News

Ronald McDonald House Charities undergoes brand revamp

Ronald McDonald House Charities has undergone a brand restructure that has seen nine different logos consolidated into one as the charity looks to refocus a “higgledy-piggledy” approach to brand communication.

The brand overhaul has seen the seriously ill children’s charity ditch eight logos, many of which were created locally, and opt for the masterbrand logo – which features the famous Ronald McDonald clown holding hands with a child.

RMHC runs 13 houses for sick children and their families in Australia, which are run by 13 different boards and 130 board directors. This made the rebrand a difficult – and political – process, said Malcolm Coutts, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities, who is also VP of McDonald’s Australia.

“There wasn’t a shared understanding of what the organisation stood for. There was too much self-expression and not enough brand expression. It was a mess,” he said.


As well as replacing the old logos (four are pictured above – Coutts designed the Ronald McDonald Learning Program logo himself) with a single logo, RMCH rolled out a new brand architecture, devised by Interbrand.

Using the ‘stronger together’ positioning, each of the functions of the charity were colour-coded to distinguish them visually.

Food tray mats in McDonald’s restaurants – of which 600,000 are used every day – were redesigned, and the charity’s website reworked.

Marketing collateral, with a fresh typography and design, fell in line with the ‘Stronger together’ positioning.

“When Malcolm first approached us wondering if he had a logo problem, he would be the first to admit that he didn’t realise how we would take his team on a journey that would go far beyond logos and right to the heart of the organisation, and even so far as to analyse why the charity exists,” said Richard Curtis, general manager of Interbrand Sydney.

“By identifying and expressing this in a brand idea (not just a logo), we have turned Ronald McDonald House Charities inside out and shown everyone just what can be achieved.”

RMHC is gearing up for McHappy Day, which last year raised $2.3m. For every Big Mac sold, $2 will go towards RMHC this year.

Credits:

  • Designer: Chris Maclean, Mike Rigby, Abi Singmin
  • Production: Simon Cranwell, Oliver Kendall
  • Strategy: Linda Lundgren
  • Client services: Katie Barter, Richard Curtis
ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.