the Y
I helped YMCA-USA officially become 'the Y.'
I've worked on a lot of brand voice projects, but the Y (a.k.a., the YMCA) was and is one of the most satisfying. A genuine, purpose-driven organization with global reach and everyday local impact, the Y is a real force for good.
It's also a monster of a brand, in that each branch historically had its own ideas about the mission, and developed its own marketing materials in its own ways. My task was to help the Y define the organization's purpose in a way that resonated for millions of members in thousands of communities, and provide them with an easy-to-use set of guidelines that could be used to shape every communication made by every branch, nationwide.
In collaboration with a brand strategist, I developed a brand voice and messaging guidelines toolkit that is friendly, elegant and useful. You can see the effect of this toolkit in the branches and on the websites of every American Y local association (New York City, Chicago, etc.), and especially on their national association site: