After 98 Years, Girl Scouts gets a Makeover

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), one of the most well known organizations in the nation, is revitalizing and reenergizing its brand to reach a new generation of girls.

After extensive research and development, Girl Scouts debuted a long-term, multichannel brand campaign last week that is designed to reacquaint the country with the iconic organization and communicate the power girls have to change the world through Girl Scouting. The campaign, known by the tagline What Did You Today?, is also keyed to boosting the number of girls and adult volunteers who participate in Girl Scouting annually after a period of declining membership.

“About one out of every 10 girls participates in Girl Scouting and that’s a tremendous number when you think about it,” says Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA. “We have revamped our entire organization to appeal to that 90 percent of girls who aren’t benefiting from the Girl Scout leadership experience. And with our new brand work, we think we have the right message at the right time.”

The branding is composed of a striking new visual identity, which includes a distinctive trefoil mark, revised color palette, and refreshed logo that was originally created in the 1970s. In addition, the initiative also includes plans for a 360 degree marketing program that taps the online, place-based and traditional media.

“The new brand look will reinforce the Girl Scout message that is relevant to girls and the lives they lead today,” says Etta Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Central Texas. “We’re excited to launch the new brand initiative locally in an effort to continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character and to position ourselves as the premiere leadership organization for girls in Central Texas. “

Girl Scouts is launching its rebranding from a position of strength because it can draw upon strong name recognition and a long legacy of leadership development. With this new campaign and the projected growth in overall girl population in the United States, Girls Scouts expects to see its membership begin to increase over the next few years. The campaign will also pave the way for a major effort to gain exposure during the organization’s national centennial celebration in 2012.

-Kandace Fierro

For more information on the new brand and to view the new brand graphics, check out the Communications Department table at Service Team Conference this Saturday!