Meridian Housing Foundation, established in 1960, provides and manages independent supportive and affordable housing in the Tri-Region - the City of Spruce Grove, the Town of Stony Plain, Parkland County and the Village of Wabamun.
Our work with Meridian began with crafting a marketing campaign to bring awareness to the need for affordable senior housing in the Tri-Region. We divided the campaign into three phases, each providing a distinct perspective and unique message. Overall, the approach emphasized that Meridian is a local organization that supports the community and is in-turn, supported by the community. The foundation had been operating at zero vacancies with a 150-person-long waitlist, clearly demonstrating the need to create more affordable options for seniors in the area.
Phase one featured residents of the foundation expressing the impact of having affordable housing made possible by Meridian housing foundation on their lives. The primary goal was to introduce and remind the community of what Meridian does as simply as possible. Showcasing residents and allowing them to tell their stories infused the campaign with authenticity, building empathy with viewers. The campaign assets were spread across digital billboards, long and short-form “talking-portrait” videos, an increased calculated social media presence and a micro-site to ensure we reached as much of the market as possible.
We developed a system of icons for each of the buildings in Meridian Housing Foundation. These were used on the micro-site for an interactive timeline of the foundation.
Part two focused on community members, including all three Tri-Region mayors and various political figures, discussing the need for affordable housing in their region. This phase assumed a similar structure to phase one, but this time featuring prominent figures in the community cementing their support for Meridian. Many of the speakers had loved ones living within Meridian Housing Foundation. Hearing from this secondary perspective helped to expand the circle of impact and add another layer of depth to the campaign.
The campaign’s final phase will be completed when the ground breaks on the new lodge. It will include messages of thanks, good things to come, and images of the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Spruce Grove Lodge on Calahoo Drive. The efforts of the first two campaign phases proved successful when provincial funding for the new Spruce Grove Lodge was announced in April 2023 at Whispering Waters — a truly rewarding moment for both the Meridian Housing Foundation and Hello Public teams. The success and subsequent funding of the “Support Meridian” campaign demonstrated its impact in raising awareness and support for affordable senior housing in the Tri-Region.
