Re-branding a local authority

Thursday, 2o October 2011

Some views?

• "In government, many people have the power to stop things happening but almost nobody has the power to make things happen. The system has the engine of a lawn mower and the brakes of a Rolls Royce."

Brand?

• Create a living business asset?

Who are we?

• Local Government organisation• Annual budget of £750m• Employ 8,000 staff• Deliver over 800 services every day• Handle everything from major international

events to making sure children cross the roads safely

• Promote the city as an international visitor destination - over 8m visitors every year = £7-8m to the local economy

• First Green Party led council in the UK

A bit about our place• Population of Brighton & Hove

approx 256,300 • Predicted to increase to

269,000 by 2020, a 5% increase, compared to a national increase of 7.4%

• Unusual age distribution with a bulge of residents aged 20-44 years and relatively high numbers of residents aged 85 years or more.

Culture & Leisure• 8m visitors each year• Tourist £ = £732,328,000• Second highest number of

museum visits outside of London• 60% of residents attended a

local theatre or concert within last 6 months in 2008, almost double England level of 32%

• Hosts around 60 festivals & largest Pride & open arts festivals, the Fringe, in UK

Good News

Satisfaction with services provided by or supported by BHCC

44

73

63

73

82

4846

4456 55

71

60 656464

717472

81 80

2000 2003 2006 2008

Sport/leisure facilities Libraries

Museums/galleries Theater/concert halls

parks & open spaces

But

How satisfied are you with the way the local council runs things?

454549

47 48

65

5552

2000 2003 2006 2008

% s

atis

fied

Brighton & Hove National average

Perceptions of the city council

Place Survey Focus Groups

We asked residents

Values associated with Brighton and Hove

Diverse

Has variety and

something for

everyone

Cosmopolitan

Tolerant

Vibrant

Unique

BRIGHTON

HOVE

Level of satisfaction/enthusiasm

Low satisfaction, high association:

Low satisfaction, low association:

High satisfaction, high association:

High satisfaction, low association:

Refuse & recyclingParking costs and control

Seafront services

Parks

Sports and leisure

Social care

Cemeteries/ Crematoria

Libraries

Community safety

Development/PlanningPlanning/ Building Control

Registry office

Roads/ transport

Promoting tourism

Culture & arts

Housing

Schools

Env health and licensing

Housing benefits

Ass

oci

ate

wit

h B

HC

C

Association

Findings

• Almost all love Brighton & Hove as a place to live

• Fundamental lack of awareness of services - except for those that touch residents closely

• But, residents place a high importance on non-visible services (e.g. social care, community safety, schools)

Importance

Level of satisfaction/enthusiasm

Low satisfaction, high priority:

Low satisfaction, low priority:

High satisfaction, high priority:

High satisfaction, low priority:

Refuse & recycling

Parking costs and control

Seafront services Parks

Sports and leisure

Social care

Cemeteries/ Crematoria

Libraries

Community safety

Development/ PlanningPlanning/ Building Control

Registry office

Roads/ transport

Promoting tourism

Culture & arts

Housing

Schools

Env health and licensing

Housing benefits

Serv

ice P

riori

ties

Findings

• Almost all love Brighton & Hove as a place to live• Fundamental lack of awareness of services - except for

those that touch residents closely• But, residents place a high importance on non-visible

services (e.g. social care, community safety, schools)

• The Council lacks a human face – few can identify positive attributes

How we’re perceived

But also…

• Open-minded/ leading: will try new ideas

• Caring/ dependable: will be there in a time of need, trying its hardest

• Ambitious/ driven: has to be to get policies through, manage conflicts

• Schizophrenic : good at some things and bad at others

Findings

“I’ve always got them to thank because if it wasn’t for them I’d be

on the streets”

The Result

• Our message isn’t getting through• Residents not seeing value from their

Council Tax – what does it pay for?• Frustration amongst residents that they

have little influence over local decisions• patchy customer experience - inconsistent

The Personality of Brighton & Hove: What our research tells us

The Challenge…

Our ultimate goal

is to close this gap

Good News

Satisfaction with services provided by or supported by BHCC

44

73

63

73

82

4846

4456 55

71

60 656464

717472

81 80

2000 2003 2006 2008

Sport/leisure facilities Libraries

Museums/galleries Theater/concert halls

parks & open spaces

But

How satisfied are you with the way the local council runs things?

