TED Brand Analysis:
- Caitlin Durham
- Jul 19, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 12, 2021
Project Synopsis
In this analysis, I analyze TED the brand within the entertainment sector but also within the nonprofit sector. Analyzing the strengths of this brand and how it is so successful, pointing out ways for other nonprofits to mirror this brand. In this analysis I offer recommendation to this brand for future event and lasting success.
Overview
TED is a nonprofit educational platform built to spread new ideas. Recruiting non-paid speakers to present their ideas to an audience, TED is able to sell tickets at $5,000 a piece. The acronym TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design which are the key sectors that the company builds its speech’s around. Branching off into specialized sectors, TED creates avenues for every person to learn more about topics they are interested in. The purpose of TED is to give ideas a platform to be shared on and give the speaker and audience a dinner conversation type feel, (Roos, 2015).
By delivering information in short, entertaining, easy to consume speeches, TED has gained great exposure by having their speeches used inside the classroom for learning purposes. One thing TED is known for is letting their speakers present no matter their views because they believe in everyone’s opinions and idea’s being shared and then heard.
Offerings
TED offers its audience a place to find information on hundreds of topics at their fingertips. TED made all of its speeches available for free online and when that happened, their exposure and ticket prices only increased. This database holds the speeches that speakers have presented and links to similar ones that viewers can watch and learn from.
To the speakers, TED offers a large platform for their ideas to be presented and heard where they are able to gain recognition. These speakers are unpaid but yet must go through auditions to be in the event, so they hire coaches to perfect their speeches. This shows the kind of visibility that TED can offer a speaker for their voice to be heard. Although at the time of presenting, the speakers may not be getting monetary benefits, having their ideas heard could reap tangible benefits for them such as sponsorships or job opportunities. Because these speakers are unpaid they have to present themselves and show why they deserve to be on the stage. This relates to the Toulmin argument because these speakers are making a claim that they deserve the exposure and to be on the stage but have to back it with their speeches and performance.
Competitive Landscape
TED is very unique in the sense that it is a company that continues to put out information and serve the public while also being a nonprofit. In my research, I didn’t find another company with that same mission but there are companies with a similar mission that compete for the attention of TED’s audience. The first is YouTube, this platform allows any person to be a speaker (although some get paid), and create content for the public. These videos are more diverse than the one’s TED releases because they are not all educational and many are just for entertainment. The reason I included this as a competitor is that if someone did not know about TED or was not familiar with what they did, when they needed to see a video on a new topic, they would most likely turn to YouTube first.
Secondly, PBS is a competitor of TED because they are known for their educational videos and platform and they have been around longer. Similarly, to YouTube, PBS releases educational videos on a topic that tends to be high on a google search. So if a person is not very familiar with TED, they may not go through the archives to find the video they need, when instead PBS has released one.
Key Audience
On the official TED website, the company addresses the myth that they are elitist and how they work to curate a diverse speaker lineup and audience. Because tickets to the event are priced at $5,000, TED has painted itself in the light of being exclusive. In the audience for the event, the key demographics are people that are established within their careers, wealthy enough to afford the ticket price, and typically above 30.
The key audience for TED’s reach with their online website ranges from children in elementary school to older individuals who have an interest in education. With the sectors that TED provides, each key audience has a different avenue with videos curated to them and their taste. TED-Ed is a platform that promotes education among elementary-aged children to get them excited and interested in their education. Other platforms that are built to attract specific audiences are TEDGlobal and TedWomen. These platforms allow speakers and audiences together to connect on a topic of interest for both subjects and allow TED to expand.
Positioning
Having non-paid speakers is an attribute that when first looked at may seem negative but actually is one of the reasons TED does so well compared to its competition. The speakers must audition and perform for the wanted exposure on the platform that TED can provide. The organization wants its audience to view speakers and the ideas they are presenting in a pure light. Knowing they are not getting paid makes the speaker more likable to the audience because it shows that the intentions with their speech are purely educational.
