2. Table of Contents
Overview
Executive Summary
Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Tagline
Values
Research Methodologies
Goals and Objectives
BUDGET
TIMELINE
EVALUATION
Appendix
3. Executive Summary
The Daily Planet Health Center (DPHC) must implement an organizational rebranding in order to
communicate a consistent image to its key publics. Through strategic use of social and traditional
media, brand journalism and external outreach, DPHC will strengthen its presence in the Richmond
community. A new tagline, For a healthier community, will reinforce DPHC’s vision of empowering
all members of the Richmond community to utilize its quality health services.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide accessible, comprehensive and integrated quality health services to
people in need.
Vision Statement
We envision a community where ALL are empowered to live healthy, enriched and stable lives.
Tagline
“For a healthier community.”
Values
In our recent strategic planning process, the board and staff identified key core values for our
organization that will guide our work with our clients, each other and our community partners:
Empowerment | Accountability | Empathy | Integrity | Collaboration
Overview
4. Research Methodologies
The VCU mass communications undergraduate research class
(MASC 425) conducted research for DPHC. The methodologies
used were multiple surveys, content analysis and in-depth
interviews. These methodologies reviewed the current
communication strategies already in place at DPHC.
The major findings in the research are as follows:
DPHC must currently deal with reaching all publics in•
the Greater Richmond region. DPHC’s current mission
statement targets the homeless community, which
does not align with its goal of informing all members
of the community of the scope of services the
organization offers. DPHC should emphasize that it also
caters to individuals that are insured and housed. The
communication challenge arose in the research when
subjects stated healthcare services were important to
them, but according to the subjects, they were not aware
of DPHC’s healthcare services.
Research data concluded that there is a vast disconnect•
between how DPHC wishes to be perceived, and how
the public actually perceives it upon first glance. During
the research study, the words “homeless,” “shelter”
and “food and bed,” were frequently mentioned from
members of the community who had a vague
semblance of the organization and what it does.
Those who had never heard of DPHC mistook the
organization for one that was green energy and
environmental protection oriented.
Each of the three methodologies showed that the•
staff members of DPHC are perceived positively by
the media and the organization is thought of highly
by its employees. The employees take pride in their
work and are knowledgeable about the organization,
including DPHC’s history and future goals. When
mentioned in the media, DPHC employees are
percieved either positively or objectively, but never
with negative connotations.
The organization currently lacks a strong media•
presence. In articles, DPHC is typically mentioned
in reference to providing services to the homeless
community. To combat this, DPHC needs to identify
additional ways to inform the public about DPHC
and how it serves the Richmond community.
Greater outreach, whether in the form of publicity,
social media or direct community interaction, are
all avenues that DPHC needs to explore in order to
spread its mission, vision and values and improve its
community presence.
5. Goal: Build a consistent image of Daily Planet Health Center as a provider of quality health services.
Objective 1: Establish a new identity by July 2014.
Strategy: Implement a unified, consistent brand.
Tactic: Establish and implement the name Daily Planet Health Center
The Daily Planet has struggled with branding since its creation in the late 1960s. Associations of
services vary from public to public. Today The Daily Planet is operating its health services in the wake
of healthcare reform, serving new, nontraditional clients. To promote its unique value as a provider of
health services, the words “Health” and “Center” should be incorporated within the architecture of The
Daily Planet’s brand mark, name and association.
Incorporate a new brand mark to reflect health services.•
Establish image criteria for visual components.•
Develop a lexicon of clear language that promotes the brand.•
Tactic: Tagline - For a healthier community.
A tagline will strategically reinforce DPHC’s mission and provide clarity on the services it provides. The
word “community” reinforces that all clients are welcome, both insured and uninsured, housed and
homeless. DPHC is focused on creating a healthier community as a whole, and needs to convey this
strategic message to the Richmond community.
Tactic: Website Changes
The current website would benefit tremendously from paring down content, and restructuring the
content and content labeling to make the website easier to navigate. Additionally, very basic changes
like making sure clickable items lead to actual content and images are in focus, would make the website
more user-friendly. A more in-depth analysis of the current website and suggestions for improvement
are available in the Appendix.
