Southern Plus

Australia, like most developed nations around the world, has seen a vast increase in its population aged 55 and over. Longer life expectancy brought on by better quality of living means that the aged care sector is under pressure to meet a growing demand for care services, both in people’s homes and in residential facilities.

Consequently, the fabric of aged care in Australia is changing too as Government reforms are shifting the sector toward consumer-directed care. This means people who are in need of services will have greater control and choice, allowing them to select the service providers and facilities that they feel best meet their needs.

Southern Cross Care in Western Australia (WA) has been providing aged care services since 1966 and is now one of the largest and leading providers in WA, providing support to over 3,000 people. To build on this success, the organisation is now evolving its brand for the future. It has enhanced its place as a desired service provider to consumers with the power to choose, and tailored its services to meet their needs in an increasingly competitive sector.

Now is the time to re-assess our view on ageing.

With this empowered consumer in mind, we developed the new Southern Plus brand – designed to offer a better way to age, and to provide a range of services that go beyond the category norm.

Transcending category clichés and the unrealistic ways in which ageing and the aged are portrayed, Southern Plus recognises the positives of the ‘third age’, highlighting the opportunity to do more with your life during what can be a time of new-found freedom. Southern Plus presents a life full of vigour, confidence and positivity combined with the sensitivity that comes from warmth, wisdom and experience.

The name itself speaks to the added extras, the additional value that Southern Plus can offer, as well as the brand's positive approach to ageing. The scale and legibility of the warm typography is designed to help consumers, some of whom may be vision-impaired, digest important and meaningful information in a clear and positive manner. Colour also plays the vital role of embodying positivity and helping to avoid the category clichés whilst also falling within vision impairment guidelines.

At its heart, the brand is user-centric by design – it’s intentionally clean in layout in the way that it focuses on service features and benefits, as well as highlights the positive little extras from a first-person perspective.

The new Southern Plus brand launched on Sunday 15 January with a new communications campaign developed by our partners at 303MullenLowe, but even before the launched it has made a significant difference inside the organisation.

In the words of Jane O’Halloran, General Manager, Strategy: “FutureBrand’s development of the new brand perfectly captures our positive strategic intent for Southern Plus, and positions our organisation and our people to deliver the very best services to our clients and their families. It’s already having a big impact on our people and it’s exciting to know that we’ve only just begun.”