The document provides information for developing a brand architecture and marketing communication strategy for promoting a "This is Richmond, VA" exhibit. It includes defining the brand assets, personality, guardrails, and essence for the Valentine Richmond History Center. It then outlines a multi-pronged communication strategy involving connecting the brand to local businesses and universities, creating co-created exhibit elements, and celebrating with a kick-off event and future quarterly events. The goal is to increase awareness, participation, and engagement with the exhibit through an integrated campaign bringing the brand's personality and Richmond's history to life.

2. Assignment
Brand
Architecture
Communication
Strategy
“This is Richmond, VA”
Event

3. Assignment
Brand
Architecture
Communication
Strategy
“This is Richmond, VA”
Event

4. OBJECTIVE:
Create a marketing communication strategy and
materials that will promote the “This is Richmond,
Virginia” exhibit to members, donors and visitors of the
Valentine Richmond History Center
AUDIENCE
ASSIGNMENT:
Educated middle to upper class who
live in Richmond and surrounding cities
Young Professionals who are Up-andComers in the Richmond Scene
DELIVERABLES
Brand Architecture
Marketing Communication Strategy for “This
is Richmond, VA ” Exhibit and Executions
Exhibit opening event and on-going
events strategy

5. Assignment
Brand
Architecture

6. What is a Brand?
Highly Confidential Brand Analyst, Copenhagen 6

7. Brand (n):
“A name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination
of them intended to identify the goods and services of
one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them
from those of competition” (AMA)
Highly Confidential Brand Analyst, Copenhagen 7

9. Network of Associations
Few Many
Weak Strong
Negative Positive
Similar to Rivals Differentiated from Rivals
Highly Confidential Brand Analyst, Copenhagen 9

10. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Foundational component of the brand building process that provides
a lens for evaluating brand strategies, ideas and initiatives to help
“keep the brand on track”

11. CONTINUITY
AS THE BRAND EVOLVES

12. What is Brand Architecture?

13. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Brand Assets: Key elements/symbols owned by the brand
Brand Personality: Brand’s “human attributes” that determine how it talks and acts
Guardrails: Mandatory characteristics that any product/program bearing the Brand
name must meet and things that absolutely must not be associated with the Brand

14. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Product Attributes
Product attributes customers require that the brand chooses to deliver against
Brand Assets: Key elements/symbols owned by the brand
Brand Personality: Brand’s “human attributes” that determine how it talks and acts
Guardrails: Mandatory characteristics that any product/program bearing the Brand
name must meet and things that absolutely must not be associated with the Brand

15. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Functional Requirements
Experiences customers require that the brand
chooses to deliver against
Product Attributes
Product attributes customers require that the brand chooses to deliver against
Brand Assets: Key elements/symbols owned by the brand
Brand Personality: Brand’s “human attributes” that determine how it talks and acts
Guardrails: Mandatory characteristics that any product/program bearing the Brand
name must meet and things that absolutely must not be associated with the Brand

16. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Emotional &
Social Desires
Those customer desires
the brand seeks to deliver against
Functional Requirements
Experiences customers require that the brand
chooses to deliver against
Product Attributes
Product attributes customers require that the brand chooses to deliver against
Brand Assets: Key elements/symbols owned by the brand
Brand Personality: Brand’s “human attributes” that determine how it talks and acts
Guardrails: Mandatory characteristics that any product/program bearing the Brand
name must meet and things that absolutely must not be associated with the Brand

17. BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Brand Essence:
Enduring Values underlying the
Brand’s uniqueness
Emotional &
Social Desires
Those customer desires
the brand seeks to deliver against
Functional Requirements
Experiences customers require that the brand
chooses to deliver against
Product Attributes
Product attributes customers require that the brand chooses to deliver against
Brand Assets: Key elements/symbols owned by the brand
Brand Personality: Brand’s “human attributes” that determine how it talks and acts
Guardrails: Mandatory characteristics that any product/program bearing the Brand
name must meet and things that absolutely must not be associated with the Brand

18. {ASSETS}
Which of these do
consumers recognize?
(Unaided or aided)
Brand Asset
Type
What assets does The
Valentine own?
Symbols
Swirling Staircase
Colors
Red
Aided
Logos
Valentine Logo
Aided
Image
Associations
Wickham House, Courts
End
Aided
Other
Walking tours, artifacts,
collections
Aided
Shapes
Sounds

19. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
4. Values

20. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
If the Valentine were a person you knew, they
would be the interesting friend in the coffee
shop who always has a story to tell and
sparks great conversation.
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
4. Values

21. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
If the Valentine were a person you knew, they
would be the interesting friend in the coffee
shop who always has a story to tell and
sparks great conversation.
The Valentine would describe itself as an
approachable, yet quirky neighbor who
has the backstory on everything local.
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
4. Values

22. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
If the Valentine were a person you knew, they
would be the interesting friend in the coffee
shop who always has a story to tell and
sparks great conversation.
The Valentine would describe itself as an
approachable, yet quirky neighbor who
has the backstory on everything local.
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
4. Values
If the Valentine was a person, they
would be Mid-30’s, with a sport
coat over a sweater, wire rim
glasses, and sipping a local
beverage.

23. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
If the Valentine were a person you knew, they
would be the interesting friend in the coffee
shop who always has a story to tell and
sparks great conversation.
The Valentine would describe itself as an
approachable, yet quirky neighbor who
has the backstory on everything local.
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
4. Values
If the Valentine was a person, they
would be Mid-30’s, with a sport
coat over a sweater, wire rim
glasses, and sipping a local
beverage.
The Valentine would believe in the
importance of community and
history, and would be motivated by
celebrating the past, contextualizing
the present, and creating the future.

24. {PERSONALITY}
1. Relationships
2. Self Identify
If the Valentine were a person you knew, they
would be the interesting friend in the coffee
shop who always has a story to tell and
sparks great conversation.
3. Physique
5. Dimensions
Neil deGrasse
Tyson
(Astrophysics
Professor who
makes science
approachable)
The Valentine would describe itself as an
approachable, yet quirky neighbor who
has the backstory on everything local.
4. Values
If the Valentine was a person, they
would be Mid-30’s, with a sport
coat over a sweater, wire rim
glasses, and sipping a local
beverage.
The Valentine would believe in the
importance of community and
history, and would be motivated by
celebrating the past, contextualizing
the present, and creating the future.

25. {GUARDRAILS}
Must ALWAYS have:
Should NEVER be:
All things Richmond
Stuffy/ Condescending
Authentic/ Accessible/
Local
Exclusive
Logo/ “Valentine”/ Red
Unrelated to Richmond
Relevance to past,
present and future

26. BRAND PURPOSE STATEMENT
Emotional
Social Desires
ts
Functional
Requirements
Self-Image
(“Pride in RVA”)
Knowledge of
Richmond (both
practical &
“quirky”)
Indulgence
(“I want to have
fun!)
Entertaining
experience for
visiting family and
friends
Fun/engaging
activity
Product/Museum
Attributes
Breadth of
comprehensive
Richmond
collection/exhibits
Institutional
knowledge of
Richmond history
Walking/bus
tours/“garden
parties”
Educational
Programming
Legacy (“A voice in
shaping the future of
Richmond”)
Platform for
engaging with
Richmond
community
(people and
issues)
Facilitate forum
discussions (i.e.
conversations on
local issues)
Facilities/Courtyard/
Restaurant

27. BRAND ESSENCE
Essence Statement
CONNECT
CREATE
CELEBRATE
Building the bridge from Richmond’s past to its
vibrant future
Embracing RVA’s history and building a
promising future
Shaping RVA’s future through dialogue and
conversation

28. What is a Positioning Statement?

29. POSITIONING STATEMENT (n):
A process that determines how a brand
will use its identity to create an appealing
brand image, relative to its competition, in
the minds of its intended customer base

30. POSITIONING STATEMENT (n):
FOR
Richmond emerging leaders, The Valentine
IS THE destinationTHAT
PROVIDES rich cultural experiences BUT
ALSO provides authentic and unique perspectives
on RVA BECAUSE OF its vast collections,
Richmond History Center
specialized curators and engaging community activities.

