In today’s highly competitive world, companies of varying strength are constantly looking for ways to stand out and gain a competitive edge over their sartorial rivals. One way to stand out and build a competitive brand is through corporate social responsibility (Zhao et al., 2019). A socially responsible company bolsters its image and provides employees to leverage the organization's resources to make a difference in the surrounding communities’ lives. This can improve staff morale, productivity, commitment, loyalty and retention and, consequently, boost profitability. CSR is always a thoughtful and practical way to improve the quality of life of the communities. The project proposal for this capstone is aligned with the CSR strategy. The organization selected was Authentic Designs based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The idea is to apply corporate communication skills learnt in this course to help Authentic Designs Inc. give back to the Abu Dhabi community. This project proposes to design fliers and brochures containing awareness message about the COVID-19 global pandemic that has affected all aspects of living. The key message delivered will be prevention measures and the value of COVID vaccines in the recovery effort. A roll-up banner will also be created featuring all the information on COVID etiology, symptoms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to be used in a college-wide campaign. The purpose and significance of this project, as well as the expected outcomes, are discussed in this proposal brief.
Authentic Designs –A Brief Description
Authentic Designs Inc. is a fully incorporated startup company based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The company was started in 2019 and specialized in brand building services for global brands and retailers operating in all business types. Authentic Designs provides a broad spectrum of services for large, medium and small enterprises across sectors. Some of the main brand-building services delivered by authentic designs include design and concept creation, graphics and signage, photography and editing, content management, relationship building, Public relations, digital marketing, copywriting, printing and more. Authentic Designs Inc. understands the clients' business goals and helps them create a strong brand story to help win customers' hearts and minds wherever they are.
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Branding is an important marketing effort for any business big or small or whether it offers product or service provider. Authentic designs Inc. provides organizations with efficacious branding solutions from the planning and development stage all the way to the promotion stage. Hiring authentic designs Inc. services has immense benefits to any organization. Firstly, the organization is able to create an identity that distinguished it from the completion and creates a lasting impression for consumers. Branding services bring onboard experience and expertise necessary to mould the culture, mission, and vision of the organization into one cohesive image. Proper branding attracts and facilitates the retention of talent and increases loyalty and commitment among staff. Lastly, authentic designs Inc. commits to bringing creative and fresh points of view to increase competitiveness.
Project Description
Since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, there have been 332,603 confirmed cases with 947 fatalities. Tourism, education, transportation, education, and health sectors were the most affected sectors. Many businesses were affected profoundly with curfews, movement cessation, social gathering, and Work-from home-Directives. Digitization of services has grown remarkably in the UAE and most countries across the globe. Students are studying online, most people are working from home, and business transactions are being completed online with the aid of telecommunications such as Skype and Zoom. Just recently, scientists discovered the vaccine for the deadly pandemic. Currently, UAE is vaccinating its population at designated areas across the country using any of the four sets of vaccines: vaccines by Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and the latest by Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Authentic Designs Inc. should join in the effort to combat the spread of COVID 19 effectively eradicating it from the communities in the United Arab Emirates. The proposed project is a community-wide sensitization campaign aimed at increasing awareness of COVID 19 in Abu Dhabi. The success of the project hinges on several strategies. First, it is important to conduct a needs analysis to identify the gap and target audience for the campaign effort. Knowledge of the target audience's size and profile is important in discerning the resources needed for a successful campaign and the reach of the awareness campaign. The target audience will be segmented to ensure the content is relevant and sufficient to them. The next step is to develop the message for the campaign. This project proposes content relating to COVID 19 prevention. The message will chiefly outline the cause, symptoms, and epidemiology, as well as how it spreads (pathophysiology and histopathology). Content on the prevention and treatment will be comprehensively created information condemning the myths of vaccination will be featured in the posters to demystify the fear people have against vaccination and attest to its safety. This information will be printed in brochures, cards, and fliers and onto a roll-up banner to be used during the campaigns. Authentic Designs will brand all the brochures, banners, flyers, and cards. The campaign team will put on Authentic Design Inc. colors in the form of branded t-shirts bearing the logo and mission of the organization during the day of the event.
Awareness and community sensitization programs play a critical role in COVID-19 prevention (Alanezi et al., 2020). By taking part in the awareness creation effort, Authentic Designs Inc. will not only bolster its image as a company but also proactively participate in reducing the adverse effects of COVID Pandemic. Public health promotion is one of the most important forms of corporate social responsibility organizations engage in.
