Suncare Community Services

Suncare is a not-for-profit organisation established on the Sunshine Coast more than 50 years ago that served Meals on Wheels to the vulnerable and aging population. It has now grown to more than 400 staff and volunteers across Queensland, helping people stay in their homes for longer. It offers aged care, transport, respite, Meals on Wheels and indigenous support services.

  • Media liaison
  • Content creation

WHY THEY CALLED US

Initially Fresh PRM were asked to write and distribute media releases celebrating key milestones for the organisation but it soon became apparent that there were many good news stories that could be shared through internal and external communications. Working closely with the Suncare Marketing Management team, Fresh developed a schedule of content and started delivering on a monthly retainer.

CHALLENGES

As there are a number of different locations and area managers, it was difficult to coordinate the correct client and carer for a story piece.

OBJECTIVES

  • Build on a well-established brand through the delivery of good news stories – both through traditional media and was delivered alongside a media release to attract TV news pieces.
  • Keep all content engaging utlising video, photos and fun facts
  • Ensure that milestones were captured and that the history of Suncare was documented.

WHAT WE DID

Over two years, the Fresh team worked closely with Suncare to develop content that was newsworthy and caught the media’s attention. This included the opening of the refurbished Maroochydore Day Centre with Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk, launch of digital communications through COVID-19 helping clients to stay connected with their loved ones and key partnerships that ensured Meals on Wheels remained an active service deliverable for Suncare.

Media opportunities were held when there were some great visuals and a VNR (Video News Release) was delivered alongside a media release to attract TV
news pieces.

When a story wasn’t as compelling (but still a great story), content was developed suitable for social media and the regular staff and client newsletters. This content assisted in instilling pride for the organisation and also building the personalty profile of the brand.

Working with both in-house staff and other external digital providers, content was able to be adapted and leveraged across all platforms so that communication was always consistent and even campaign orientated.

RESULTS

  • A media release was delivered on average every two months and it was not uncommon to have TV, print and online coverage for each of these pieces. Stories were kept factual and relevant such as commentary around social isolation, the role of digital technology and even recruitment campaigns.
  • Four to six videos were produced each year that either supported the media pitch or were used online.
  • In addition to the regular content created for Suncare, Fresh also event managed a hybrid online / in-person event for the Annual Staff Awards. As part of this project we delivered ten videos to be played throughout the event that were interviews of staff members giving their annual update or activities that people could participate in such as Chair Yoga.