Goal
The Stop Abuse in Families (SAiF) Society of St. Albert sought to rediscover and redefine its Strategic Positioning, Direction, Brand Story, Visual Identity, Marketing, and Online Presence in response to growing numbers of domestic violence locally, and in subsequent efforts to:
- Do more to help educate / counsel individuals and community members to erode the social stigma of domestic violence and inform about healthy relationships
- Continue to challenge funding limitations and restrictions (lack of resources)
- Do more to provide immediate assistance (less referrals)
- Be more proactive and preventative
- Improve organizational perception, trust, and credibility with external audiences
Situational Analysis
Research sessions with internal (Board and staff) and external (government, law enforcement, health professionals / authorities, etc.) audiences helped determine and define SAiF Society Strategic Brand Positioning as a logical and much needed entry point for healing. It must assume a leadership role promoting “first contact” and the initiation of to ugh but critical conversation.
Unfussy Recommendations
Knowing that communication is key to a healthy relationship, and that communication and education are key to a healthy community — eroding detrimental social stigmas and traditional or cultural bias, while promoting healthy relationships, it was recommended that with brand and through marketing communications, SAiF must engage more in public awareness and education, encouraging these critical, initial talks and advocating on behalf of family violence survivors. Only then can survivors begin their healing journeys…once they have seen the benefits of tearing down their existing cycle of abuse (or potential abuse) in favour of Piecing Together new and free ways to healing. Only then can the community begin to heal, once stigma is smashed and the pieces are reconstructed into a more healthy and “SAiF” space.
Through the redefining of its organizational strategic direction, and the creation of a new brand story and brand architecture, including new visual identity, messaging platform, marketing campaign and ease-of-use website, SAiF is now properly positioned to encourage potentially uncomfortable conversations in the promotion of healthy relationships… because violence and abuse only grow in silence, and the routines of personal acceptance and communal apathy only serve to feed the harmful illusions of safety and normality.
Output
- Strategic Organizational Direction and ReBrand development
- Internal and external communications strategies
- Messaging Platform development
- Visual Identity (logo) system creation
- Targeted advertising and marketing communications campaign conceptual development, design, and production
- Ongoing marketing collateral design and development
- Social Media and PR content creation
- Brand Standards (Playbook) / visual identity guidelines development
- Website design and development
The rebrand initiative was fed by extensive internal and external research, including leadership and staff workshops, SWOT, and discovery sessions, and online surveys.
Outcomes
Realizing that words are truly mighty things…able to set hearts afire and ignite a cause, build communities or erect walls, inspire, enrage, engage, create gods and monsters… and if needed, make them smaller, this inclusive, compassionate, caring and non-judgmental organization is now able to proudly and confidently declare, in a voice that reflects their focus, capabilities and steadfast determination, “We’re here to help make you SAiF. All we need to do is talk…”
