Developing a communications and program rollout strategy with a multicultural marketing approach
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is Southeast Michigan’s leading private scholarship program with a mission to inspire and prepare students to succeed in life after high school.
Challenge:
With a largely multicultural target audience, the nonprofit organization approached Blended Collective to help position its brand more consistently across all consumer touch points. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars was also facing a challenge to strategize and differentiate its content to better reach its key target audiences. Additionally, the rebrand of Next Level, the holistic support program targeting high school students, created uncertainty on how to successfully announce and communicate the enhanced program to all stakeholders while ensuring the core values remained the same.
Solution:
Blended Collective made recommendations to develop a brand communications strategy and content after analyzing each of the four identified audiences. With the ultimate goal to target each key audience differently based on demographics and psychographics, we advised and applied the use of culturally fitting visuals and messaging. This included translating content into Arabic and Spanish and improving the overall communications strategy to be used across various platforms. The communications strategy shaped the creation of new content and marketing collateral, addressing each of the diverse audiences uniquely. All content was customized to add an authentic element.
For the existing, enhanced program Next Level, a communications / rollout strategy was developed to include recommendations on how the program can be marketed as an enhanced instead of new program after its rebranding. Other valuable factors included when and on which channels the program should be announced.
Results:
With customized marketing collateral and a communications strategy in place, Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is positioned to communicate to all of its diverse audiences uniquely. The Next Level program is scheduled to be announced in the fall during the back to school season. Out of all Advisers who took translated materials to their schools, 90% found these materials useful when communicating program information to Arabic or Spanish-speaking students and/or families.
“Blended Collective helped us to streamline our branding to have a cohesive look and feel while differentiating to our various and diverse audiences of corporate donors, local businesses, schools, students and parents. The team helped us keep a student-forward focus and dig into the impact we have on students to share our message clearly and effectively.”
– Christa Funk, Executive Director, Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars