BRIEF
After 150 years, the Women's Humane Society is ready to rebrand. We need help.
How might the first animal shelter in America use brand equity to portray a traditional yet forward-looking identity
Context
Most importantly, however, we uncovered throughout our research that our client provided an experience highly focused on care, warmth
The first animal shelter in America was founded by Caroline E. White who was behind the Women's Humane Society. 150 years the animal shelter has evolved to become much more than that, a veterinary hospital and an advocate for animal welfare. and partnership that wasn't visible on their website.
A rebranding strategy
The process included an analysis of the brand's perception by internal stakeholders and existing audiences (including interviews and a qualitative survey).
Soon enough we learned there was a clear struggle conveying what the Women's Humane Society did.
Our research showed people associated this name with domestic violence rather than with animal welfare.
This had not gotten in the way of the organization who continued to provide exceptional service, renowned for its approachable and caring nature.
Brand Positioning
Brand positioning exercises and reiteration allowed us to determine the values of the organization internally.
Brand messaging and the creation of a brand pyramid allowed us to align on what the value of the brand was for audiences from a functional level to an aspirational level.
Before
Now
Brand Identity & Renaming
Before
Now
Brand Identity Design by Nick Kulick for Eastern Standard
After an exploration of several Names and taglines, Women's Animal Center was born.
USER Journey
We spoke to key stakeholders early on to understand the objectives of this project. It was important to the executive team to truly position the organization as pioneers that they were, leveraging their history as the first animal shelter but also showing how committed the team was to animal wellbeing.
For this reason, the user journey starts with the understanding of their organization with key differentiators highlighting their history, their affordability and their commitment to the community. (See below)
Our Impact Component
From surveys and in-depth interviews, we discovered visitors were not aware of the services offered by Women's Animal Center. Some had interacted with the shelter, while others with the veterinary hospital but few realized they were a companion that could help you be a better pet owner from the moment you get your new pet to those moments when you most need expert advice.
We focused on showing those services to incentivize intent and lead users directly to the area on the website that would be most relevant to them and their journey, not only online but as a pet owner.
The true value proposition of Women's Animal Center became the life-time partnership they provide and how they make relationships between humans and pet possible and enriching.
We introduced a new content type: The "me + paw" testimonial component for the community to share their story - many of which had already expressed their gratitude during our survey.