TED’s competitors such as YouTube and PBS, receive a profit based on their videos. Because of this, viewers may be turned away from their platforms because the intent to promote education and ideas is monetary based rather than for nonprofit. In an article from Forbes, the founder of TEDx was quoted, “it’s about simplified, authentic storytelling,” (Fidelman, 2012). This quote encompasses what differentiates TED from its competitors and it is simply the mission of the company.
Brand Positioning Statement: The goal of TED is to share ideas with our audience that creates conversation and sparks education.
Messaging
The key messages that TED promotes are sharing ideas, creating conversation, and education. This is evident in a speech that is given by a speaker and every video posted on the official TED website. Recruiting speakers to deliver speeches on topics of every genre, the audience has a plethora of videos and perspectives to choose from when learning about a new topic.
The tagline that TED presents is Ideas Worth Sharing, and that is attached to all of their projects to show their key message. The company is building a brand based on trading concepts and sparking conversation. They are capable of doing this because their speakers use anecdotal stories and a conversational tone. This relates to the communication theory of Pentad by having an agent, which in this case is the speaker, be relatable to the audience and draw them in (German, 2009).
Communication
The main communication channel for TED is its official website because it houses the archives of thousands of speeches given by TED speakers. Promoting this website will get the key message across to the audience about sharing ideas and promoting education. YouTube would also be a means of a communication channel because many of the speakers and people in the audience will upload the videos of the speech onto YouTube. After all, it will provide more visibility. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram also can be considered communication channels for TED because the videos will be posted by followers on these sites.
A communication theory that sticks out for TED and their speakers, in particular, is semantics. This is important because the speaker must present their idea well through their speech for it to resonate and have meaning with the audience.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: A strength for TED is that the idea for this nonprofit is very innovative. Promoting education and ideas through speeches and videos has always been common, but doing it for no profit is something new.
Weaknesses: TED is not in total control of their brand because they allow the speakers to act as the face of the company (Merchant, 2014). This is a weakness because if a candidate is not thoroughly vetted then they could spread misinformation about a topic or deliver a bad speech, painting TED in a bad light.
Opportunities: Marketing TEDx is a big opportunity for TED. It allows TED to spread their mission of sharing ideas into local communities while also giving a platform for smaller voices.
Threats: The weakness of not having total control of the brand image is also a threat. TED puts so much faith into its speakers, that the company could fall apart if one bad speaker slips through the cracks.
Brand Recommendations
My brand recommendation for TED is to create an event called the TED Tour that would promote TED in the education system where TED is so prevalent. Reading through the discussion board, most people’s first and only exposure to TED was through school so TED should embrace this partnership.
Creating the TED Tour would entail, 5 speakers that were self-funded by themselves or using partnerships, to band together to deliver speeches. These speeches would be on 5 different topics but each topic would be relevant and relatable. Since TED is a nonprofit, students would by tickets but the price tag would be dramatically lower than the original $5,000 mark. Lastly, the tour would cover one state at a time in an effort to lower travel expenses since the speakers are self-funded.
The TED Tour would generate a profit while also living out the mission it was created for, spreading ideas. The speakers would get recognition along with the company and the ideas they are promoting will have a platform to be shared.
References:
Fidelman, M. (2012, June 28). Here's Why TED and TEDx are So Incredibly Appealing (infographic). Retrieved October 02, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2012/06/19/heres-why-ted-and-tedx-are-so-incredibly-appealing-infographic/
German, K. (2009). Dramatism and dramatistic pentad. In S. W. Littlejohn & K. A. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory (Vol. 1, pp. 321-322). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781412959384.n119
Merchant, N. (2014, October 07). When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd. Retrieved October 02, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2013/04/when-ted-lost-control-of-its-crowd
Roos, Dave. (27 July 2015). "How TED Talks Work”. September 2020 HowStuffWorks.com<https://people.howstuffworks.com/ted-talks.htm>29
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