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The British Council brand structure applies to all products and services that are:
Essentially, this encompasses any communication, offer or activity that uses the British Council name and/or has the potential to affect its reputation. To be clear, brands are considered to be brands only if they reach an external audience. So that we all understand the various elements that make up this structure, they are explored in more detail in the following.
FULLY-OWNED BRANDS These are British Council projects, products or services that belong solely to us or over which we have complete control.
Global projects These are large programmes that demonstrate and develop our international authority. They are ’signature’ projects that exemplify what the British Council stands for. They are typically programmes that have been developed over time and that will last for many years, such as Dreams and Teams and English for the World.
Global project sub-brands Global projects may have specific product brands in their portfolio, such as Learn English within English for the World.
Regional projects These are programmes developed and delivered regionally or pan-regionally. They are based on an analysis of partner needs, and are professionally developed, managed and ambitious. InterAction, in Africa, is a good example.
Regional project sub-brands Regional projects may have specific product brands in their portfolio, such as Management Express within the InterAction project.
Publications These include publications designed for internal and external customers. They will have an identity of their own – for example, UK Connections, Learning World and in-country newsletters.
In each case, the name and format of the publication will define its identity for ease of recognition and recall, but because it is a British Council publication, the British Council brand should be the primary brand.
Country brands These are simply names that have grown up organically like British Council Australia and British Council Egypt. We are now focusing on a single global brand, so individual country logos will be phased out and the British Council identity will be used universally.
Sector brands These are descriptors, such as British Council Arts and British Council Education. They are internal organisational terms and will no longer be used as externally facing brands.
SHARED OWNERSHIP WITH PARTNERS Many of our valuable projects and activities are shared with or funded by other partners; we should always receive equal credit for them. In such cases, the British Council should always maintain a visible presence. We would have to think very carefully about getting involved with projects if we are not going to get appropriate recognition for them. Otherwise, how will other potential partners know that they can come to the British Council for help in delivering projects of shared interest? In all these projects and activities, the British Council brand should be clearly in evidence, with only certain exceptions.
Co-branded partnerships These are brands developed and managed by the British Council on behalf of ourselves and one or more partners. A good example is Education UK, where the main partner is the UK government’s Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
The British Council’s role in these partnerships must be represented by the British Council logo, which should have equal weight with the partner brand logo – in this case, that of Education UK. (Please refer to the Education UK brand guidelines for full details.) This establishes and maintains a strong link between the British Council and Education UK in the minds of our target audiences, and ensures continuity in the relationship between our audiences and the British Council.
Stand-alone brands These are brands that we have decided to keep separate from the British Council. We have invested in them with partners to create autonomous brands, capable of competing in international markets. A significant benefit that flows back to the British Council is financial, but there are also benefits in the association of the British Council with other world-class brands, and in the services delivered to the target audiences. A good example of a stand-alone brand is IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
For information on branding please contact: isobel.oliveira@britishcouncil.org Usually, communications exclusively about IELTS will be IELTS branded (see IELTS brand manual) and this will apply to all stand-alone brands. However, where IELTS products are seen to be part of a British Council portfolio and we are responsible for delivering and marketing the brand’s products and services, they should be jointly branded, displaying both the IELTS and British Council logos. Once again, this is to differentiate them clearly from competitive offerings and to continue building the audience’s relationship with the British Council.
Co-productions These are instances where the British Council endorses or co-sponsors independent projects or programmes, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which the British Council commissioned. In these circumstances, we would normally expect joint billing (for example, ‘The British Council presents . . .’) and for our logo to be displayed – though this is usually subject to negotiation with the producing organisation.
Public diplomacy campaigns These are initiatives jointly funded and/or delivered with public diplomacy partners, such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Visit Britain, and the BBC World Service. Usually these are short-term campaigns and may embrace several different strands or events, which themselves may be sub-brands – for example, Think UK in Korea or UKIERI in India. In these cases, the primary brand is the campaign brand, with identity rules agreed by the partners, and the British Council should be branded simply as one of the sponsoring partners. The only exception is when an activity is wholly British Council owned and managed within the campaign; this should be treated as a jointly branded partnership.
Endorsements These are used when we have given a mark of approval to a third-party organisation, such as Accreditation UK, which gives official recognition and quality approval to third-party English language schools.
MANAGED PROJECTS Managed projects are where the product or service is largely predetermined by another organisation but managed by the British Council on their behalf. Examples are the Chevening Scholarships scheme, the Global Gateway and Erasmus. Usually the British Council needs to win a contract to earn the right to manage these activities.
The brand identity of the product or service may already be determined and/or have restrictions with which we must comply. Where possible, we would like to show that the British Council is associated with these projects. Subject to the approval of the owner/stakeholder, we should try and treat these brands as shared partnership brands, for example Education UK, where the British Council identity is prominent in the materials we produce. This is often subject to negotiation, and we may settle for other approaches – such as co-productions or endorsements.
THE TRADING COMPANY British Council Trading was set up to allow us to raise revenues outside the official remit of our charitable status – for example, with sponsorship income or advertising revenue. Here we often include other organisations’ logos within British Council communications. These should be done within the standard British Council identity guidelines. Where the whole activity falls within the trading company (for example, financial products and services), then these should be branded British Council Trading rather than the standard British Council brand. Partner brands and sub-brands may also be used – in these cases, the Marketing team in the UK should be consulted.
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© British Council
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