Co-creating connection: The brand transformation of the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain

Brand strategy is too often reduced to visual identity or communications. Yet, when properly executed, it functions as an alignment mechanism for the whole organisation. This paper presents a case study of how the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain (NCO), working with MHM, reframed its brand from an ‘artistically led, peer-focused’ positioning to ‘vision-led, audience-focused’. Using the UK Design Council’s Double Diamond1 framework, together with MHM’s Organisational Positioning Map2 and Engagement Ladder of Brand Connection,3 the work engaged more than 400 stakeholders — including children, parents and carers, staff, trustees and donors — in a structured co-creation process. Techniques ranged from children drawing superheroes based on the brand to trustees debating NCO’s wider societal role. The resulting brand framework centred on the idea ‘together in music, limitless in life’ and is already associated with stronger staff alignment, clearer donor engagement and greater public resonance. This paper demonstrates that co-creation is not a peripheral exercise but a rigorous discipline that secures long-term commitment to brand strategy. For cultural organisations in particular, the lesson is that positioning around broader societal impact and ensuring stakeholders are directly involved in shaping that positioning enables the brand to become not only better understood but more deeply believed. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.