BRANDING: RNLI to review brand in hunt for young donors

The appointment is part of a company-wide repositioning drive to attract younger donors in the face of increasing competition from numerous new entrants to the charity sector vying for share of wallet.

BamberForsyth:Fitch has been briefed to build on RNLI's heritage while modernising the brand.

The project will review all elements of communication to staff and current and potential donors. The branding agency will oversee work produced by direct marketing agency Proximity.

It will look at new ways to reach young donors such as using postcards rather than traditional direct mailings, as other charity brands such as the NSPCC and the RSPCA have done.

Part of the brief is to review RNLI's sub-brands, such as Stormforce, which targets young people, and Seasafe, which covers safety on the beach, and create a more cohesive image for the brand.

"Our task is ensuring that people understand the true scope of the RNLI's work and its relevance to our lives, even when they're not on holiday by the sea,

said Rebecca Price, consultant at BamberForsyth:Fitch.

As part of its repositioning, RNLI appointed retail design specialists F1RST and DM agency Proximity earlier this year. F1RST was briefed to roll out a retail experience for the charity's high-street outlets with the aim of boosting sales. The pilot, in Southend-on-Sea, has seen like-for-like sales increase by 128%.

RNLI carried out its last brand review seven years ago through Corporate Edge.

This article was first published on Marketing