Seven Counties Services launched a new web site in July as part of an enhanced brand strategy focusing on the people served and employed by the organization. It’s a simple concept that provides substantial bench strength to help reposition the organization from one that looked and felt like a quasi-government agency to one that looks, feels and acts like a nonprofit organization poised for community support.

Seven Counties Services is the preferred provider of behavioral healthcare and developmental services in Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. The organization delivers community-based treatment, support and services for persons with severe mental illnesses, children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders, individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities, and adults and adolescents with addiction and substance abuse disorders.

The idea of rebranding had been discussed by leadership for several months after focus groups revealed that while Seven Counties had name recognition among 90 percent of those asked, only five percent knew what services were provided. The idea that Seven Counties is a necessary resource and critical service provider in Metro Louisville is evident in the 34,000 people served each year.

But as funding cuts continue to place current programs and services at risk, the need to educate the community about the opportunity to support Seven Counties through donations and participation in special events and fundraisers became evident. The new brand is the first step in telling the stories of hope, recovery and success that happen as a result of the work inside Seven Counties’ footprint 365 days a year.

Hiring Help
After a competitive RFP, Seven Counties hired Mightily, a full service digital media and advertising agency located in Louisville, to do a “total rethink” of how the brand should look and feel. The look centers around the people of Seven Counties, the feel is personal.

“Thinking about our people was the catalyst behind the new look. We’ve updated the look and feel of Seven Counties to reflect that we are truly a community of people that live, work and help each other live their best lives,” said CEO Tony Zipple. “We are about the potential of each of us; the help we provide to more than 34,000 people each year makes each of us better. We are productive, important and viable members of our own communities and the bigger Louisville Metro Community.”

Mightily started the new brand roll-out with a complete redesign of the web site. Mightily cofounder Pip Pullen said, “The original site was like every other public service site — there was so much information, you couldn’t manage it”. The new web site was designed with mobile devices in mind after research showed that over 60 percent of Seven Counties clientele access the organization via their smartphones.

“The first thing you see on the mobile site are phone numbers, so people in crisis can immediately connect with help. The desktop version has a heavier focus on images and telling the story of Seven Counties,” Pullen said.

“Our new look says it all; we make heroes every day by the courage our patients show us in working towards recovery. We make heroes every day in the people who work tirelessly to help those in need. And we make heroes every day in the families that stay together and pay it forward when they help others turn to Seven Counties for treatment, services and programs, that then again, help more people,” said Zipple.

Throughout the site are W.O.W. (why our mission works) statements that convey heartfelt messages of strength, resiliency and courage. The W.O.W. statements are quickly becoming signature tag lines that everyone in the community can embrace and begin to identify with Seven Counties. The web site is step one in the new brand rollout. Over the next few months Mightily will use the expanded color pallet, the W.O.W. statements and authentic pictures of clients and employees to design new brochures, signage and banners for Seven Counties.

— Gwen Cooper is with Seven Counties Services.