budgets submitted by other municipal departments, and volunteer departments compete with… just about everybody, for funding and volunteer support. A more appropriate term is, of course, the “reputation” of the department, and what positives or negatives are associated with the organization. “We hardly ever see any big fires in this area,” is sometimes the logic presented by the uneducated looking to trim the so-called fat. In reality, it might be explained or demonstrated, fast and agressive response by trained personnel keep the potential BIG fires as more controllable small fires.
Some departments, when reporting annual fire loss figures, turn the tables and use the figures to demonstrate how much was actually saved (of the total estimated value of involved property, etc.) instead.
Reaching out to seriously address fire and burn prevention education, as opposed to just passing out safety rulers during Fire Prevention Week, sets a department apart as well. Targeting specific population groups such as seniors, children, commuters, multi-family dwelling occupants, etc. instead of a scattergun distribution of coloring books makes a difference too! Sure, branding is very important!”
From Dave Gould in the UK
“Rick , you are spot on with your comments. In the UK now the the days of handing out leaflets outside the local supermarket , estimating the number of leaflets and then recording it as Fire safety advice to say 1000 people has been discredited, and rightly so.
Targeting of at risk groups is an area that the UK fire Service are trying to get to grips with as a concept. It involves the gathering of demographic information as well as working within useful and mutually benificial partnerships , sharing information and using information streams that may not be traditional fire service sources.
For example, the Youth Engagement work of many UK Fire Services is excellent ,with many schemes raising the expectations of margonalised young people, addressing anti-social behavour, bullying , low self esteem, fire setting and non attendance at School. This work in turn helps to make communities safer and raises the profile of the local fire service with key partners and stakeholders.
I guess the answer to Jeffs question is ‘Yes’ and Fire Services should always try to make communities safer. The new ways of doing this should be publicised to the wider community. We cant just sit back and rest on our laurels.”
Posted by George Rose, CET, CIT
I worked for a paid professional fire department near Boston, Massachusetts for greater than 30 years prior to retiring last April. One of the major changes I seen and encouraged was to the culture, “the people we service are customers.” Treat them with respect and provide them with the serve they are paying for.
Branding is a major part of being visable to the “Lay Public”.
Retired Chairman Dr. Lawyer of the Marketing Department, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH chaired a study and come to some facts about the “Cost of Profitable Contact”. I will give the main point of the study: “It is more important to reach the people who count; then to count the people you reach.” As well as Professor H. Ebbinghaus also gave these finding about promotional prodcuts:
*A message read or heard only once is 65% forgotten in 24 hours, out of sight out of mind.
*A message read or heard several times a day for 8 days is virtually memorized at the end of 30 days is 90% retained.
*Repetition builds Reputation.
*However, what is said when you use an advertising prodcuts says “Thank You”.
No matter the prodcut that you use;
YOUR NAMEINFORMATIONis in the forefront of the PUBLIC!Also when you are interviewed for the Press speak in LAY Terms so they (media and citizens) can understand what you are convey to them.
You have 6 Stages of Presentation:
*Image
*Attention
*Intrest
*Desire
*Conviction
*Action
The Lay Public needs to be made aware of the numbers of hours that is dedicated to trainig, physical fitness, calls runned, public events etc. This will lighten the “Down Look” that Department may get from the crews at the grocery store, or hardware store. A majority of the public thinks that the Fire Dept sleeps, play checkers watch T.V. and do nothing to earn the money that they are paid and gripe with a proposed tax increase. This where the PIO can make the difference and improve the image.
Hosting an Open House for Child/Infant Car Safety Seat Checks and allowing the “Lay Public” to become more intune with what is actually needed to be a firefighter. Let the lay public feel the weight of the turn out gear, do a simple rescue exercise, use a smoke trailer to teach E.D.I.T.H. These as well as Fire Prevetion Material all are a form of “Branding”.
I hope that this information is beneficial to you. I am a Retired Firefighter EMTI, I am a Promotional Advertising Dealer.
From Tabitha Beaton via Linkedin
Hi, Jeff -
I see where you are going with the “brand” thinking, but would suggest it needs to go a step further and have departments strive to be strategic, engaging and in many ways, adopt more business-like principles. Whether a department is strategic and business-oriented in its thinking, approaches and education is more key to its long-term success, I think. And I would suggest it does not fall solely in the realm of the department PIO. In fact, to be most successful, this needs to be a management-owned initiative that filters to all levels of an organization.
I tend to focus on getting an emergency service to approach their work with the intent involving and engaging key stakeholders – it fosters a greater sense of ownership for those stakeholders. For example, local governments are more likely to cut funding if they don’t understand much beyond “less fires = less need for firefighters.” I recommend an extensive engagement process that encourages local councillors to be involved in setting of response standards so when the question of cuts comes up, everyone can go back to the response standards to see whether cuts support or threaten those standards.
So, you see from that, it isn’t so much about creating a brand for the department as it is about creating a reason to care. or a stake in the game. I think any department could ‘brand’ itself as reliable, professional, caring, etc. and likely make those traits come alive in all of those aspects of its service delivery. And it is key – you want citizens to feel they are dealing with professionals who care and are reliable. They are more likely to support an organization (or business, for that matter) that demonstrates such values. But, that only gets you part of the way there. Where does that get you with councillors who have hard decisions to make about allocation of increasingly limited funding to city departments with competing demands? Where does it get you with other city departments who are implementing practices that run contrary to improving emergency response (like building improperly sized roadways that don’t accommodate emergency vehicles)?
No doubt, branding is important in terms of building a reputation among media and citizens – and some government officials, to a point – and I think gets a solid foundation of goodwill you can rely on when issues and crisis are threatening your reputation. But it really is just one piece of a much larger picture of organizational thinking that needs to occur to ensure long-term sustainability of your department.