COTA SA | The Plug-in

How we delivered a brand identity that empowers older South Australians

Sector: Aged Care, Community and Not For Profit
  • Branding and Design
  • Content Creation
  • Digital and Social Media
  • Marketing Communications
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The Challenge

COTA SA is the peak body representing the rights, interests and future of SA’s over 50s. They are at the forefront with their social enterprise, The Plug-in, working with businesses, government and not-for-profit sectors to innovate to improve their products, services and policies for the growing market.

In 2017, COTA SA required a brand strategy and identity for The Plug-in. It needed to visually express older South Australians’ willingness and eagerness to be ‘plugged in’ to research and innovation about technology, services and products that support ageing well.

The brand identity and language needed to be fresh, creative, dynamic, responsive and reliable. It was also important for the audience to feel important, welcome, valued, respected, supported, connected, heard and empowered.

Our Approach

We started by conducting a brand workshop where we profiled:

  • The key stakeholders and their needs
  • The brand personality
  • The tagline and positioning

This resulted in the development of a ‘brand blueprint’, which provided clarity on the brand positioning and informed the design brief.

We felt strongly the brand identity needed to speak to its name and in researching the core elements, they needed to earn their place in the final logo mark with a story and meaning for each.

The main elements represented in the logo include:

  • A plug
  • An on button
  • People
  • Equals
  • A smiley face

The friendliness and warmth of the brand shines through with the playful incorporation of a smiley face also visible in the ‘g’ and equals symbol.

communikate et al conceptualised and managed the following project elements:

  • Photoshoot
  • Explainer animation
  • Corporate stationery
  • Merchandise
  • Collateral including postcards, brochures
  • Exhibition displays
  • Slide deck, proposal and report templates
  • Advertising and invitation templates
  • Digital content (EDM, social media)

The Outcome

The Plug-in has steadily grown since 2017, now with 26 projects completed for 19 clients including Weber, ACH Group, CSIRO and University of Adelaide.

Striking a balance between playfulness and meaning was fundamental to the success of the identity. So too was:

  • The ability to separate the plug/smiley face mark, making the brand exceptionally dynamic in its application
  • The addition of a carefully curated selection of photographs keeping the identity fresh and engaging
  • The plug being animated, bringing the dynamic brand identity to life

The punchy colour palette:

  • Speaks to innovation and idea generation
  • Creates interest
  • Grabs the viewers’ attention
  • Is fun, bright and stimulates a sense of joy

Leading on the right foot from the beginning, with a highly considered, professional and impactful brand helped COTA SA and The Plug-in to create clarity in the market quickly.

The Plug-in folder with posters and business card designed by communikate et al
The Plug-in folder laying on a table designed by communikate et al
We create positive change that will have a direct impact on older people's lives
Jane Mussared smiling
The Plug-in business cards laid out on table designed by communikate et al
The Plug-in stationary collateral designed by communikate et al
The Plug-in signage printed on a travel mug resting in the hands of a man seated on a pallet
Older man and woman walking up the stairs on their way to a meeting holding The Plug-in collateral
The Plug-in posters laid out on table designed by communikate et al

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What our clients have to say

The visual impact of the creative was exactly what the Local Government Association was looking for to engage audiences and drive an increase in nominations from traditionally underrepresented groups on council.

As a result of the advertising we saw a particularly strong increase in candidates identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and many more candidates from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Karen Teaha
Director, Media & Communications, LGA

The South Australian Museum worked with communikate on a SA Tourism Award submission. The submission is a huge task with many moving parts and communikate helped bring it all together seamlessly. Always a pleasure working with CK!

Ashleigh Glynn
Communications Lead, SA Museum

We have really enjoyed partnering with communikate on some key projects and appreciate their responsiveness and the quality of service they provide. communikate’s ability to be agile and quickly act on changes to strategy has been impressive and has resulted in us being confident in the fact that they keep the best interests of our campaign front of mind. The level of detail they provide in their reports has ensured we’re able to learn from our hits and misses and adapt our future strategies accordingly.

Daniel Stevens
Marketing & Communications Team Leader, City of Adelaide

Bec, Henry and the team understood our brand from the get go and it showed from concept to delivery. During an intensely busy time for our team, they worked seamlessly with us to develop and manage an integrated campaign... The results were outstanding and put the hotel in an excellent position to launch into a competitive market, with strong occupancy experienced. We really value our partnership.

Chris Curran
Director of Hotel Openings & Operations, Pro-invest Hotels Group

communikate were initially engaged to assist in rebranding and marketing. I was most impressed with the way they listened, interpreted our ideas and turned them into something the whole community took pride in…. Their strategy helped us to achieve strong enrolment numbers… I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a professional, innovative, talented and highly relational marketing (and more) agency.

Peter Daw
Former Principal, Mercedes College

We have been hugely impressed with the way communikate et al have immersed themselves in learning our brand and respecting our approach. It felt like they just ‘got us’ from the start! It has been such a pleasure working with their professional, smart and dynamic team.

Jocelyn Marsland
Manager – Communications and Marketing, Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health

We love the Daily Moves branding that communikate et al created. It is friendly, flexible for different applications, and our marketing collateral stands out from the rest. We have received a lot of compliments from participants and stakeholders who love it just as much as we do.

Alyssa Hill
Daily Moves Program Coordinator, City of Unley

communikate et al were an integral part of the King William Road upgrade team from the initial community consultation right through to completion. The brand they created fit the project perfectly. They took the time to understand the complexities and always delivered with strategic oversight, ensuring things were done with purpose and meaning. Having them on board was invaluable.

Akarra Klingberg
Former Coordinator Business and Economic Development, City of Unley

communikate et al has been our trusted partner for strategic communications and advice over a number of years. The team is always responsive and reliable, and the quality of work is first rate.

Anita Harvey
Head of Brand & Marketing, Partnered Health

communikate bring a valuable offering to project delivery mainly due to their industry experience in navigating through complex situations by providing balanced points of views with focused outcomes.

Mark Van Roekel
Capital Delivery Manager, Flinders Ports Holdings