Rebranding FAQ
Why is the WCA changing its name?
Why is the McCormick Home name staying the same?
Why is the name of Alzheimer Outreach Services changing?
What is McCormick Dementia Research?
How will you connect with your past names as your transition to the new names?
What is your new website address?
What is your new e-mail address?
Will all your promotional materials change?
How long will it take to complete the rebranding project?
Why are you investing in this rebranding exercise?
Why did you consult with so many people as part of this exercise?
What were the stakeholder surveys about?
When did the branding surveys take place?
Where can I get more information?
What is ‘rebranding’?
Rebranding involves the revision of an organization’s overall identity and often includes changing an organization’s name, logo and/or promotional image in order to best identify itself and connect with its various audiences. Often this effort involves aligning the overall look of the organization and how it is known in the minds of its audiences with a new and major strategic direction.
Why did the WCA rebrand?
The strategic planning process identified a need to examine the WCA brand to ensure it is reflective of our current journey toward advancing dementia care, and that audiences understand the full breadth and scope of work the organization provides. A key takeaway from our stakeholder consultations told us that the WCA is not well known in our community – having a more visible identity will enable us to better communicate our services to those in need and to attract and establish partnerships in research and quality dementia care delivery.
What did the branding exercise involve?
A branding firm – Letter M Marketing — was hired to lead the development process. The rebranding effort started with extensive research and stakeholder consultation, including holding interviews with and conducting surveys of key audience members, such as those in our care, families, staff, volunteers, and community partners. The results of these consultations were reviewed and summarized for a branding approach that best suits our strategic directions. Our next step involved consulting with our stakeholders for their input on possible logo designs for our organizations. Now that we have finalized our logo and brand identity, we have begun the process of redesigning all our promotional materials and communication pieces.
Why is the WCA changing its name?
The results from our stakeholder surveys and research efforts conducted by our branding firm, Letter M Marketing, clearly pointed to the need to rebrand the Women’s Christian Association (WCA). Not only was there concern about a perceived lack of inclusivity, there was also a strong lack of understanding of how WCA related to McCormick Home and Alzheimer Outreach Services. In order to be inclusive, leverage the strength and reputation of the McCormick name, and create a consistent family of brands that speaks to high-quality care, dementia support and community resources as well as a commitment to research, the WCA board of directors has endorsed the recommendation to rebrand the WCA as the McCormick Care Group. The legal name of the Women’s Christian Association will remain the same
If the WCA is removing the word “Christian” from its name, does that mean it’s no longer a Christian organization?
Since its founding, the Women’s Christian Association has helped many people of differing faith backgrounds. While we continue to acknowledge the need to offer our services without reserve or conditions, our name change enables us to better reflect that our services are available to everyone, regardless of their religious affiliation.
What does the new logo mean?
The visual brand is clean, simple and professional. The intersecting arcs that form the circle are representative of McCormick Care Group’s three distinctive areas of support and service: McCormick Home, McCormick Dementia Services and McCormick Dementia Research — each working together to advance dementia care. There is a sense of energy, movement and progress in the circle, which is reflective of McCormick Care Group’s ongoing commitment to continually improving dementia care.
Why is the McCormick Home name staying the same?
The rebranding process identified that there is incredible strength in the McCormick name. It is recognized in our community and is already associated with high-quality dementia care. By rebranding WCA and its associated programs and services under this name, a consistent family of brands is created that speaks to high-quality care, dementia support and community resources, as well as a commitment to research.
Why is the name of Alzheimer Outreach Services changing?
The switch from the term “Alzheimer” is intended to ensure there is no confusion among our stakeholders about the affiliation of our community dementia services arm with our long-term care and research efforts. Using the word “dementia” in the name also better reflects the services we have been providing for people with other forms of dementia.
What is McCormick Dementia Research?
In keeping with our strategic direction to advance dementia care, research was identified as a key component toward achieving that goal. The WCA has already been engaging in research projects to enhance the quality of life for those living with dementia. With the new research entity, we will be in a better position to attract and engage additional research partners.
With the name change, how will you continue to honour the history established by the WCA and Alzheimer Outreach Services?
We recognize that this effort marks a significant step, and we want to emphasize that these changes in no way take us away from the significant history established by the hard work of our founding members of the Women’s Christian Association and Alzheimer Outreach Services. A key aspect of our efforts going forward will involve continually emphasizing our heritage in honour of those who made our organizations the vital community service organizations that they are today.
How will you connect with your past names as your transition to the new names?
As we start the process of implementing our name changes, we will be using different “taglines” or descriptive text underneath each logo so that people will understand who we are as well as incorporating our past names and history in any descriptive text.
When will you be using the new names?
The launch of our new names and logo designs began with the development of our new website at www.mccormickcaregroup.ca and stationery suites (e.g., letterhead, envelopes) for all our organizations. From this point, we will then update all our other promotional materials over the next several months. In the meantime, there will be an overlap as we transition from our former names and logos to our new brand.
What is your new website address?
Our primary home page is now at www.mccormickcaregroup.ca, which will provide access to all four divisions – McCormick Care Group, McCormick Dementia Services, McCormick Home and McCormick Dementia Research. In addition, will be able to directly access our individual divisions by using the following new website domains:
www.mccormickdementiaservices.ca
www.mccormickdementiaresearch.ca
Once our new websites go live, our former website addresses (www.wcalondon.ca, www.mccormickhome.on.ca, and www.alzheimeroutreach.org) will automatically redirect to the corresponding new sites.
What is your new e-mail address?
To maintain consistency with our website address, our e-mail address will also be changing. We will be using the new format username@mccormickcare.ca for all our organizations.
Will all your promotional materials change?
We will be updating all our promotional materials over a period of several months to reflect the new brand identity. In the interim, you will see an overlap between our former names and logos and our new names and logos. In anticipation of a full rebranding of all our promotional materials through this exercise, we have been making only minor updates to our communication pieces for the last few years.
How long will it take to complete the rebranding project?
We expect that the implementation of the new organizational names and logos will take place over a period of several months
Why are you investing in this rebranding exercise?
A key takeaway from our recent stakeholder survey told us that the WCA is not well known in our community – having a more visible identity will enable us to better communicate our services to those in need and to attract and establish partnerships in research and quality dementia care delivery. In anticipation of a full rebranding of all our promotional materials though this exercise, we have been making only minor updates to our communication pieces for the last few years.
Why did you consult with so many people as part of this exercise?
In order for this rebranding effort to be successful, we needed to ensure we involved and consulted with our key stakeholders, including those in our care, staff, families, volunteers, and community partners. They are the people who are closest to our organizations and who know it best; their involvement helps us to more effectively communicate our organizational identity through our new brand.
What were the stakeholder surveys about?
As part of our consultation process, we asked all our stakeholders, including those in our care, staff, families, volunteers, and community partners, to participate in our branding and logo design surveys. These were used to gather opinions about our organizations and future goals as well as to hear suggestions on how we should present ourselves to our current and future clients and partners.
When did the branding surveys take place?
The first branding survey took place between September 22 and October 20, 2014; the second survey on our logo designs took place from July 22 to August 21, 2015.
Who is leading the project?
The project is being overseen by the McCormick Care Group board of directors and particularly by members of the board’s Communication Committee. The project itself is being carried out by Letter M Marketing of Guelph, Ontario, in partnership with the McCormick Care Group communication director.
Where can I get more information?
For more information on our branding project, feel free to visit our new website at www.mccormickcaregroup.ca or contact CEO Steve Crawford at scrawford@mccormickcare.ca or ext. 2319.
