Victim Services of Peel is a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention and support services to victims of crimes and tragic circumstances in Peel Region, Canada. As the region grew rapidly and became more culturally diverse, Victim Services recognized a need to increase awareness of its services. It hired 5th business to develop a new branding and marketing strategy. 5th business conducted research and created a campaign centered around dramatic messages about domestic violence to raise awareness and change attitudes. The campaign was successful in significantly increasing awareness of Victim Services and enabling it to secure ongoing funding to continue its important work in the community.

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Victim Services of Peel
Victim Services of Peel is a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides
immediate crisis intervention and related services and programs to help victims
overcome the struggle of domestic violence, crime or tragic circumstance.
It was founded in 1985 through the collaborative efforts of Peel Regional Police,
Region of Peel Social Services, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social
Services, and the Social Planning Council of Peel. It is the only agency of its
kind to provide round-the-clock crisis support to the Peel communities of Brampton
and Mississauga.
their challenge
As a not-for-profit organization serving citizens in need in one of the fastest-
growing regions in Canada, Victim Services recognized the need to increase
awareness of its services in order to better engage donors, funders and the
communities it supports. It operates in a highly diverse, multicultural environment
where English is not the first language for 50% of residents. Compounding this
outreach challenge is that for some residents there exists a cultural tolerance
of domestic violence.
case study Victim Services of Peel 1

2. our strategy
5th business® responded to these objectives with a strategy to redefine
and reposition the Victim Services brand and highlight key messages around
the prevalence of domestic violence and other issues, the vital need to provide
assistance (both crisis intervention and ongoing support) and the benefits that
Victim Services provides to the community in terms of helping to rebuild lives.
These would be conveyed through wide-ranging marketing and communications
designed to effectively engage the community, taking into consideration its
cultural diversity and distinct needs. Using Intercept Research and conducting
focus groups, we looked at several areas within Peel Region, segmenting them
according to statistically viable demographics. This insight enabled us to
determine target audiences and better understand why people and organizations
might not donate, and what might encourage them to do so. We learned that
most people in the Region of Peel did not consider domestic violence – one area
where crisis interventions and ongoing support is provided – to be an issue, in
their view it was something that happened somewhere else. With this in mind, a
messaging platform was designed to bring this important issue to the forefront to
build awareness and change attitudes, specifically towards domestic violence
and the important role played by Victim Services in the life changing, and often
life-saving work that they do.
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3. our work
5th business® developed brand messaging and a targeted campaign and
conducted focus group testing to confirm impact and relevance. A tactical
three-year marketing and communications plan was also designed and
implemented. Our research had found that not only was domestic violence not
perceived as an issue in the community, but also that people at risk were unaware
of the help available through Victim Services of Peel. In addition, the research
showed that due to low brand profile, the organization did not rank highly on
Peel’s list of preferred charities.
Given the correlation between greater awareness of domestic violence and
increased donations and support, our campaign centred around dramatic
messaging and images that together communicated the realities of domestic
abuse, traumatic accidents, and violent crimes and the need to take action by
supporting Victim Services of Peel. The campaign was based on the central
message and new tagline, “Help. Healing. Hope.” Its memorable simplicity and
evocative encapsulation of the desired process and result for victims of crime
and tragedy served as a strong textual anchor for the new brand.
The marketing plan was executed via an array of tactics including:
• A corporate brochure and sponsorship brochure
• A corporate website and event website (Chef Challenge)
• An enewsletter
• Outdoor as well as interior and exterior transit ads — 5th business was able
to negotiate more than $400,000 of gift-in-kind advertising on behalf of Victim
Services of Peel
• A still for local cable TV
• Creation and distribution of news release in Peel Region announcing the launch
• Development of an 8,000-piece direct-to-consumer mail campaign specifically
targeting previous Victim Services donors as well as other potential donors in
Peel Region
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5. results
The new brand campaign was highly successful for Victim Services of Peel.
Since the campaign’s inception, the organization has significantly increased
awareness throughout the region of the exposure gained through the outdoor
campaign, direct mail campaign, media coverage etc. The organization also
launched what has become an annual, marquee fundraising event, The Celebrity
Chef Challenge, which has grown in popularity and attendance to the point
that it is now a major funding source. Most importantly, Victim Services has been
able to secure channels of permanent funding to support the continued delivery
of its services to the community. 5th business® is especially proud of the fact that
the website development for Victim Services of Peel earned a Gold ASTRID
Award in 2008 for best not-for-profit website.
The success of the campaign and repositioned brand has enabled Victim Services
of Peel to move beyond its original messaging and campaign strategy of help to
focus on the outcome messages of healing and hope.
With high levels of client-intake and volunteer engagement – due to increased
awareness of services versus increased incidence – the brand has been
advanced to showcase benefits and outcomes of victims being supported by the
organization, rather than focusing on the social issues themselves. New creative
has been developed including a campaign, website and other materials that
showcase clients in post-traumatic scenarios versus trauma scenarios from the
previous campaign.
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