Rebranding Mid-Ohio Foodbank
The Mid-Ohio Food Collective is an organization of passionate people who want to do all they can for poverty and heath as a whole by ending hunger.
“They have taken an innovative approach to finding ways to help different people in different situations. It gives you hope for a better future, hope there are people who care, people who want to see you succeed and have a brighter future.”
— MOFC Customer, MOFC Brand Awareness Study
Breaking the Barriers
Mid-Ohio Foodbank has always been more than a food bank. Mid-Ohio Foodbank had an urban farming initiative, produce prescription program, a “pay-what-you-can” cafe, and big plans for a revamped pantry experience.
The Foodbank was concerned about silos among the staff that had created a lack of communication across the organization. There was also a concern around the missing link that these “assets” had with the parent organization. This could affect everything from funding to helping get the word out to the community in need. Mid-Ohio Foodbank wanted a more customer-centric brand that focused on destigmatizing hunger.
Building an Ecosystem
Shifting the organization to bring all assets under one roof as a branded house with new naming conventions to bring it together as one collective. Next, was creating a mark that could be used as an educational tool that could help staff, donors, volunteers, and customers tell the story of Mid-Ohio Food Collective.
Deliverables
Brand Architecture
Brand Strategy
Project Management
Visual Identity
More than a Foodbank
The Foodbank is now a part of a Collective.
Over the decades, we’ve learned that hunger goes beyond the dinner plate - a care breaking down, losing a job, combating racism, finding affordable housing, or earning a decent wage.
Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Mid-Ohio Farm, Mid-Ohio Farmacy, Mid-Ohio Kitchen, and Mid-Ohio Market work together to address the social determinants of health that place, and often keep, our neighbors in poverty.
Measuring Success
To measure success, a brand awareness study was conducted two years after the initial brand launch.
47 Interviews, 1 hour one-on-one remote sessions, 20 currently involved with MOFC (7 donors, 7 customers, 6 volunteers) and 27 prospective (9 donors, 9 food insecure, 9 volunteers).
Despite the disruption that COVID-19 had two months after the brand launch, 69% had recognition of the new brand (89% among those who had interacted once with the brand in it’s 40-year history).
Participants felt the Collective’s approach to providing food assistance and solving hunger with a branded house was more comprehensive than other similar models. Guiding words for the rebrand such as Hope (81%), Fresh (77%), Value (74%), Innovative (68%), and Trustworthy (68%) resonated most with the general public.
On a scale of 1 (No Awareness) to 10 (Complete Understanding), the rebrand better communicates the story of the Collective by +4.97 points (3.60 in 2020 to a 8.57 in 2022).
On a 7-point scale of impact rating, the brand improved from a 5.55 to a 6.15. Participants felt that awareness around the four “new” assets should be a priority.
“I would like to volunteer and see, just to get the hands-on experience. Some stuff on YouTube just to check it out. Brochures. I just want a full understanding. Once I know about it, I’m going to tell everyone else.”
— Prospective Volunteer, MOFC Brand Awareness Study