31. Assignment
Brand
Architecture
Communication
Strategy

32. Experiencing Richmond’s History Together
Connecting
Infusing History in Today’s Life
Creating
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY
Placing Your Stamp on History
Celebrating
Facilitating Broader Conversations

33. Logo:

34. Logo:

35. Campaign:

36. 1. CONNECTING

37. Corporate, Small Business, and Campus
Connections
Strategic Goal:
Ladders up to the goal of bringing the Valentine Richmond
History Center to the relevant places in the city
• Ties into one of the themes “How do we work?”
• Generates awareness among young professionals and
students in Richmond
Execution:
Place relevant objects in the lobbies & foyers of company
buildings and University halls to spark curiosity and drive people
to “This is Richmond, VA”
• There should be a “This is RVA” give-one and invitation
to check out the exhibit, and why there is a relevant
connection

38. Altria Headquarters Lobby

40. Print Strategy
Strategic Goal:
•
Generate awareness for the opening of the new exhibit and
create assets that are repeatable and recognizable across all
communication channels
Execution:
•
•
•
•
Print ads to execute “[This] is RVA” campaign
Hand-outs for artifact placements
Direct mail that utilizes the “[This] is RVA” to generate
excitement for the new exhibit and the kick-off event
Invitations to Young Professionals and Donors

44. Social Media Strategy
Strategic Goal:
Generate Word of Mouth as a Driver to the new Exhibit by both:
• Pushing out social media messaging
• Creating a UGC “pull” strategy through a handle that
connects back to the campaign (which can then be retweeted to a broader audience)
• Generate more online relationships to drive awareness
Execution:
•
•
•
Social Media Presence – Execute Print Campaign online
Create a new opportunity for co-creation of a Day-Of-Event
Exhibit
Social Media Handle: #thisisRVA, included on all print and
online executions

47. If you’re going to Tweet, Instagram, or Vine,
please use:
#thisisRVA

49. 2. CREATING

50. Why Co-Creation?
Co-Creation is a Relevant, Engaging Tool that Delivers :
Relevance
Breadth of Perspective
S-T-R-E-T-C-H
Shared Ownership

51. Visitors provide their
contact information
and are added to the
Valentine database
Visitors share their
“Richmond story”, through:
• Richmond personal
artifacts
• Recorded
testimonials
• Historic Photo
Valentine retains the assets and grants
free admission to the museum

52. Benefits of
•
•
•
•
Free Admission
Co-Creation drives a sense of mutual ownership;
visitors become true stakeholders in the future of
Valentine
Targeted, personal re-contact strategies emerge
from collected assets
Daily entry fees only make up a small percentage
of total revenues
Opportunities exist for membership up-selling
strategies upon exiting the Valentine

53. The Youth Time Capsule Project
We want to engage the thousands of elementary and middle school
students who visit the History Museum annually. By making their lives
a part of the museum’s history, we hope to receive return visits as they
grow up and for the grand opening of the time capsules 15 years later.
Digital Questionnaire
o Date
o Name
o Favorite movie?
o Favorite food?
o What is your favorite part about
Richmond?
What you want to be when you grow up?
o What will exist in 15 years that doesn’t
exist now?
o What is around today that won’t be in
15 years?

54. Member Memory Makers
Jay Williams
Willow Lawn
Neighborhood
“I choose the Valentine
because it connects me
with my community”

55. 3. Celebrating

56. “This is Richmond” Exhibit Kick-Off Event
Strategic Goal:
Increase awareness and participation of the This is Richmond, VA
exhibit by driving traffic to the museum and creating news in the
marketplace.
Execution:
•
•
•
•
Friday Post-Work Event
Create an environment that is appealing to donors, history
makers, and your “Up-and-Comers”.
Execute elements of “[This] is RVA” campaign to tie all prior
communications elements into kick-off event
Use food and drinks to help tell part of the Richmond Story

57. Getting them To the Event

58. Food and Drink

59. [Carytown]
Artifact
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam
nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut
laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat
volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim
veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation
ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut
aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in
hendrerit in vulputate velit esse
molestie consequat, vel illum dolore
eu feugiat nulla
Event Activities

60. Event Takeaways

61. Future Events
Downtown “This is RVA” Garden Parties
•
•
•
Scaled down launch parties
Suggested Frequency: Quarterly, with larger-scale events
when “This is Richmond, VA” objects change
Themes: i.e 1920s Drinks of Richmond, Time period Drinks,
History of Richmond Beers.
Conversations
•
Continue conversations at other restaurants and at the
Valentine with a focus on “[This] is RVA”
Food for Thought
•
•
Presence at cultural events around Richmond
Sally Bell Food Truck

62. Metrics:
Baseline Survey: Gauge current awareness levels
Visits: Foot Traffic, Repeat Visitors, Demographics
Buzz: Social Media followers, #thisisrva tweets and
re-tweets
Membership: Increases in Membership and strong Donation vs.
Admission mix

63. Connect. Create. Celebrate.