Significance of the Project
This project is significant as it concerns creating awareness on an issue of global importance. The impacts of this project will fundamentally alter how the audiences targeted for the project behave and feel above the pandemic. The benefits from this project will be overarching not only for the targeted audiences but also to Authentic Designs Inc.
Importance to the Community
Through this campaign, the community will learn the different and up to date ways to safeguard against the deadly virus. The campaign is a public health promotion program that will sanitize the community on the need to take the disease seriously by adhering to the measures put in place to control the spread. COVID prevention measures through keeping social distance, regularly washing hands, avoiding crowded places and unnecessary travel have been a reverberating song in the media and news outlets since 2020 when the virus was first reported in Wuhan. The focus of the campaign will be on treatment and prevention, specifically the vaccine. People do not know much about the vaccine, and there have been evolving myths about the vaccine, which is an area the campaign wishes to address. Some of the myths state that the vaccine is unsafe and may alter DNA, that it has some microscopic tracking elements, recovered COVID patients do not need a vaccine, vaccinated individuals don't need to wear protective equipment, that the vaccine has severe side effects, it is a form of control drug, it is a cure for COVID and many others (Ayers et al., 2016). All these myths will be disapproved through factual scientific evidence. This is significant to the vaccination effort in the country at grass root levels.
Importance to Authentic Designs Incorporated
As the primary sponsor for this awareness campaign, Authentic Designs Inc. will benefit immensely. Firstly all campaign materials will be produced and distributed by the company design team, which is a profitable venture. Next, through corporate social responsibility, public health promotion campaigns will bolster the image and brand of Authentic designs Inc. Formal corporate programs that give back to the community contribute to increased sales and customer loyalty, enhances staff productivity, assist in attracting and retaining talented employees, attract much-needed investors, is a requisite to gaining a competitive edge over rivals, contributes to increased job satisfaction for employees, and opens up new market niches for the company if CSR gets positive media publicity.
Goals and Objectives of the Project
Goals of the Project
To educate residents of Abu Dhabi on effective measures to combat COVID 19
To demystify the rumors and myths regarding COVID 19 vaccine and replace them with facts.
The Objective of the Project
To transform the individual attitudes towards the COVID 19 vaccine and inspire them to combat the spread of the disease actively.
SWOT Analysis
Expected Outcomes from the Project
The ultimate aim of running such an awareness campaign is to promote behavioral and attitude change in a manner that directly contributes to the reduction in the spread of the COVID 19 virus across Abu Dhabi. We expect that the targeted audience will not resist vaccine administration and will take personal initiative to get vaccinated through this project. The campaign will ensure targeted groups understand the impacts of and take proactive action towards preventing the spread of the virus. For efficacy, the campaign will be multifaceted involving disseminating printed materials; organization of public awareness training on college grounds, organizing for professional consultation with trained medical professionals; and communication and information using social and mass media platforms. For Authentic Designers, expected outcomes include, increasing brand awareness, educating audiences on the unique and winning selling points, improving brand authority in the market, relaying brand authenticity, and building brand loyalty. Converting customers consistently and reaching out to new markets.
Conclusion
Today’s business environment is characterized by extreme competition. Business leaders are constantly looking for ways to distinguish their offerings from those of their rivals in order to gain a competitive edge. One way organization achieve this much-needed differentiation is through corporate social responsibility. Researchers have found an association between company’s engagement in CSR activities and improved sales and profitability, higher job satisfaction and morale among the staff, higher rates of employee retention, increased customer loyalty, and brand development. In line with this, the proposed project is a CSR effort by Authentic Designs Inc., which seeks to reduce the spread of COVID 19 by creating awareness among distinct audiences in Abu Dhabi. Public awareness and sensitization are pivotal in preventing the spread of disease. The project's significance was highlighted and appeared to be consistent with the positive impacts expected after launching the proposed campaign.
References
Alanezi, F., Aljahdali, A., Alyousef, S., Alrashed, H., Alshaikh, W., Mushcab, H., & Alanzi, T. (2020). Implications of Public Understanding of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia for Fostering Effective Communication Through Awareness Framework. Frontiers in Public Health , 8 .
Ayers, J. W., Westmaas, J. L., Leas, E. C., Benton, A., Chen, Y., Dredze, M., & Althouse, B. M. (2016). Leveraging big data to improve health awareness campaigns: a novel evaluation of the great American smokeout. JMIR public health and surveillance , 2 (1), e16.
Zhao, Z., Meng, F., He, Y., & Gu, Z. (2019). The influence of corporate social responsibility on competitive advantage with multiple mediations from social capital and dynamic capabilities. Sustainability , 11 (1), 218.
