The Client

My Home Life Essex Community Association was founded in 2008. Its purpose was to offer free, confidential and expert advice to the community about residential care for older people and to support care home residents. In 2014 the Association launched FaNs (Friends and Neighbours) – a community movement to foster community support and relationships with local care homes within Essex. Its aim is to help make sure that people living in Essex care homes are able to enjoy the best possible quality of life according to their individual needs and wishes.

The Challenge

• Develop a comprehensive integrated campaign across Essex
• Improve perception of care homes in Essex and promote interest in supporting them and their residents
• Build a community of people willing to take an active interest in care homes and their residents
• Allow care home owners, managers and staff to take advantage of good will, support and practical help provided by FaNs
• Facilitate the easy recruitment of future FaNs
• Ensure the solution was scalable in order that a national roll-out was possible

What we did

• Created a clear and recognisable brand identity for the FaNs network to be applied to all marketing collateral including information packs for individuals, organisations and care homes signed up as FaNs
• An official launch of FaNs and build awareness of the movement
• Build a sophisticated responsive website to allow for easy recruitment and information sharing with current and potential FaNs (www.fansnetwork.org)
• Build a communications network for FaNs and care homes
• Implement tactical communication plans (PR, social, email) to officially launch the FaNs campaign and celebrate and publicise the good work of FaNs
• Provide strategic social media training for the FaNs team