I promise I’ll tie in the post title and it’s not (merely) clickbait but indulge me for a moment.

Distinctive Brand Assets sounds like one of those esoteric, say nothing concepts dreamed up either by academics or brand charlatans.  That was my first reaction anyway.

Distinctive assets are non-name identifiers like colors, taglines, characters or sounds that allow your audience to instantly recognize your brand and think of you when it matters most.  And you don’t have to spend millions on Super Bowl ads to benefit from distinctive assets.

The bad news? If you don’t use them (or use them poorly), you’re missing out growing your donor file.  These assets do more than just make you recognizable; they *encode* your brand into people’s brains. Think of Coca-Cola’s italicized name or McDonald’s golden arches or the WWF panda or the Salvation Army Bells or the jerry can and charity: water.

They’re memorable because they’ve been used consistently over time. But here’s the kicker: if you’re banking only on your logo or your nonprofit’s name showing up enough times, you’re missing the point. Distinctive assets are shortcuts to consumer recall, and you need to embed them into your communications to make your message stick.

Okay, so you’re not Coca-Cola. But here’s why distinctive assets matter in fundraising:

• Efficiency: A donor should recognize your nonprofit or campaign at a glance, across all touchpoints. Consistent use of distinctive assets like a tagline or even a color scheme in your fundraising efforts enhances the effectiveness of your messages.
• Emotional Connection: People don’t just donate because they’re rationally convinced—it’s about trust, recognition, and emotional triggers. Distinctive assets help build that emotional connection over time.
• Stand Out: In a world where your audience is bombarded with messages, distinctive assets cut through the noise. Research shows brands with strong assets are 52% more likely to be recalled than their competitors

And because it’s the silly season we’ll bring this down to earth with some historical examples of presidential campaign slogans (because who doesn’t love a good slogan analysis?) that have stood the test of time or, well… not so much.

• “I Like Ike” (Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952)
  • Why it worked: Simple, catchy, and emotionally resonant. Eisenhower’s campaign slogan was short enough to fit on a button, had a memorable rhyme, and created positive sentiment. Distinctive asset perfection.

• “All the Way with LBJ” (Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964)
  • Why it worked: Another rhyming gem, this one created a sense of unity and commitment. It was highly memorable and used Johnson’s initials—always a good move if you want to be distinctive.

• “Vote for Al Smith and Make Your Wet Dreams Come True” (Alfred E. Smith, 1928)
  • Why it failed: Wow, where to begin?  He was using innuendo to reference his anti-Prohibition stance. It’s a great lesson in how not to be distinctive—don’t confuse or offend your audience.

The winning formula for Distinctive Assets

• Famous – you need lots of people to recognize it
• Unique – you need those same people to uniquely associate with your brand

This requires consistency over time but also, a solid choice to start with.  A color is very hard to make famous and unique.  Characters work best, followed by sounds and slogans.  Ideally, you pick something that has latent, untapped connection to your brand.  But consistency is still king. There was nothing magic or inherent about the WWF panda nor the Salvation Army bells.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of creating bland, overly generic taglines and visual assets because you think your message alone should do the work. But if we’re honest with ourselves, our audience is navigating through thousands of messages daily.  We need all the help we can get.

Kevin