Design and Marketing for Associations

Every successful branding and marketing agency has an area of expertise that makes them a well-recognized and highly valued service provider in a specific industry or field of endeavour. For Pier 8 Group, the association sector is one the areas where our credentials really shine. Our experience encompasses a wide range of industries and disciplines.

Healthcare

Important Pier 8 Group association clients in the healthcare sector include the Ontario Dental Hygienists’ Association (ODHA), the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences (OAMRS), and the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario (MLPAO).

Since the mid-1990s we’ve worked with ODHA to develop a comprehensive communications program that is recognized as a best practice model in the association sector. Currently we are responsible for producing the organization’s award-winning publications, creating themes and marketing materials for its membership campaigns, promotional materials for its biannual conference, and a variety of other assignments. Our support for OAMRS includes designing annual reports and creating manuals that are used to train the next generation of medial radiation technicians and sonographers. In 2018 we developed a new logo and visual identity for the MLPAO.

Education

Our involvement with the McMaster University Alumni Association is something we take considerable pride in. The many alumni communications we’ve designed – magazines, brochures, invitations, websites and event promotions – have helped McMaster to forge strong ties with its graduates and contributed to the university’s fund-raising efforts in support of scholarships, bursaries and capital expansion projects.

Business Development

A few years back, we took on a special project for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which resulted in the successful launch of the Export Market Access program that’s helping Ontario businesses to increase their export sales. That initiative, which was funded by the Ontario government, was fully subscribed in its initial offering and is so popular that it continues to receive government funding today. Our branding and marketing efforts on behalf of the Chamber included developing a website and promotional materials that were distributed to more than 60,000 member businesses across the province. More recently, we created a new brand identity and marketing plan for the Acton BIA, which represents more than 120 businesses in this Halton Hills community.

The Environment

In addition to industry and professional associations, Pier 8 Group has worked with member-based organizations like the Positive Power Co-op. We created marketing tools, brochures and displays that were used by the Co-op to promote its community-based wind power projects in the greater Hamilton area. We also had the privilege of working with the Municipal Waste Integration Network (MWIN) to brand and promote its provincial conference, and the Carolinian Canada Coalition to develop an ecotourism marketing strategy for southwestern Ontario.

Communications Professionals

The Canadian Public Relations Society is another association that we’ve worked with on many occasions to promote its national conferences and its prestigious Awards of Excellence. Our work has included developing conference brands, marketing plans, print materials, newsletters, website content, digital ads and award certificates. Locally, we’ve regularly donated our time to support the holiday gatherings and award shows of CPRS-Hamilton. We also developed the branding for CPRS-Hamilton’s very successful Startup project, which connects entrepreneurs and start-up companies with experienced CPRS communications professionals.