It’s never too late to fit brand to purpose

Why would an organization rebrand years after a name change? Sara Heald, development director at Air Alliance Houston, talks about why the time was right to change their brand to better fit the needs of their audience.

Robin: Hello, and welcome to this edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies. I am Robin Tooms, VP of strategy at Savage Brands, and my guest today is Sara Heald, development director at Air Alliance Houston. So Sara, welcome to Brandonomics.

Sara: Thanks so much for having me, Robin. I’m excited to be here.

Robin: Well, thank you. I want to talk some about how Air Alliance Houston has gone through a rebrand recently. Now it’s been kind of an organization in its current state for about five years, but you’ve recently decided that you needed to rebrand it. So I wanted to know why the timing of that was so important for you.

Sara: Well you know, Air Alliance Houston has actually been around for 27 years. We started out as Gasp in someone’s garage. We joined forces with Mothers for Clean Air around 1995. We resurfaced as Air Alliance Houston, and Air Alliance Houston has such a wonderful reputation in the community. We have a strong staff, and a great mission, and great programming, but we were really having a problem connecting with the average Houstonian, and we felt that it was the right time to look at our messaging and think about rebranding.

Robin: So, while the name change was five years ago, now you’re saying, let’s look at this message. So the message you’re promoting now is kind of this idea of making Houston a healthier place to live and work. So can you expand some on that–on why that’s important for the organization?

Sara: Although many of our initiatives are environmental, we felt it was important, in order to touch more Houstonians, that we broadened our horizons a little bit more. So our messaging now is centered on being a public health organization that does environmental work. We believe that the air quality of Houston directly affects the quality of life, and we know that many Houstonians would share that belief.

Robin: Yes, so I can see why you had to shift that message a little bit, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for explaining that.

Sara: You’re welcome.

Robin: This has been another edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies.

 

Air Alliance Houston is a nonprofit organization that believes the quality of our air directly affects our quality of life. Through research, education and advocacy, the organization empowers Houstonians to take charge of their health and environment. It is committed to delivering clean air for a healthier future in Houston. https://airalliancehouston.org/