FAQs

1. What does brand image actually mean?
   
2. Why does Girl Scouts need a new image?
   
3. Who is the Girl Scout organization working with to develop and implement the brand strategy? 
   
4. Will new public service ads or advertising campaigns be developed?
5. Will there be a new tagline?
6. What has been accomplished so far?
7. When will this new brand strategy be introduced?
   

1. How and why was the Core Business Strategy developed?
   
2. Who is the Core Business Strategy intended for?
   
3. Does the Core Business Strategy change the Girl Scout Promise or Law?
   
4. How will the organization change?
   
5. How can we change and still keep our tradition alive?
   
6. What is the timeline for implementation of the Core Business Strategy?
   
   
   Revisit this page in the future for more FAQs.

1. What does brand image actually mean?
   Brand image is how an organization or a product is perceived by the public.
   

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2. Why does Girl Scouts need a new image?
   Though the public’s perception of Girl Scouts is overwhelmingly positive, our image (often associated with cookies, camping and crafts) does not clearly reflect what Girl Scouting is really about—offering an array of enriching experiences to help girls develop leadership skills that will serve them immediately and all their lives.
   

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3. Who is the Girl Scout organization working with to develop and implement the brand strategy?
   After a rigorous evaluation, Lowe New York, a full-service advertising agency with extensive multicultural capability was chosen. We are comfortable that the Lowe team understands the importance of continuing to honor the Girl Scout heritage while moving the brand into the future. Girl Scouts is also working with Siboney USA, a marketing and communications firm that specializes in outreach to the Hispanic market.
   
   

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4. Will new public service ads or advertising campaigns be developed?
   The brand strategy, a long-term repositioning approach, is expected to incorporate advertising, public relations, promotional, online and grassroots communications elements.
   
   
5. Will there be a new tagline?
   A new tagline has not yet been recommended. However, new language will likely support the overall brand strategy.
   
   

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6. What has been accomplished so far?
   The Lowe team completed research with a diverse group representing urban, rural and suburban areas, as well as a variety of ethnicities, to pinpoint the brand’s strengths and challenges. Focus groups were conducted with girls and caregivers as well as interviews with adults, including council CEOs and their communications and marketing staff, members of the National Board of Directors and others.
   
   

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7. When will this new brand strategy be introduced?
   You will begin to see and hear about the repositioned Girl Scout brand in 2008-2009. We intend to use a combination of important meetings such as regional gatherings, Webinars, and the 51st National Council Session (in 2008) to ensure all those with an interest in Girl Scouting are well-informed and prepared for the brand repositioning process.
   
   
   

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1. How and why was the Core Business Strategy developed?
   The Core Business Strategy was developed to help Girl Scouts continue to be the best personal leadership development program for girls ages 5-17. In June 2004, Girl Scout leadership enlisted the services of Willie Pietersen, a professor of the Practice of Management at Columbia Business School, to help us develop a strategy to ensure our future success and growth.
   
   We are now mobilizing the expertise from across Girl Scouts to build on our strengths, resolve our challenges, and develop actions to ensure that we continue to be a leading authority and the leading voice for girls.
   

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2. Who is the Core Business Strategy intended for?
   It is intended to address the present and future of the entire Girl Scout organization. GSUSA and our councils are interdependently entwined and the strengths and challenges of each affect the other.
   

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3. Does the Core Business Strategy change the Girl Scout Promise or the Girl Scout Law?
   The Core Business Strategy does not propose any changes to the Girl Scout Promise or the Girl Scout Law. Both are tied to the rich history of Girl Scouts and they will continue to be at the heart of the Girl Scout experience. In fact, we are exploring ways to integrate them more fully into the fabric of the program model.
   

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4. How will the organization change?
   We are working on the specifics of our transformation and evolution right now. At this point, we are focusing collectively on five strategic priorities. It is important to note that our evolution will be keeping all of the promise and purpose of Girl Scouting and adding elements that will bring our programs to girls for decades to come. Our strategic priorities are:
   
   
   • Brand: Transforming the Girl Scout image with a compelling, contemporary brand.
   • Program Model and Pathways: Building the best-integrated personal leadership development model that defines activities and outcomes, differentiated by age-level, for girls 5-17 and offers flexible pathways for participation.
   • Organizational Structure and Governance: Creating an efficient and effective organizational structure and democratic governance system.
   • Volunteerism : Developing a nimble, state-of-the-art model of volunteerism that mobilizes a diverse cadre of volunteers committed to the Girl Scout mission.
   • Funding: Substantially increasing contributed income to fund a vibrant Girl Scout organization.
     
     
   And, because the culture of Girl Scouts is so important to the successful implementation of the Core Business Strategy, there is also a gap team that is focused on:
   
   
   • Culture: Leading the transformation of our culture, which is a key component of the broader transformation of Girl Scouts.
     
     
   Although our program and delivery systems are evolving, girls are and will remain the focus of everything we do.
   

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5. How can we change and still keep our tradition alive?
   Girl Scouts has a wonderful 93-year history that is unsurpassed. Many of our traditions – our name, our personal leadership development model, and our support for girls to help them live the values conveyed in the Girls Scout Promise and Law – have withstood the test of time.
   
   In keeping with the vision and passion of Juliette Gordon Low, our Core Business Strategy will marry the best aspects of our tradition with new ways of doing things so that we can meet the challenges of girls of today and beyond.
   

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6. What is the timeline for implementation of the Core Business Strategy?
   Development of the Core Business Strategy began in June 2004, with the next phase of the Strategy development commencing in January 2005 with the appointment of the Gap Teams. Work of the Gap Teams is ongoing through 2005, with consultation from outside experts, feedback from Girl Scout members, and regular reporting. In 2006, the work of each Gap Team will be integrated into the ongoing work of GSUSA. Based on the recommended pathways identified by the Gap Teams and with continuing advice and guidance from Council representatives, GSUSA will phase in the recommendations at varying times depending upon the complexity of the action plans. We do not underestimate the time and logistics of implementing the Core Business Strategy, which can be more efficiently and effectively accomplished through the support and involvement of our members. We plan to have the Core Business Strategy fully operational by our 100th Anniversary in 2012.
   

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