Navigating brand confusion when tradition is involved

What an organization wants people to remember about its brand and what actually gets remembered is not always the same thing.

That’s an important thing to think about when branding. I learned this lesson first hand while serving as the 62nd Alice in Dairyland. While Alice is associated with the state of Wisconsin and its vast agricultural industries, it is a brand all its own that’s struggled with brand confusion because of a signature headpiece worn by Alice – a tiara.

The use of the tiara can lead to brand confusion because of common misconceptions. People often assume Alice is a beauty queen or princess, rather than the ambassador that she is. What’s more, the focus can shift from the importance of agriculture to the shiny object on Alice’s head. For example, I often left the tiara behind when I was visiting classrooms in an effort to limit confusion.

Despite the misconceptions, the tiara also has several benefits.

• Recognizable in a crowd - Creates interest, draws attention and increases the opportunity for communication

• Representative of Wisconsin - Tiara worn by Alice to represent all Wisconsin agriculture and designed by Wisconsin Jewelers Association with gemstones indigenous to the state, amethyst and citrines

Several years ago, in an attempt to more clearly brand Alice as an ambassador, the program unveiled a brooch in a design similar to the tiara. It was meant to be worn on the sash that Alice wears instead of the tiara to most events.

The introduction of the brooch was met with some backlash as the use of a tiara dates back to 1948. As a compromise, the tiara and brooch can now be worn at the discretion of the current Alice, giving her the opportunity to decide which signature item will be most effective at any given event.

The tiara is still an important part of the Alice program, but understanding its impact and clarifying its purpose continues to be a task for each Alice. The brooch now offers the current Alice another tool to assert herself as an ambassador.

I enjoyed wearing the tiara because I did see a lot of good in it, even on the days it was painful to wear (wearing a tiara is not always as glamorous as it looks).