IFAD’s brand: What it is, what it isn’t
IFAD’s brand, like that of any other organization, is much more than a logo and tagline. Instead, it is the set of features and attributes that come to mind when people hear our name. The brand encompasses the way we think and talk about IFAD’s work with smallholder farmers and other rural people, and the way our partners and stakeholders at every level perceive who we are and what we do.
Why does IFAD need a brand? The short answer is that we have a brand, whether we need one or not. As the head of one international NGO put it, “you’re going to leave an impression in a person’s mind [and] it’s your choice whether you want to actively manage that impression or whether you want them to come to their own conclusions.”
Research also tells us that the more people learn about IFAD, the more positively they view us.
Branding can build on their favourable impressions. By consulting with a range of IFAD colleagues and outside experts, we have worked to sharpen the brand, focusing on what makes IFAD uniquely effective in the rural development sector. In today’s competitive donor environment, it’s more crucial than ever to tell our story in clear and compelling terms. Even beyond resource mobilization, a strong brand can help us stay focused on our long-term goals, while strengthening IFAD’s internal cohesion and capacity as a global organization.
Still, the brand is only as strong as our common commitment to present a unified, honest image of IFAD in all of our communications – from conversations with partners in the field to project reports to flagship publications. To support that commitment, following are some key components of the IFAD brand.
Why does IFAD need a brand? The short answer is that we have a brand, whether we need one or not. As the head of one international NGO put it, “you’re going to leave an impression in a person’s mind [and] it’s your choice whether you want to actively manage that impression or whether you want them to come to their own conclusions.”
Research also tells us that the more people learn about IFAD, the more positively they view us.
Branding can build on their favourable impressions. By consulting with a range of IFAD colleagues and outside experts, we have worked to sharpen the brand, focusing on what makes IFAD uniquely effective in the rural development sector. In today’s competitive donor environment, it’s more crucial than ever to tell our story in clear and compelling terms. Even beyond resource mobilization, a strong brand can help us stay focused on our long-term goals, while strengthening IFAD’s internal cohesion and capacity as a global organization.
Still, the brand is only as strong as our common commitment to present a unified, honest image of IFAD in all of our communications – from conversations with partners in the field to project reports to flagship publications. To support that commitment, following are some key components of the IFAD brand.
Investing in rural people
Tagline: ‘Investing in rural people’ IFAD’s brand highlights our dual identity: On one hand, IFAD is an international financial institution (IFI) working exclusively in rural areas; on the other, we are a specialized UN agency that serves as a trusted partner of some of the world’s poorest people. While rural development is our business, smallholder farmers and other rural people – including the most vulnerable and marginalized – are our heart and soul. We invest in technical and financial approaches to reducing poverty and boosting food security, but we’re people-centred. We invest in human values like resilience, equality and dignity. We invest in the future.
We are, in effect, an IFI with a human face, an institution with “a head for business and a heart for people,” as IFAD’s President has said. Linking these two sides of IFAD is the essence of the brand. This is what our tagline – ‘Investing in rural people’ – is meant to convey.
Brand promise: Investment that works
IFAD represents the link between the present and the future of rural people. By investing together in ideas and approaches that unlock their economic potential, we are building individual livelihoods and well-being, and stronger communities. We work where the need is greatest, and where the impact is most profound. In other words, we invest in results.
Because of IFAD’s investment in – and partnership with – rural women and men:
We are, in effect, an IFI with a human face, an institution with “a head for business and a heart for people,” as IFAD’s President has said. Linking these two sides of IFAD is the essence of the brand. This is what our tagline – ‘Investing in rural people’ – is meant to convey.
Brand promise: Investment that works
IFAD represents the link between the present and the future of rural people. By investing together in ideas and approaches that unlock their economic potential, we are building individual livelihoods and well-being, and stronger communities. We work where the need is greatest, and where the impact is most profound. In other words, we invest in results.
Because of IFAD’s investment in – and partnership with – rural women and men:
- Poverty decreases and incomes rise
- Families are able to feed themselves and contribute to overall food security
- Households have not only enough to eat but decent nutrition and health
- Women, indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups are empowered
- Smallholder farming is seen as a respected and attractive occupation
- People become more resilient to climate shocks
- Rural areas become more attractive places for young people to remain, rather than migrating to cities
- Rural communities experience a sustainable and comprehensive level of change that, ultimately, can result in social as well as economic transformation.
Key brand messages
To summarize, here are four key messages to remember whenever we tell our story:
By supporting livelihood opportunities that empower people in rural, often remote areas where the need is greatest, we promote the aspirations, dignity and value of every human life.
We know IFAD is already well respected by our partners and peers. By playing our part in sharpening the brand, each of us can build on the goodwill and achievements that IFAD has generated over the years. At the same time, we are positioning ourselves to make even greater progress in the years ahead.
- IFAD is an international financial institution with a human face. We have a head for business and a warm heart for people. When we talk about investing in rural people, this is what we mean to convey.
- IFAD invests in results for rural people.
- we are building individual livelihoods and stronger communities.
- IFAD is unique. We are the only specialized UN agency and IFI operating exclusively in a rural context. We empower rural people to transform their lives, overcome poverty, build resilience and sustainably manage natural resources. Nobody else in the development sector fills that particular set of needs.
- IFAD is positive, hopeful and trusted. These are qualities that define us as an institution.
By supporting livelihood opportunities that empower people in rural, often remote areas where the need is greatest, we promote the aspirations, dignity and value of every human life.
We know IFAD is already well respected by our partners and peers. By playing our part in sharpening the brand, each of us can build on the goodwill and achievements that IFAD has generated over the years. At the same time, we are positioning ourselves to make even greater progress in the years ahead.