Brand Responses to Members
Many in the occupational therapy community have had shared many great insights, thoughts and questions regarding our new brand “Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest™,” responding to calls for comment in the One-Minute Update and on President Penny Moyers Cleveland’s blog on OT Connections.
This is exciting for so many reasons.
Whether it’s for a company or a profession, a brand has the power make a promise about what it is and making an impression about that promise.
The good news for occupational therapy is that no other profession does exactly what we do. “Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest™” is the promise of occupational therapy and the pledge to our clients.
To unleash the power of the occupational therapy brand, everyone in our professional community needs to understand this is not just another marketing tactic. It is a vehicle for growth, the key to client satisfaction and even a basis for the operations of our varied practices. It is a step toward the fulfillment of the pledge we’ve made to ourselves in the Centennial Vision: to be powerful and widely-recognized.
AOTA did substantial research to develop the brand, guided by leaders of the association, but also opened the dialogue to all members of the community with both a zoomerang survey at the beginning of the branding process and a survey of 1,000 members and non-members following the development of the brand phrase. While we did this and other research, the opportunity to express views on the brand brought out many new ideas and suggestions for use as the brand project moves forward.
The vibrancy of the brand may be reflected in the many views and comments sent to AOTA. To read all of the comments, go to Penny Moyers Cleveland’s blog on OT Connections to read what your colleagues had to say.
We’re happy to report that these thoughts from many of you were overwhelmingly positive. As much as we like hearing praise, we’re extremely interested in those who had alternative suggestions about our branding efforts. All of these comments were read and examined; many contained good ideas for new interpretations, new visuals and more tools that better meet your needs. Anything that can help us improve our efforts is so very important. And we have many more steps in the process to help you live occupational therapy to its fullest.
The most consistent supportive view we’ve heard is that “Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest™” conveys all the hope and effectiveness that OT offers at its best. That was our goal and we’re happy to hear that response.
We encourage everyone to remember, a brand is a simple promise, summarized by only four or five words, that the consumer can believe in. Examples include Nike: “Just Do It,” BMW: “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” and Apple: “Creativity, innovation and nonconformity.” The photos were chosen to suggest the outcome of occupational therapy and the promise the profession makes to clients: Living Life To Its Fullest.
Please continue to keep sharing your experiences with “Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest.™”
We’re on our way to our Centennial celebration and we want the journey to be as successful as possible!
