Marketing Badge

**The Marketing badge** is part of the Cookie Business badge set introduced in 2011.

## Step 1: Find out more about brand identity

Your personal identity says something about you – who you are and for what you stand.  Every day you communicate your identity in different ways to the world.  Along the same lines, a brand identity is how a brand or company looks to the outside world. This includes the promise that a company makes to its customers, whether it’s to offer great products or excellent customer service.  Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookies are strong brands; almost everyone has heard of them and most people view them positively.  To learn more about brand identity pick one of your favorite brands, perhaps for a clothing store or a food item.  Research the history of the product – including the logo or packaging that gives it a certain “look” and customers’ thoughts about the brand. Then, do similar research on Girl Scout Cookies.  How is the cookie brand and the other brands you researched the same – or different?

## Step 2: Check out the competition

Every product has to compete in the marketplace for consumers’ dollars – and people certainly have lots of choices if they want to buy cookies.  So, take a look at the competition!  Compare the packaging, the price, and the ingredients of one kind of Girl Scout Cookie with another brand.  Note the way other kinds of cookies are displayed in stores and advertised in the media.  Are there certain colors or types of slogans that seem more effective?  Use what you’ve learned as you develop your sales pitch to create signs or videos that help sell your Girl Scout Cookies.

## Step 3: Research other products that have a philanthropic angle

The Girl Scout Cookie brand goes beyond ingredients and packaging, of course.  When you sell cookies, you’re, also, selling how cookies help girls, either by giving Girl Scouts real-world business experience or providing money for a great Girl Scout experience that they couldn’t get anywhere else.  (Girl Scouts has always been known for this – that’s why it’s part of our brand identity!) Find one other product that also makes customers feel good – perhaps a company that donates a certain amount of money every time someone buys their product.  Research how the company markets its product and the extra “feel good” component.  Can you use anything you learned as you create your own message to customers?

## Step 4: Develop your marketing message

Create a slogan, poster, video or presentation that puts together all that you’ve learned about the Girl Scout Cookie brand, the product itself, and how people help girls when they buy Girl Scout Cookies.  Consider who your audience is, too.  How can you create a message that will mean something special for them?  Have fun – this is your chance to be creative and put your personal spin on your cookie sale!

## Step 5: Create your marketing campaign

Think of ways to share the marketing piece you’ve developed.  You may want to do a presentation at a family member’s workplace or your place of worship. Or you may want to create a social media campaign, using the latest technology to spread the word about Girl Scout Cookies.