In the process of developing the Ministry of Local Govern­ment’s Corporate Identity or brand, the Ministry has initiated the development of an insignia or logo that will form part of its brand. The brand will become the Ministry’s registered trade–mark which will essentially form the Ministry’s Cor­porate DNA as it becomes the tool for instant recognition of the Minis­try’s products and services.

The development of the brand has been conceived from the realiza­tion that, no entity exists without an identity. All entities are distin­guishable from the rest through, ‘name, term, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of these.’ Further to this, the Ministry is alive to the fact that, in present day’s fiercely competitive political and business environment, governments and organizations in modern democra­cies survive ultimately by public ac­knowledgement and consent.

Public acknowledgement or con­sent however does not exist in a communication vacuum. It is in­formed by the descriptive verbal at­tributes and concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of an entity, its products and services.

Brands reside within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. They are the sum total of their experiences and perceptions. Brand recognition and other reac­tions are created by the accumula­tion of experiences with specific entities, their products and services.

These experiences directly relate to the entity’s profile, the use and benefit of its products and services, through the influence of advertis­ing, design, media commentary and word of mouth. They become entity’s “cultural accessories and personal philosophies,” that set them apart from others.

Through branding, the Ministry seeks to apply marketing tech­niques to its existence in an effort to increase its competitive advantage and value to its customer base. Sup­ported by good quality customer service, branding also has the po­tential to increase the Ministry’s public goodwill and brand equity.

The ultimate goal is to see the Min­istry brand live up to its promise of leading in organizational effective­ness and local governance; quality physical infrastructure and social safety; and empowerment of local communities that the public has come to expect from the brand and that the brand will continue to de­liver quality products and services into the future.