Tactic: Brand Manual
Brand Manifesto: The Daily Planet Health Center (DPHC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable community
health care organization. Our mission is to provide accessible, comprehensive and integrated quality
health services to those in need. The DPHC, its employees, volunteers and Board of Directors operate
with a clear vision that promotes a community where all are empowered to live healthy, enriched and
stable lives. We proudly run two Richmond health centers where individuals can receive health care.
We hope the impact of our services elevates the importance of individualized wellness for a healthier
community.
Goals and Objectives
6. Objective 2: To implement six platforms that will effectively communicate the brand one year
from the September 2014 event.
Strategy 1: Brand Journalism
Tactic: VCU Infrastructure
An in-house news operation team implements a newsroom model to create an efficient way to produce content.
The goal of the Brand Journalism team is to build a consistent brand in the community. The team will be
responsible for managing social media, creating content and keeping social media platforms active.
DPHC’s Brand Journalism Team will consist of the Brand Journalism Publisher, Brand Journalism Executive Editor,
Brand Journalism Editor, two Brand Journalistss and a Brand Journalism Social Media Coordinator. The purpose of
the Brand Journalism Team is to build brand awareness. The team will publish stories to inform the public of the
organization. The goal is to create awareness for DPHC by generating interesting stories, which provide a consistent
representation of DPHC. The content will appear on the WordPress blog, which will link to other social media
platforms (Facebook and Twitter).
Brand Journalism Publisher (Maureen) - The Publisher will be responsible for managing the overall direction of
DPHC’s social media platforms in relation to the organization’s needs.
Brand Journalism Executive Editor (Susan) - The Executive Editor will determine what content will be published to
social media platforms and will oversee the brand of stories to ensure consistency within DPHC.
Brand Journalism Editor (intern) - The Editor will act as the head intern and manage all other interns. He or she will
consult writers on the content they will produce and assist them in shaping story ideas. He or she determines which
stories will run on the blog and copy edits content for spelling/ grammar and ensures stories fit the brand of DPHC.
Brand Journalist (two interns) - Each journalist will produce two stories (including text, video and photo content)
per week for the DPHC blog. The journalist will record stories from clients, medical personnel, staff and volunteers.
Interns will transcribe recordings and create blog posts that are consistent with the DPHC brand and free of
grammar and spelling errors.
Brand Journalism Social Media Coordinator (intern) - The Social Media Coordinator manages all social media
platforms. He or she uploads journalists’ stories to WordPress and bookmarks relevant articles to Diigo. He or she
will also be responsible for creating one blog post per week by linking one relevant article posted on the Diigo
account to an original and interesting story.
7. Tactic: WordPress and Diigo
The Daily Planet Health Center will use a WordPress blog as its content hub. The blog will automatically link to DPHC’s
Twitter and Facebook pages, pushing content to those platforms. DPHC will also use Diigo, a social media tool for
bookmarking websites and articles, in order to generate relevant and interesting content. This content, controlled by
the Brand Journalism Social Media Coordinator, will supplement the brand journalism articles to be written by the Brand
Journalists and will be manually entered into the WordPress blog.
Strategy 2: Social media
Tactic: Implement social media strategies for the following platforms.
Facebook
Facebook posts should be consistent and effective. The WordPress content will feed into Facebook automatically.
Other ideas for content:
Posts promoting events•
Success stories from clientele•
Updates from DPHC•
Relevant news•
Interesting facts about DPHC•
YouTube
YouTube should be updated consistently once a month. We suggest creating a one to two minute video that effectively
presents the new brand of DPHC. This video should also appear on the homepage of the website.
Other ideas for content:
Success stories from clientele•
Stories from the physicians who work at DPHC•
B-roll of footage inside DPHC•
B-roll footage of events, activities and fundraising•
8. Twitter
There are currently two Twitter accounts for DPHC. @dailyplanetrva
should to be the only Twitter account that is used. Twitter should be
updated on a daily basis to act as an effective tool. The content from
WordPress will automatically feed into Twitter.
