Rebrands, mergers, & agency appointments round up for May 2019

A brand refresh for Grief Encounter, a new website for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and a merger for three local Mind charities are among this month's rebrand, merger and agency news round up.   Brand refresh for Grief Encounter Child bereavement charity Grief Encounter has refreshed its company-wide branding to commemorate its 15th Anniversary. The charity worked with London agency Creative Clinic, and hopes that the new identity will communicate to everyone, creating a brand that gives form and voice to bereavement in today’s society. Adam Selwyn, Executive Director, Creative Clinic said: “Strongly influencing our design was the balance between sympathy and empathy Grief Encounter offer their clients, with the harsh reality of bereavement. The letter ‘i’ is missing from the Grief in the logo, representing someone missing, the deceased, and the permanence of their absence. However, the visual impact, that the word Grief can still be read without hesitation, shows the organisation’s expert clinical team not filling the space, but supporting what has been left behind; just as the team support and guide bereaved children and young people in their darkest time of grief.”   https://twitter.com/WPNCAgency/status/1131108187531304961 WPN Chameleon rebrands to WPNC WPN Chameleon announced a rebrand of the agency in May. It is now WPNC, and the changes came in response to several developments at the 50-strong independent agency and in the market generally. Firstly, by working with organisations across many sectors - from finance to charity - WPNC understands clients require integrated services, from traditional creative to digital expertise, under one roof. Secondly, the new brand reflects the unity between original direct response agency Watson Phillips Norman and digital specialist Chameleon, since they merged five years ago. Both have collaborated ever more closely since then and today operate as one organisation. Thirdly, the agency says, it is bringing to the fore its heritage of creating “Compelling Experiences” that deliver meaningful actions, along with a successful, audience-centric approach to devising campaigns and propositions for clients.   https://twitter.com/NorwichMind/status/1123556551116173314 Three local Mind mental health charities announce merger Three local mental health charities; Great Yarmouth & Waveney Mind, Norwich and Central Norfolk Mind and West Norfolk Mind, have officially announced that they are to merge and relaunch under the new name of Norfolk and Waveney Mind on 1 July. The coming together of the charities will help to increase the range and availability of local mental health services, increase the promotion of positive mental health and improve sustainability of Mind services across Norfolk and Waveney. Together it is hoped that the three Minds will create a stronger, united voice for their beneficiaries, campaigning and advocating on a Norfolk and Waveney wide basis, enhancing service delivery and sharing good practice to further improve support for its beneficiaries across the whole of Norfolk and Waveney.    Motor Neurone Disease Association launches new website A collaborative project by the Motor Neurone Disease Association has culminated in the launch of a new website, specifically designed to make it easier for people living with the disease to access vital information. Improved navigation options and an easier search function sit on simply designed pages, making it more straightforward for visitors to find the information they need. Content on the entire 1500 pages of the previous website has been reviewed and updated with more than 200 pages removed. A library of information videos has been added and the sitemap reworked to put the most searched for information at the top of the navigation. The new website has been designed primarily for mobile so all pages work effectively on tablets and mobiles as well as desktops, enabling people affected by MND to access vital information wherever and whenever they need it, including by using communication aids such as ‘eyegaze’. The charity consulted on the development with people with MND as well as other key audiences such as health and social care professionals, volunteers and fundraising supporters.   https://twitter.com/NHSGrampian/status/1130763057649651713 NHS Charities Together retain Skating Panda for campaign strategy help NHS Charities Together has retained strategy and communications consultancy Skating Panda to advise on long term campaign strategy, building to the NHS’ 75th birthday in 2023 and to devise and implement a strategy to continue to build awareness, to encourage people to keep donating and get involved with its Big7Tea campaign. The two collaborated for the first time last year on a campaign in celebration of the NHS’s 70th birthday to raise awareness of the work NHS charities do to support the NHS. A new campaign website has been launched for the Big Tea 2019, where the public can download materials to plan a tea party, to donate to their favourite NHS charity or to sign up to ‘do more’.   https://twitter.com/BSD/status/1128963803209764864 Battersea to evolve digital strategy with help of Blue State Digital Battersea has appointed Blue State Digital to help evolve its digital strategy. Blue State will be working with Battersea to create a ‘Digital Innovation Forum’ within the organisation, looking at how online tools and technologies can support Battersea in achieving its strategic aim of changing the way animals are rehomed, and to create innovation across the rescue and rehoming industry. The collective outputs from the Forum will underpin the overall vision for digital across Battersea. Projects, which will be run in monthly ‘sprints’, might involve changing audience attitudes through digital innovation, sharing Battersea’s knowledge in the UK and overseas, or developing and mobilising Battersea communities. The Forum will work on these ideas across the organisation, engaging stakeholders and building capacity across relevant teams. Blue State Digital was appointed as a result of a competitive pitch and the agency will work closely with Battersea’s digital team, as well as its brand, content & communities, performance, fundraising, and operations departments.

from UK Fundraising http://bit.ly/2K7KW1V