Making the connection: The 'co-op' brand can help strengthen with members and consumers

摘要

The first U.S. census of all types of cooperatives was mandated by Congress in 2006 and completed in 2009 byresearchers at the University of Wisconsin. The resulting report - Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives - identified more than 29,000 U.S. cooperatives. It provides data on cooperatives in different sectors of the economy and documents thenational "footprint of the cooperative brand." The purpose of a brand is to identify source and to signify positive associations in the minds of consumers and producers - the brand's good will. The term "cooperative" or "co-op" can function in a manner analogous to a brand as well. The cooperative brand identifies the user as democratically owned and controlled by the members.