Other ideas for content:
Posts promoting events•
Success stories from clientele•
Updates from DPHC•
Relevant news•
Interesting facts about DPHC•
LinkedIn
DPHC should use LinkedIn as a tool for interns to find and add internship
opportunities. Staff members can also add DPHC to their professional
LinkedIn profiles. The profile photo should be updated to one of the new
images created. The name “The Daily Planet” should be updated to The
Daily Planet Health Center.
HootSuite
DPHC can utilize HootSuite to organize all of the social media platforms
in one convenient location. It also allows users schedule posts to for a
specific day and time. Analytics are also available on HootSuite to help
measure the effectiveness of the content that is being published.
9. Strategy 3: Traditional Media/Outreach
Tactic: Create a comprehensive media kit.
Pocket Folder. Include a pocket folder to hold all information for the media kit. Included in the folder should be the organization’s
name and logo on the cover as well as a business card placed in the pocket or a business card slot in the folder.
Intro Letter. An introduction letter explaining DPHC and the purpose of the media kit should appear as the first page of the media
kit. This should be typed on DPHC letterhead.
Press Release. If the media kit is supporting a particular announcement or event, a press release can be included containing
information that a journalist can use to craft an article. This can also be placed in the folder, behind the intro letter.
Background. This section can be two to three pages and will contain information regarding DPHC’s background, history and future
direction. This section should be updated regularly as the organization evolves.
Biographical information. This section will include short bios of the top executives of DPHC as well as subject-area experts who
have worked heavily with the organization. Bios should be on DPHC letterhead and contain the individual’s name, title, history with
the organization and basic information. Bios could also contain relevant quotes and a photo.
Fact Sheets. Provide brief fact sheets that include short but detailed information about DPHC, including the mission statement and
current programs.
Recent newsletter or brochure. Include the most recent newsletter and brochure.
Recent press coverage. Include the most recent positive press coverage, printed on letterhead.
High Resolution logos. Include high resolution logos in the media kit for use wherever an image may be needed.
Tactic: Targeted pitches
Compile a list of journalists who specialize in healthcare or medical related journalism.•
Create a mail merge to reach the specialized journalists all at once.•
Create a story example to send in the email to journalists.•
Identify the top three journalists from the list to establish ongoing relationships and pitch stories via telephone or in person•
meetings to expand media contacts.
Keep it personal: Good writing creates a relationship and a rapport with the reader by addressing the reader directly and•
personally. Use the first person (I or we) whenever possible, and address the reader as “you.”
10. Tactic: Communicate new identity to all existing partnerships.
DPHC should strategically communicate its new identity to its existing partners and funders:
Through an email that highlights its new name change with a short video, DPHC can communicate its new mission, vision,•
name and tagline.
DPHC should also send partners an infographic postcard that depicts the rebranding of the organization and invites partners•
and funders to the ribbon cutting ceremony in September 2014.
Budget
Most of the items suggested in this plan are free and are therefore not included in the overall budget. For items such as the video
and infographic postcard, which require specific software or camera equipment, we recommend utilizing the interns to complete
these projects as they have access to VCU’s equipment and software as students. Normally, a video or creative work would cost
thousands of dollars, so DPHC should take advantage of this opportunity.
The largest expense (website redesign) as outlined below is an absolutely necessary expense. While we have included web
suggestions in our plan, the website needs quite a bit of work and would be a worthwhile investment.
