Texas Boys State 'brands' its 75th anniversary
Gary Flenniken, director of Texas Boys State, speaks to the crowd about marketing and branding during the annual Boys State Conference. (Photo by Clay Lomneth/The American Legion)

Texas Boys State 'brands' its 75th anniversary

The Department of Texas' Boys State program graduated over 1,000 delegates in 2015 - up from the roughly 750 it graduated in 2010.

Officials from the program were on hand Sept. 26 at the Sheraton Hotel in Indianapolis for the annual Boys State Directors Conference, giving a presentation about their program's success to representatives from other Boys State programs throughout the country. Titled "Partnering With a Production Company," the presentation addressed the ways in which Texas Boys State has built its brand heading into its 75th anniversary, and also improved the quality of its program to reach a nearly 83 percent satisfaction rate among its 2015 graduates.

"We want to be the premiere leadership program in Texas," said Gary Flenniken, program director.

Foremost among the program's major developments in recent years is its Texas Boys State media program, which allows delegates to act as journalists who provide media coverage during the week's events. Texas Boys State partnered with media company RDM Pros to allow delegates to produce professional daily newscasts about the happenings at Boys State. Delegates serve as on-air anchors and producers in newscasts which are played each morning at Texas Boys State.

Delegates also provide written media coverage of the week's events through a blog that is updated daily.

The addition of the media program is part of Texas Boys State's goal to allow delegates to build skills in audio/video production, programming, database manipulation and presentation skills.

Flenniken says that administrators have also focused on building a recognizable brand for Texas Boys State, one that honors the program's history but also has some modern flare.

"We want to make sure that we build this brand that looks all the way back in time, but also looks ahead to our current 75th anniversary," Flenniken said.

The Texas Boys State logo features the number 75 with a cutout of the state of Texas in the lower half circle of the number '5.' Scott Armstrong, dean of counselors of Texas Boys State, says his program has built a successful brand by focusing on consistency and designing a logo that is easily recognizable.

"The visual aspect of the brand you put in place should bring that brand to mind every time you see it," Armstrong said. "The consistency of your brand is so important. Consistency shows professionalism."

Armstrong told program officials in attendance that they should focus on similar brand-building efforts with their Boys State programs. The key to building a brand, Armstrong says, is coming up with a strong vision in the development phase.

"The key is to get a goal in mind early on that you want to present with your brand," he said.