Prophet Delivers Brand Transformation for the Greater Chicago Food Depository

CHICAGO, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Prophet, a leading brand and marketing consultancy, has announced a brand repositioning and identity refresh for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank. The Greater Chicago Food Depository tapped Prophet to better leverage its brand to mobilize the public to end hunger.

Prophet began a comprehensive brand assessment in 2012, conducting a 500-person survey and more than 50 in-person interviews with constituents. The research quickly confirmed that the Greater Chicago Food Depository is well respected in the community for the work it performs. With over 650 programs and 20,000 volunteers, the Food Depository distributed food to over 678,000 adults and children in 2012 alone.  However, its many offerings in soup kitchens, pantries, shelters, children's programs and training led to some communication inconsistencies among key stakeholders. The Food Depository needed a simple, inspiring brand platform and positioning to unite the organization's powerful messages consistently across every brand touch point.

Prophet developed five positioning concepts and tested them with the organization's core audiences to see which resonated and felt most closely aligned to the Food Depository.  The strongest themes focused on food as a basic necessity that everyone deserves, a sense of our community and immediate impact or results. "Community Impact Every Day" emerged as the overarching positioning that best represents the Food Depository.

Ultimately, the Greater Chicago Food Depository believes no one should ever go hungry, and exists to provide people with the nutritious food they need to sustain themselves today while delivering the skills and training they need to be self sustaining tomorrow. These guiding principles now unite and drive continuity in the communications and actions across the Food Depository in the communities it serves.

To signal this galvanization of purpose, Prophet's design team took a look at the visual identity, which has remained unchanged for over 25 years.  A dramatic logo change was not called for; the existing identity possessed strong core equities in its color, shape and its central human figure.  The existing symbol was well known and reassuring, so a close-in design exploration aimed to refine and contemporize the identity.

The resulting design modernizes the mark, making the name more legible by updating the typography and changing the color to a richer green. The figure is drawn to add a level of gravitas without sacrificing the familiar. The identity was unveiled internally in April at a large annual volunteer event and the symbol has generated a great deal of fresh enthusiasm and excitement.

"We are very pleased with what we've accomplished in partnership with Prophet," said the Greater Chicago Food Depository Executive Director and CEO Kate Maehr. "The brand positioning and design work reflects our proud history while looking to a bright future made possible by partners who share a common belief in delivering community impact every day."

Other new assets will enable the Food Depository to clearly articulate its purpose to donors and partners. An original video conveys the clarified brand position, and a style guide reinforces the themes that emerged in the assessment and logo phases. The design work extended into an overhaul of the organization's highly visible food drive collection containers.

"At Prophet we're always excited to be help build and strengthen brands that inspire how people feel and compel them to act, and this is a perfect example of this principle at work," said Prophet Chief Growth Officer Scott Davis. "The Greater Chicago Food Depository's new brand strategy and design will help further its efforts to mobilize the public to end hunger."

The work is part of the Prophet for Non-Profit program, the consultancy's way of bringing the term "doing well by doing good" to life. Though this initiative, Prophet undertakes volunteer service efforts across the globe and also provides strategic brand and marketing guidance for non-profit organizations and causes.

ABOUT THE GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food at 650 programs through a network of more than 400 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 64 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 134,800 meals every day. The Food Depository's programs and services for children, older adults and the unemployed and underemployed address the root causes of hunger. For more information, log onto chicagosfoodbank.org or call 773-247-FOOD.

ABOUT PROPHET

Prophet is a strategic brand and marketing consultancy with offices around the world. It helps companies win by delivering inspired and actionable ideas. Prophet has worked with leading brands such as BMW, Cisco, GE, McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson and Zurich Financial on a broad scope of projects in its areas of expertise: brand, marketing, innovation, design, digital and analytics.

MEDIA CONTACTS

For Prophet
Kathleen Hatfield, [email protected]; 305-934-6696
Sally Hodge, [email protected]; 773-325-9282

For GCFD
Bob Dolgan, 773-447-1980, [email protected]
Jim Conwell, 773-531-3364, [email protected]


SOURCE Prophet