For the Community
Brand Expansion
The first step in building stronger communities is getting to know your neighbors
Good food has a way of bringing people together. When people are together it becomes easier to discuss ideas for the community.
AE2 - Learning to come together
Type: Event
Name: Learning to come together (AOL Community Potluck)
Introduction: Sometimes even the biggest differences can be solved through some delicious food.
Description: An opportunity for communities to gather together in the old fashion way, face to face, with fun activities and ice breakers to bring people closer together and finished off with a large pot luck with food brought by the members of community. This would also allow community members to come together to solve problems.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and foster community, in this case through a large group meal and activities.
Similar to: The community potluck is an idea that has been around for ages as a way to foster better communication and connection within communities many companies have potlucks for the same reason, by having regularly scheduled meet ups, AOL could help local governments.
Ties to: This is another way AOL can foster connections within communities.
Community gatherings like a potluck are a great way to build connections between people within the community. These connections are important for a stronger future.
Beyond strengthen communities, it would allow people the opportunity to try new and exciting dishes they wouldn’t normally.
AC4 - A place to shop
Type: Environment
Name: A place to shop (AOL Local Market)
Introduction: Buying local promotes better community health and connection, now if only there was a place to easily do it.
Description: A store where local artisans and food producers can sell their food and wares to the community. Buying local will help strengthen communities and create lasting connections between its residents. The end result would be a cross between a farmers market and craft fair in a singular fixed location.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and build a greater sense of community through promoting buying local.
Similar to: There are a number of nonprofits centered around promoting the idea of buying local including LocalHarvest and Sustainable Connections, as well as apps that center around local produce for delivery, where AOL would differ is in the creation of physical space for people to sell not only food but craft goods with a helpful staff to help with presentation and promote traffic.
Ties to: This idea links well with the other AOL environment in the creation of community centers where people can gather and connect..
Buying local goods is incredibly important to the health of a community and well-being of the people who live there.
Fresh local food is healthier for people and will build a stronger community economically.
People often don’t know about the artisans that live in their community, by giving them a place, the hope is to remedy this problem
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy local, and that’s kind of the same”
Education doesn’t have to stop when you leave school, continuing education is an incredible way to enrich one’s life.
AC2 - A place to keep learning
Type: Environment
Name: A place to keep learning (AOL Accessible Education Center)
Introduction: Learning should be a lifelong endeavor, with it is with the goal of furthering a career or personal development and betterment.
Description: A Continuing Education center that will offer classes ranging from vocational to exploratory for a wide range of ages in the community. The classes will be offered throughout the day so that they will be accessible to anyone who is interested and the classes will be affordable with the opportunity to take them for free
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect and educate people, through actual education in centers accessible to the entire community.
Similar to: There are a number of continuing education companies in a number of different fields including Summit Education and the Edward Lowe Organization and many universities offer people within the community the opportunity to audit certain classes, where AOL will differ is in its commitment to community development through connection and participation.
Ties to: Ties in with AOL moving to more brick and mortar centers for education and personal betterment.
Continuing education can a very positive impact on a person’s work life, both in terms of current jobs and possible future ones.
Education later in life is a great way to better oneself. Expanding one’s mind and interest is both healthy and productive.
ADDITIONAL EXPANSIONS
FOR THE COMMUNITY
AC1 - A place to explore
Type: Environment
Name: A place to explore (AOL Computer Community Center)
Introduction: Equal access to technology is something that must not be ignored. With the world becoming more and more digital, access and understanding of technology are necessary skills
Description: A computer lab where people gather and gain access to computers and other technology they may not have access too. In addition, a knowledgeable staff will be available to help people use the tech and there will be after school programs for children who need a place to go and need access to computers.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect and educate people
Similar to: This idea is similar to computer labs offered at educational institutions and in a way Apple stores without having to either own Apple products or be attending classes at the school. The open access is the main differentiator.
Ties to: Ties into AOL’s desire to create a series of community destinations that promote learning and betterment of the community.
AS12 - Someone to help us learn
Type: Service
Name: Someone to help me learn (AOL Online Tutoring)
Introduction: A service that provides students with tutoring and school help through individualized plans.
Description: A service for students to get individualized help on classes on regular intervals. The tutor will help the students develop organizational skills and proper study practices to help them skills that will help them succeed. The individualized lesson plans and on-call help will push students to do their best in school and life.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to educate people and strengthen communities.
Similar to: The most obvious similarity are skooli and tutor.com, however the main difference is the scope of tutoring available and the on-call nature of the tutors.
AC3 - A place to work together
Type: Environment
Name: A place to work together (AOL Collaboration Center and Workspace)
Introduction: Collaboration can be an essential component in the early stages of any entrepreneurial endeavor.
Description: A community workspace where people could come to work and meet other entrepreneurs from the community and collaborate. It could operate as a sort of incubator for up and coming starts up from the area, offering some of the amenities normally only available if one works in an office.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and foster community, in this case through workspace promoted collaborations.
Similar to: The most similar competitor to this idea would be WeWork, ServCorp, and Mindspace, all places that offer office space and amenities for early stage companies. The major difference would be in the dedication and incentivizing of collaboration through the pairing of ideas that could tie together.
Ties to: This would be the third link in AOL’s brick and mortar spaces for education and community and career betterment.
AE3 - Learning to love thy neighbor
Type: Event
Name: Learning to love thy neighbor (AOL Community Game Night)
Introduction: Who doesn’t love a night of board games and friendly competition to bring a community closer together.
Description: In the spirit of community and connection, a night of fun and games where the community can get together and play board games. The fun and games will create new relationships and bring people closer together.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and build a greater sense of community through fun and board games.
Similar to: There are several smaller companies out their that offer variations on the idea of game night including Cal’s Game Nights, Meeple Mountain and Hexagamers usually by providing the space for these events to be hosted. Where the AOL variant would differ would be in the variety of games available (most others are very game type specific) and also through promotion and planning.
AE5 - Learning some new tricks
Type: Event
Name: Learning some new tricks (AOL Student Exchange Program)
Introduction: A seminar where companies could send companies could send employees to learn how to properly use new technology.
Description: You can teach old dogs new tricks! As technology evolves it is important for the people in the workplace to keep up to date with technology. AOL would provide a training services to keep people up to date on the technology and make sure no one is getting left behind.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect and educate people.
Similar to: This idea shares similarities with Forbes Human Coucil program and services that a number of larger corporations have to “retrofit” their workforces. The difference is that by having this as an independent program, it would allow small business the same opportunity to improve their workforce as these large corporations
AS4 - Someone to help
you watch them grow
Type: Service
Name: Someone to help you watch them grow (AOL Family Calendar & Photo Share)
Introduction: Children grow up so fast that it can feel like grandparents and other family members miss out on all the wonderful moments, here’s a way to change that.
Description: A website/app where family members can post photos and daily updates of their children for older generations and other family members to enjoy creating a better connection between generations.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and build a greater sense of community amongst family members through connecting generations.
Similar to: Shares obvious similarities with social media companies such as Facebook, and Instagram, however it greatly narrows their scope by focusing entirely on the family and the special moments through photos and event calendars. It eliminates all the excess noise that bogs down family connections on these services.
Ties to: Most closely links with the other services that help connect older people with their technology offering them a tool to better keep in touch with the rest of the family.
AS3 - Someone to connect everyone
Type: Service; Co-Branding
Name: Someone to connect everyone (AOL + Verizon community WiFi)
Introduction: Everyone should have the ability to access the internet, and by working with verizon and their pre-existing relationship with AOL, this can be a reality.
Description: A collaboration between Verizon and AOL to bring free WiFi to communities so that people have the opportunity to have hi speed access to the internet anywhere in the community. This would allow people access who normally wouldn’t.
Mission-focus: Ties to AOL’s desire to connect people and foster community, in this case through free wifi.
Similar to: Yahoo and Google Play offer people in various location the option of free wifi through their apps and several cities across the country have initiatives to offer free wifi for their residents. Where Verizon/AOL would differ is in the scope, speed, and inclusiveness of their service. Legitimate free internet, regardless of ISP or product.
This links with a number of AOL’s planned brand extensions by further empowering people’s connections with their technology.
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”