Coalition on Race
A New Jersey Community focused on equity for more than 50 years
THE CHALLENGE
Help an organization charged with protecting neighborhood diversity and advocating for racial and social justice increase their visibility and position them as pioneers and thought leaders.
THE OUTCOME
A rebranded identity that is on par with similar organizations on a national level and aligns with their mission and activities to resonate with their current and future audiences, as well as promotional partnerships with influencers, community groups and publications.
In the 1990s, the SOMA Community Coalition on Race was established to preserve the diversity of the neighborhoods that give the area its rich culture. The coalition is unique – few other towns in the United States have a city-funded organization with a mission like theirs.
Known collectively as “SOMA”, South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey are two towns that make up a well-known suburb in the greater New York City area. They offer larger homes, good schools and a quick commute to the city, and have attracted many newcomers who want to start or expand their families.
The Community Coalition on Race is charged with protecting the diversity of the neighborhood as well as advocating for racial and social justice. Part of their mission is also to ensure that Black families stay in and move to SOMA.
However, their own study showed a 2% drop in the Black population along with a 0% increase in Black movers-in. Their in-house solution was to create a digital ad campaign to attract Blacks to move into SOMA.
But an assessment by the Consciously team made it apparent that there were other challenges, including a lack of visibility, outdated branding and a poorly-organized website clogged with internal-facing information.
On top of this, as a non-profit organization, they did not have the budget for a campaign large enough to meet their goals.
This meant our plans had to include cost-effective ways to get the information we needed, so we held interviews with community members to get more understanding of the community’s perception of the coalition and to get a deeper perspective from the Black community. We spoke to business owners, board members, parents, longtime residents and real estate agents to get feedback that informed our ultimate strategy.
We then made a promotional plan that was fused from our work with direct-to-consumer brands, by not only speaking directly to our audience, but by partnering with publications, community groups and influencers. This meant we were able to bypass the required (and expensive) market testing phase.
Next came a rebranding of their identity. This included a redesign of their locally-focused logo to appeal to a larger audience. We also built a website that touts the history of the area and celebrates the people and businesses that are part of the culture. The site also includes calls to action and resources for those interested in moving to the community – all designed to create a strong and distinct sense of place.
Then another question arose: How do they advertise to a specific audience when affordable social media platforms don’t allow targeting by race or ethnicity? We set up the coalition so they could use their digital tools to reach out to their audiences again and again with fresh new content, not new budgets.
We’ve positioned the SOMA Community Coalition on Race with an identity that is on par with similar organizations on a national level, but also as the only community organization laser-focused on the goal of inclusivity. They now have their own media property to help them lead the conversation.
Our Case Studies
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Brand Strategy, Product Design + Campaign for Sustainable Finance Platform
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Branding and Ecosystem Design for a Global FinTech Venture Firm
Values-Driven Finance Needs Trust Infrastructure · Stakeholder Mapping Across Institutions and Individuals · An Ecosystem Strategy That Earns Trust at Every Level
Webby-Nominated Branding and Product Design for the World’s Most Sustainably Certified Seafood Company
A Category Leader Whose Brand Hadn't Caught Up to Its Certifications · Branding, Product Design, and Ecosystem Strategy as One Platform · Webby Award Nominated 2023
Brand Strategy for an AR Experience Company Featured at MoMA and Tied to a Netflix Documentary
An AR Platform Built to Rewrite How We See History · Selected Alongside for MoMA Exhibition · App Launched the Day Trevor Noah Hosted a Town Hall With Will Smith · Branding, Ecosystem Design, Research, and Campaign Strategy
Brand Strategy and Platform Launch for On-Demand Talent Network
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Brand Strategy + Ecosystem Design for Chicago’s $7.5B Health Innovation District
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Marketing Strategy and Execution for One of the Worlds leading Cultural Institutions
Five-Scholar Curation Council. A Months-Long Festival. A Marketing Brief Like No Other. · Audience Research, Influencer Strategy, and Content Production at Cultural Scale · Transmitting an Undefinable Energy to the Right Audiences
Influencer Strategy + Event Marketing for HBO’s Watchmen Launch
HBO's Own Machine Had a Blind Spot · Partnership With consciously · 400+ at the Atlanta Pre-Screening · Comic Con Activation · Content, Events, and Cross-Community Reach
2 Million Reached: Brand + Campaign for Brooklyn Incubator
One of NYC's Biggest Economic Zones and incubator Needed an · Brand Strategy, Web Platform, and #BuildTheFutureNYC Campaign · 2M+ Reach Across Five Boroughs · A Blueprint Other Cities Are Now Following
Agency of Record Brand Strategy + Content for Identity Security Leader
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Brand Strategy + Community Health Outreach for National Telehealth + In-Clinic
Funding Cuts. Then a Pandemic. A 100-Year-Old Organization Needed a New Reach Strategy · Audience Research Across BIPOC, Transgender, and Low-Income Communities · Brand Voice, Go-to-Market, Telehealth Activation, and Geofencing · Awareness, Reach, and Foot Traffic All Showed Marked Improvement
AI Company Using Humans for Content — Numerify
Building a Content Machine for an AI Analytics Company
Superbowl Staffing Agency Needs New Thinking — BCforward
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Connecticuts’ State Bank Manifests Community — Nutmeg
Connecticuts' State Bank wanted to connect better with it's ecosystem
National Growth Marketing Campaign for Legacy National Non-profit
Place-Based Community at National Scale · Ecosystem Activation Across Diverse Stakeholder Groups · What It Means to Market Belonging
Brand Identity Refresh + Marketing That Delivered 10x Engagement
A Brand Defined by One Name Needed a Voice of Its Own · Identity + Positioning + Campaign Infrastructure · 10x Across Awareness, Reach, and Engagement
Brand Identity + Messaging for a Regulated HealthTech Company
Regulated Spaces Demand Precise Visual and Verbal Systems · Identity Built for Trust Under Scrutiny · Messaging That Works for Both Patients and Providers
Post-Acquisition Brand Unification as Agency of Record
Two Acquisitions. One Year. Millions of Jira Users Watching. · Brand Strategy During a Global Crisis · Agency of Record: Content, Branding, Social, and Brand Anthem · Three Entities. One Cohesive Brand.
Boston Needs Racial Wealth Equity Data — Boston Foundation
Providing resources for grant makers in Boston and the Massachusetts area.
EASI Demographics: Helping One of the Country’s Largest Data Suppliers Look the Part
Three Distinct Buyer Personas. One Coherent Brand. · Rebrand Built for a High-End Client Roster · Ecommerce and Sales Journey Redesign
Strengthening the Identity of an Organization Focused on Diversity and Equity — Coalition On Race
A New Jersey Community focused on equity for more than 50 years
Aligning Five Acquired Companies Under One Inclusive Brand for Digital Transformation Leader
Post-Acquisition Brand Alignment Across Five Companies · Values Built Into Style Guide and Production Process · Equity as Infrastructure, Not Add-On