11. Timeline
Startup
April 24: Post internship opportunities to VCU Mass Communications website
May 8: Internship applications due
May 12-13: Intern interviews
May 14: Administer writing tests for chosen interns
May 16: Form Brand Journalism team
Weekly Timeline (repeat schedule)
Brand Journalists
Monday: Meet with Brand Journalism Editor for story ideas and record three
stories
Tuesday: Pick and transcribe two stories
Wednesday: Create two blog entries
Thursday: Send blog entries to Brand Journalism Editor for approval by 12 PM
Friday: Make corrections as necessary and send final drafts to Brand Journalism
Social Media Coordinator by 12 PM
Brand Journalism Social Media Coordinator
Monday: Meet with Brand Journalism Editor for story ideas and post blog #1 to
WordPress by 12 PM
Tuesday: Post blog #2 to WordPress by 10 AM
Wednesday: Post blog #3 to WordPress by 10 AM
Thursday: Write news blog and send to Brand Journalism Editor by 12 PM
Friday: Make final changes to blog post and post entry to WordPress
*manage social media outlets throughout the week
Brand Journalism Editor
Monday: Meet with interns to shape story ideas
Tuesday: No assignments due
12. Wednesday: Edit blog entry and send back to Brand Journalism Social Media
Coordinator by 6 PM
Thursday: Edit blog entries and send back to Brand Journalists by 6 PM
Friday: No assignments due
Evaluation
The following checklist can be used to measure the success of the strategic plan.
__ Is the approved name Daily Planet Health Center being used?
__ Is the approved tagline For a healthier community being used?
__ Have the website suggestions been implemented?
__ In the brand manual, have the brand definition, logo and manifesto been
implemented?
__ Did DPHC complete its identity communication audit administered by Susan?
__ Is the brand journalism evaluation measured weekly by pulling trending
reports?
__ Is the basic analytics report generated from HootSuite weekly and discussed
at Monday meetings?
__ Is a report generated from Facebook weekly to measure Facebook activity?
__ Has an intern audit been administered by Susan by September 2015 to
measure consistent intern activity over the course of the previous year?
__ Are YouTube postings and views being monitored to track activity?
__ Does each staff member have their official title linked to DPHC’s LinkedIn?
__ Has the media kit been created by September 2015?
__ Has an online awareness survey been administered via Survey Monkey by
September 2015 to measure brand awareness? (500 surveys at $500)
-measure visibility within community
-measure brand recall (ability to remember brand with no assistance)
-measure brand recognition (ability to recognize brand among list of
competitors)
-measure brand loyalty
13. VCU Internship Descriptions
Brand Journalism Editor
The Daily Planet Health Center is seeking an Editor to join its in-house news operation team. The Editor will act as the
head intern and lead all other interns. Duties include assisting writers, editing of copy, proofreading, fact-checking and
additional related work. The candidate will play a leading role in the branding of the organization. The candidate will
determine which stories will run on the blog and copy edits content for spelling/ grammar to ensure stories fit the brand of
DPHC. The Editor will be required to work 10 hours per week; hours are flexible.
Requirements:
• Must be rising junior or senior.
• Ability to work on tight deadlines.
• Attention to detail and ability to follow instructions.
• Mass Communications students preferred.
• Classes in editing and writing required.
• Knowledge of AP Style.
• 3 credit hours, unpaid.
Please apply no later than May 8 with resume and three writing samples to sekerke@dailyplanetva.org. Candidate
required to complete editing assessment.
Brand Journalist
The Daily Planet Health Center is seeking two Brand Journalists to join its in-house news operation team. Each journalist
will be responsible for producing two stories (including text, video and photo content) each week for the DPHC blog.
Duties include recording stories from clients, medical personnel, staff and volunteers. Interns will transcribe recordings
and create blog posts that are consistent with DPHC brand and free of grammar and spelling errors. Each journalist is
required to work 10 hours per week; hours are flexible.
14. Requirements:
• Ability to work on tight deadlines and produce content quickly.
• Attention to detail and ability to follow instructions.
• Mass Communications students preferred.
• Classes in writing required.
• Knowledge of AP Style.
• 3 credit hours, unpaid.
Please apply no later than May 8 with resume and three writing samples to sekerke@dailyplanetva.org. Candidate
required to complete writing assessment.
Brand Journalism Social Media Coordinator
The Daily Planet Health Center is seeking a Social Media Coordinator to join its in-house news operation team. The Social
Media Coordinator will manage all social media platforms. Duties include keeping social media platforms active, writing,
researching and posting content.
