Chicago Commons
Chicago Commons, a social service agency, has been serving the Chicagoland community for 130 years, o ering essential programs such as early childhood education, senior services, and the Family Hub to help individuals and communities overcome poverty and systemic barriers. As it approached its 130th anniversary, Purple Group was engaged to rebrand the organization and its programs to increase brand awareness, improve brand clarity, deploy the brand consistently, and integrate community partners into the brand.
Purple Group conducted a comprehensive discovery process involving stakeholder interviews, discussion groups, an internal marketing audit, and competitive analysis. Participants included leadership, program directors, participants, board members, and funders. This phase aimed to understand the brand’s perception from various perspectives, culminating in a findings report to shape the new brand.
Using insights from the discovery phase, the team developed the brand strategy and platform, defining the core purpose, crafting a brand story, and developing key messages, archetypes, personas, voice, and guidelines. The team then created a new logo, supporting visuals, and graphics, ensuring consistency with comprehensive brand guidelines. A community partner seal was also created for a stronger integration across organizations. The rebranding launch included a new website and a brand story video presented at the 130th Anniversary Gala.
Results.
Chicago Commons received an overwhelmingly positive response to the brand reveal and the organizational video at the anniversary gala. The new brand has significantly improved the organization’s positioning with funders, leading to increased funding opportunities and greater stakeholder engagement. Additionally, Chicago Commons attributes the new brand to receiving the Community Champion Award at the 2024 NegociosNow Who’s Who Gala.