Creating Brand Empathy and Understanding

Community Living Victoria
www.hopehelphome.ca

The challenge
Community Living Victoria (CLV) provides support for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. It is one of the largest not for profit organizations in the city, with over two hundred and fifty staff and an operating budget of over eleven million dollars. Despite their size, awareness of the organization and understanding of the cause was relatively non-existent. CLV conducted a request for proposal for a strategic communications partner and chose Hot House Marketing as their agency.

The Solution
We preformed our own primary research, which included:
• Interviews with staff.
• Interviews with stakeholders (employers of people with developmental
disabilities) including Roger’s Chocolates, Thrifty Foods, Canada Safeway,
Fifteen Fifties Restaurant and the Royal BC Museum.
• Interviews with individuals with developmental disabilities.
• A focus group with parents of children with developmental disabilities.

Armed with this research we prepared a marketing-communications plan that included brand revitalization, website and online strategies, advertising, public relations and support for a major fundraising event—the Canada vs. USA women’s hockey exhibition game.

Creating a brand strategy and a compelling expression of it was the most critical component to the campaigns success. We had to dig deeper than an expression of the technical service they offered and come up with a line that would connect universally to all audiences. We left the logo alone and added a new line— actually three simple words…Hope. Help. Home. This became the fulcrum point from which a comprehensive campaign was launched. This included:

• A new website and social media
• Videos for the website and speaking engagements
• Television—brand and tactical executions
• Radio—brand and tactical executions
• Newspaper—brand and tactical executions
• Outdoor

The Results
Consumers and stakeholders have universally applauded the results of our work both locally and nationally. The Women’s hockey exhibition game raised over $65,000 and was the most successfully attended of the six games held throughout Canada and the United States. Board member, Bill Hustler notes, “It’s been a long-time since I have watched such an impressive campaign unfold. When I read your presentation piece I was impressed, but the actual kick off of the campaign is much more than I had expected.”