HRDC UNVEILS NEW BRAND

The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) launched its new brand, logo and corporate slogan at a high profile event graced by the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology Honourable Thapelo Olopeng, Education and Training Institutions, captains of the industries and other stakeholders.

The launch took place on the 26th March, 2019 at Fairground Holdings, Gaborone.Launching a new brand can be an electrifying experience, and HRDC just like many other organisations was so impatient to realise this long awaited moment since 2014. Before dropping the curtain on its old brand, HRDC had to go through many processes such as; brand development, authentication, originality, copy rights, patents registration, quality assurance and brand launch strategy. 

It was a bit of this patience that made this big event all that more rewarding. A wellplanned brand launch enabled HRDC to re-engage with existing stakeholders, customers and clients attracted new ones, and they significantly boosted brand loyalty and confidence. HRDC wanted to make a first impression, this then required early and thorough planning in order to get all logistics right. Established in 2014, the Human

Resource Development Council (HRDC) has been operating with an interim brand. All organisations throughout the world ranging from commercial entities to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have developed brands. A well-developed brand identifies an organisation and assures the stakeholder of the brand promise.

Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology Honourable Thapelo Olopeng said, ‘‘I want to commend the HRDC for developing a Corporate Brand that uniquely identifies it from the rest of the HRDCs throughout the world. The Logo has our national colours and the icon communicates our culture as Batswana’’.

Giving the overview of the new identity, the Chief Executive Officer, HRDC Dr Raphael Dingalo, said the new brand was an imperative need that will give HRDC a new look and feel as branding is an important part of the organisational identity. He said, “This new brand is a source of pride for HRDC as you can see the fresh logo, it is inviting and it radiates a strong sense of brand identity that will significantly contribute towards the country’s  human capital agenda.”

The brand must fulfil five standards: It must be relevant - the brand must have relevance to real or projected needs in the marketplace; It must be deliverable - the organisation must have the infrastructure, assets and intellectual capital to fulfil the promise and deliver value;  It must be credible - the organisation behind the promise must be perceived as  capable of delivering it; The brand must be differentiated     it must possess some qualities that distinguishes it from all other competitive brands; It must be both inspired and inspiring - it must motivate interest, action and enthusiasm among employees, stakeholders and customers.

HRDC’s new corporate image will augment the Council’s transformation agenda and will therefore assist HRDC to brand itself nationally and expand its footmark internationally. This comes at the right time when the Council is engaged in initiatives such as the development of the National Human Resource Development Plan, a plan that will make Botswana’s human resource globally competitive by 2036 thereby contributing significantly to the Country’s economy.