TRIEC Building a Better Future
A few weeks after the launch of the digital annual report that I designed for the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, I wanted to know how things were going. Jessica Hume, Strategic Communicator, innovative communications at TRIEC generously accepted to share her thoughts about this innovative project.
G Strategic:
Has this project increased awareness about TRIEC?
Jessica Hume, TRIEC
J Hume:
It’s hard to measure but I do think it helped to give TRIEC more visibility among our stakeholders – have them take a second more detailed look where in the past they might just have glanced at the AR and said “oh that’s just TRIEC”. We certainly heard a lot of positive feedback from other staff internally, our executive director, our Board, and other close stakeholders. People commented that they really like the fresh look, the different format, and (I think most importantly) that they actually read it. I think this last piece is the greatest value that I’ve seen from the change in format – people actually took the time go through it – probably in large part due to the design and the ‘novel’ format. I think this is held up by the numbers in terms of length of time people spent on the site.
G Strategic:
Did this project help clarify your mission/activities to your various stakeholders? Did it help differentiate TRIEC from other organizations?
J Hume:
The goal of this project was to tell TRIEC’s story over the last 10 years with a particular focus on what was done and the impact it had. I think the project did shape that story that it will serve essentially as an archive for the first 10 years of TRIEC’s life. In this sense I do think it has helped to clarify who we are. However, it is just one of a number of different activities over the last year to try and renew TRIEC and reinvigorate our work so it’s hard to know exactly what to attribute to it. I think it has helped differentiate us from other organizations through a more innovative format and bolder design – this has helped our communication to stand out from the pack.
G Strategic:
Compared to your Annual Report print spend of the previous year, was this a budget-friendly option?
J Hume:
We saved this year by producing a small print publication as well as the detailed online publication.
G Strategic:
Finally, how do you feel and what anecdotal feedback did you receive about your decision to produce a primarily digital product? What has been the reaction to your choice of a multi-media platform, including video, slideshows, etc vs a more elaborate printed piece?
J Hume:
I feel good about the decision. Feedback was really positive about the Annual Report and most people appreciated the non-traditional format and considered it more valuable than our previous versions.