Requirements:
• Attention to detail and ability to follow instructions.
• Mass Communications students preferred.
• Classes in social media and writing required.
• Experience working with Facebook, Twitter, Diigo, WordPress, HootSuite and YouTube.
• Experience linking social media platforms.
• Knowledge of AP Style.
• 3 credit hours, unpaid.
Please apply no later than May 8 with resume and three writing samples to sekerke@dailyplanetva.org. Candidate
required to complete writing assessment.
Service Learning Internship opportunities through the Center for Media + Health will be posted on VCUʼs Mass
Communications website. Internships will be available to all Mass Communications students, and the application deadline
is May 8. Maggie McDearmon, Career Development Adviser, directs the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and
Culture internship program. She can be contacted at (804) 828-1100 or mcdearmonme@vcu.edu.
15. Web Suggestions
General
• Reduce the size of the font.
• Different font and text color.
• Tabs should have dropdowns, but lead to individual pages once a topic is selected, not to a page with all of the
content listed on the dropdown.
Logo (In Top Left Corner)
• Current: Leads to a JPG image of the logo.
• Suggested Changes:
o The logo should return the web visitor to the homepage (or if on the homepage, donʼt make it clickable).
o Use new logo design and tagline.
Donate Now
• Current:
o Donate now is a tab at the top and currently takes the web visitor to an old version of the website (with an all
new set of tabs).
• Suggested Changes:
o Eliminate the “Donate Now” tab and make a separate button on the homepage that is easily visible.
o Make a new “Donate Now” page that does not take the user to an old version of the website.
Rotating Images
• Current: Images click back to the homepage; infographic is blurry and clicks to the CyberChimps homepage.
• Suggested Change(s):
o Images/infographic should click to more information about whatever is in the image or infographic. Make
sure pictures and infographics are clear, or donʼt use them.
o Embed DPHC video here.
16. Home Content
• Current: Content is currently a series of blog posts.
• Suggested Changes:
o Set up a WordPress blog roll sidebar (where “archives” is currently located).
o Main page content should have an introduction to what DPHC is and the services/programs available.
Tabs
• Current Tabs Consist Of:
o Home
o Donate Now
o Programs
o Services
o Events
o Give
o About Us
• Suggest Changing Main Tabs To:
o Home
o Programs & Services
o Get Involved
o News/ Events
o About Us
o Contact Us
Note: Currently, only some of the tabs have a dropdown box. Make this consistent and have dropdowns for all tabs.
Dropdown selections should lead to a specific page, not a general page with all content listed on the dropdown.
New Tabs (Breakdown)
• Home
• Programs & Services (With Sub-Tabs):
17. o Healthcare Services
Primary Care
Behavioral
Oral Health
Eye Health
Case Management
o Specialized Programs
Medical Respite
Safe Haven
Empowerment Clinic
Project IMPACT: Diabetes
Empowerment Through Performing Arts
Outreach Care
• Get Involved
o Note: Include all of the tabs/information currently under “Give.”
• News/Events
o News
Describe what is currently happening with DPHC.
o Events
Information on upcoming events.
• About Us
o Overview
DPHCʼs purpose, who it serves (include information on number of people served, which is currently
listed under Facts & Stats), mission and values.
Note: Keep it short and sweet.
o Through the Years
Timeline briefly describing the transformation of the organization.
Note: Use bullet points to make it easier to digest.
o Client Stories
18. Testimonials telling DPHCʼs story.
o Leadership and Staff
Leadership, staff, board members and descriptions/pictures of the doctors.
• Note: Showing the doctors will help move DPHC away from comparisons to free clinics and
more towards a real doctorʼs office.
o Partners, Community Credence & Funding
Move content from the current “Programs” tab to this sub-tab under “About Us.”
Note: It would be a good idea to pare down the content and link to specific organizations and
foundations mentioned in these sections.
o Hours of Operation
o Contact Us
Survey Monkey link for evaluating and measuring brand awareness and building brand power:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/blog/en/measure-brand-awareness-build-brand-power/
