Changing Times

I work for a company that recently went through a name change. The Arkansas Respiratory Health Association (my current employer) used to be the American Lung Association of Arkansas. We were an affiliate of the American Lung Association, which provided us with great name recognition in our community. In the interest of keeping more of our money in Arkansas and sending less of it to the Lung Association HQ in New York, our board voted to branch out on our own.

It has not been easy, but it has gone well. I attribute that to a good staff and a good board of directors. Reporters have been very interested in the story and have asked every question imaginable - and I've been grateful for each question. The coverage has been astoundingly positive, as has the reaction of our donors and those that we serve. Everyone seems to be excited that we are doing everything we can to support our local constituents.

Of course, because we are a non-profit, we have a small budget. It's not easy to promote our new name to the general public. We've used direct mailings, but have not had money yet for TV ads, radio ads, web ads... nothing. We received lots of good coverage because of the press conference we held when we announced the name change, but I know this doesn't translate into sustained name and product recognition.

Have you ever had to devise a major marketing plan on a shoestring budget? Where did you get the most bang for your buck? What would you do if your company suddenly took on a new identity?