Victim Services of Peel Case Study
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Victim Services of Peel is a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention and support services to victims of crimes and tragic circumstances in Peel Region, Canada. As the region grew rapidly and became more culturally diverse, Victim Services recognized a need to increase awareness of its services. It hired 5th business to develop a new branding and marketing strategy. 5th business conducted research and created a campaign centered around dramatic messages about domestic violence to raise awareness and change attitudes. The campaign was successful in significantly increasing awareness of Victim Services and enabling it to secure ongoing funding to continue its important work in the community.
Victim Services of Peel Case Study
- 1. 905.275.2220 5thbusiness.com Victim Services of Peel Victim Services of Peel is a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides immediate crisis intervention and related services and programs to help victims overcome the struggle of domestic violence, crime or tragic circumstance. It was founded in 1985 through the collaborative efforts of Peel Regional Police, Region of Peel Social Services, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, and the Social Planning Council of Peel. It is the only agency of its kind to provide round-the-clock crisis support to the Peel communities of Brampton and Mississauga. their challenge As a not-for-profit organization serving citizens in need in one of the fastest- growing regions in Canada, Victim Services recognized the need to increase awareness of its services in order to better engage donors, funders and the communities it supports. It operates in a highly diverse, multicultural environment where English is not the first language for 50% of residents. Compounding this outreach challenge is that for some residents there exists a cultural tolerance of domestic violence. case study Victim Services of Peel 1
- 2. our strategy 5th business速 responded to these objectives with a strategy to redefine and reposition the Victim Services brand and highlight key messages around the prevalence of domestic violence and other issues, the vital need to provide assistance (both crisis intervention and ongoing support) and the benefits that Victim Services provides to the community in terms of helping to rebuild lives. These would be conveyed through wide-ranging marketing and communications designed to effectively engage the community, taking into consideration its cultural diversity and distinct needs. Using Intercept Research and conducting focus groups, we looked at several areas within Peel Region, segmenting them according to statistically viable demographics. This insight enabled us to determine target audiences and better understand why people and organizations might not donate, and what might encourage them to do so. We learned that most people in the Region of Peel did not consider domestic violence one area where crisis interventions and ongoing support is provided to be an issue, in their view it was something that happened somewhere else. With this in mind, a messaging platform was designed to bring this important issue to the forefront to build awareness and change attitudes, specifically towards domestic violence and the important role played by Victim Services in the life changing, and often life-saving work that they do. case study Victim Services of Peel 2
- 3. our work 5th business速 developed brand messaging and a targeted campaign and conducted focus group testing to confirm impact and relevance. A tactical three-year marketing and communications plan was also designed and implemented. Our research had found that not only was domestic violence not perceived as an issue in the community, but also that people at risk were unaware of the help available through Victim Services of Peel. In addition, the research showed that due to low brand profile, the organization did not rank highly on Peels list of preferred charities. Given the correlation between greater awareness of domestic violence and increased donations and support, our campaign centred around dramatic messaging and images that together communicated the realities of domestic abuse, traumatic accidents, and violent crimes and the need to take action by supporting Victim Services of Peel. The campaign was based on the central message and new tagline, Help. Healing. Hope. Its memorable simplicity and evocative encapsulation of the desired process and result for victims of crime and tragedy served as a strong textual anchor for the new brand. The marketing plan was executed via an array of tactics including: A corporate brochure and sponsorship brochure A corporate website and event website (Chef Challenge) An enewsletter Outdoor as well as interior and exterior transit ads 5th business was able to negotiate more than $400,000 of gift-in-kind advertising on behalf of Victim Services of Peel A still for local cable TV Creation and distribution of news release in Peel Region announcing the launch Development of an 8,000-piece direct-to-consumer mail campaign specifically targeting previous Victim Services donors as well as other potential donors in Peel Region case study Victim Services of Peel 3
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- 5. results The new brand campaign was highly successful for Victim Services of Peel. Since the campaigns inception, the organization has significantly increased awareness throughout the region of the exposure gained through the outdoor campaign, direct mail campaign, media coverage etc. The organization also launched what has become an annual, marquee fundraising event, The Celebrity Chef Challenge, which has grown in popularity and attendance to the point that it is now a major funding source. Most importantly, Victim Services has been able to secure channels of permanent funding to support the continued delivery of its services to the community. 5th business速 is especially proud of the fact that the website development for Victim Services of Peel earned a Gold ASTRID Award in 2008 for best not-for-profit website. The success of the campaign and repositioned brand has enabled Victim Services of Peel to move beyond its original messaging and campaign strategy of help to focus on the outcome messages of healing and hope. With high levels of client-intake and volunteer engagement due to increased awareness of services versus increased incidence the brand has been advanced to showcase benefits and outcomes of victims being supported by the organization, rather than focusing on the social issues themselves. New creative has been developed including a campaign, website and other materials that showcase clients in post-traumatic scenarios versus trauma scenarios from the previous campaign. case study Victim Services of Peel 5