454549

47 48

65

5552

2000 2003 2006 2008

% s

atis

fied

Brighton & Hove National average

New CouncilIdentity/ Personality

Connection with Place

Existing Council Identity/ Personality

Place

Closing the Gap

Clear consistent brand& experience

Increased messagepenetration

Shift in audienceperception

Improved reputation

Gre

ate

r Valu

e fo

r Mon

eyRecognition for

service delivery

1. Change our face

• From resident feedback – develop the new ‘face’ of BHCC

• Look to address misperceptions• Exploit similarities with the City• Our new face reflected in a new

experience as well as all comms• Opportunity to transform the customer

experience

Our new face

How we are perceived

How we’d like to be perceived

• Faceless• Greedy• Slow• Unapproachable• Expensive• Old• Power hungry• Institutionalised• Detached• Ideological• Caring /Dependable• Open minded• Ambitious

• Open• Approachable• Friendly• Human• Efficient• Sociable• Listening• Resourceful• Fast• Grounded• Pioneering• Leading• Open minded

“All they do is rubber stamp and collect our money”

“The Council make Brighton & Hove a fantastic place to live”

2. Less is more

• Focus efforts ONLY on what matters the most to residents

• Talk issues – not services

Our Test

Is it different?• Have we tapped into what really makes Brighton & Hove

different?• Could another Council or Place say the same thing?• Have we been really honest with ourselves?

Is it authentic?• Is our brand realistic and authentic?• Is our brand realistic and achievable?• Can we live up to and deliver the promise?

Our Test

Will it connect with residents?• Does it reflect the personality of the council?• Can residents experience a difference?• Are we truly connecting with residents in a way that they

will understand and appreciate?

Will it connect with our staff?• Will our staff support our ambitions to improve the

customer experience?• Is the comms flexible enough to work across all

services/audiences to connect with the city?

Our Test

Does it connect with place?• Does the identity reflect the true

personality of the Council and Place?• Does the identity express our aspirations

for the Council & Place?• Does the identity reflect the ‘real’ reasons

that people live in Brighton & Hove?

Famous for…

With energy, passion and enthusiasm the council exists to:

• Involve Citizens • Innovate Services and• Improve Lives

‘Creating a Council the City Deserves’

Put simply…

• Make better use of public money / Cut waste and red-tape (innovate)

• Council should support people, not stand in the way / Focus on front line services and putting residents first (improve)

• Residents should have more say in how services are delivered (involve)

Re-design…

• Hierarchical & silo • Top-down/command

& control• Financial pressures

“driven to bottom line”• Impacts on citizens –

“get done to”• Ordered

• Flatter & joined up (council & partners)

• Matrix model• Co-production• Citizen/stakeholder

involvement in service design & delivery

• Chaotic

“A Council the City Deserves”

• Let go of control• Empower staff• Redesign our entire business model

(TOM)• A new model that can flex to adapt to

changing environment

Impact

• This work paved the way for a new model of working at the council

• Breaking down silos – joining up work across departments and partner organisations

• Creating a “networked council”: Devolving leadership and responsibility so that even our front-line staff are empowered to take decisions on the spot where customer satisfaction is at its most potent.

Lessons…

• Understand the “histrionics”– Cultures– Politics– Values/behaviours– Informal/formal networks

• Clear & visible leadership• Be open & honest• Accept failure as part of “innovation”• Focus on the journey – not the destination

A message from our sponsor• “Councils must demonstrate their relevance by

adapting to the changing environment and constantly innovate. We need to adopt a Google-like mentality in which innovation becomes ingrained in our DNA, and achieved through collaboration and co-creation.

• “First, we’ve got to relinquish power and hand control to the community. Second, we’ve got to involve them more in the design and delivery of services. Finally, we’ve got to complete the triangulation of council-citizen-innovation in order to become truly relevant.” John Barradell, CEx of Brighton & Hove City Council

Brand equity?

• Financial implications– “BP's accounts for 2010 put aside $41bn to

pay for the spill, two and a half times more than BP's entire profit in 2009.” (BBC, 19 April 2011)

Questions?

John Shewell

Head of Communications

Brighton & Hove City Council

E: john.shewell@brighton-hove.gov.uk

T: www.twitter.com/johnshewell

Ph: 01273 291039