Human
Resources Professionals association
CASE STUDY FOR UHN FOUNDATION
Reinventing a brand to welcome the future of work.
The Problem to Solve
The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is one of the largest not-for-profit professional associations in Ontario, with over 24,000 members from the human resources community. With a myriad of stakeholders, they play two primary roles with respect to the HR profession:
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they train, certify, connect, and advocate for HR professionals in Ontario, and
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they promote and protect the public interest by governing and regulating the practice of members, students and firms in accordance with the Registered Human Resources Professionals Act, 2013.
With so many diverse audiences to serve - from the working public, HR students and professionals, to business leaders and government regulators - their brand was not only complicated, but had become tired and increasingly less relevant to paying members, as well as their future pipeline of HR students.
In addition, HRPA certifications were not as well-recognized nor appreciated in the business community when compared to a designation like the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
They knew that change had become imperative.
Our Solution
Working closely with an integrated and multi-faceted client group including the HRPA CEO and executive team, representation from the Registrar's office, local chapters, academia and the Board of Directors, we embarked upon our DIG / CULTIVATE / THRIVE process to identify a strategic "North Star" to anchor the HRPA brand and lead the way for a complete transformation in how they present themselves to the world, in messaging, behaviours and actions.
As a global health pandemic wreaked havoc on workplaces everywhere, we realized there was no better time to shine a spotlight on the critical role of HR in helping business prosper, while demonstrating that HRPA members are the best equipped to lead workplaces into the future. The new brand strategy set the foundation for a bold brand identity transformation and a provocative creative platform intended to change outdated perceptions of the HR role.
In parallel, we completely redesigned and rebuilt the HRPA's primary communication touchpoint, hrpa.ca, streamlining almost 5000 disconnected pages of content into a valuable web-based resource for members, prospects and other external constituents.
Rolled out in late 2020, the HRPA’s new brand has re-engaged constituents from members to students to the business community. The launch brand awareness campaign generated 122K clicks to their site and achieved 11M video views with a 64.7% VCR. Overall, monthly active users to their website are +41% YoY. Most importantly, the new brand has provided a strategic lens through which to evaluate current initiatives and offerings as HRPA builds out its new organizational strategy.
Brand Vision
Better HR makes Business better.
