Toastmasters Roll Out a Brand New Brand

This 87 year-old has just got itself a makeover.

Toastmasters International has updated its brand image for the 21^st century. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.

Around 100 Toastmasters clubs exist here in the Caribbean, everywhere from the US and British Virgin Islands to Guyana, from Barbados to the Caymans. There are currently more than one quarter-million active Toastmasters in 113 countries around the world.

The old branding

The organization’s pre-existing brand identity was quite traditional in style—not unexpectedly, since its core elements had been in use since the 1930’s (Toastmasters itself first began in California in 1924).

Toastmasters’ leadership felt that—after 70 years and in a world that has seen an explosion of brands and consumer choices—a refresh was now needed to make the Toastmasters identity even more clear, to reflect its global reach, and to better communicate its focus on leadership development.

The organization worked with branding strategy firm Innovation Protocol for the past two years to research and develop the project. The big unveil was made in Las Vegas in August during the Toastmasters world conference.

The new look

The updated brand identity features a streamlined new logo, colours, typography and support materials, and a new tagline that promotes the aspiration that the Toastmasters experience is “where leaders are made”. 

The core of the Toastmasters programme, however, remains unchanged: providing a supportive learning environment where individuals can develop their public speaking abilities and expand their leadership capability by learning and doing.

But how do you efficiently execute a brand change throughout 113 nations in an organization “staffed” almost entirely by volunteers? Toastmasters’ leaders and Innovation Protocol have done an excellent job in employing virtually every modern means of getting the message out to members. The strategy included an easy-to-understand brand manual, a comprehensive brand portal, webinars, online training materials for clubs and local officers, even YouTube. This can be a great case study for marketing and communications professionals to review and learn from.

Of course, making the brand update a living success is now down to individual Toastmasters and clubs around the world. The good news is that Toastmasters International has a superb history of robustly shepherding its brand and supporting its membership in doing so. So expect to see—and hear—more from the new Toastmasters as it shows off its makeover in the weeks and months ahead.