When MilliCare decided to do a brand refresh in 2010, a simple challenge arose from the discovery process: MilliCare must fully understand and clearly communicate what sets them apart in the industry. What developed was a brand message focused on the idea of “total care.” And when they needed this message applied to their six-year-old website, MilliCare turned to the Coast.

Embrace the rational, articulate the emotional.

The refreshed MilliCare brand has the task of maintaining a common rally cry that its national and worldwide franchises can stand behind. So the need to create loyalty for the brand and give both franchisees and end users a compelling reason to be involved quickly rose to the top as an essential site goal. And to do that, the messaging of the website needed to be believable.

We rewrote all site content with an emphasis on the message: Taking Care of Business. The mantra allowed the website to create a new model of communication between all audiences, from corporate to franchise to end user. Internally, it was clear what MilliCare stands for. For franchises, association with a strong national brand elevated their message. And for the end-user, the simplicity of the messaging helped them understand and trust MilliCare.

Bringing it to Life

The design of the site was heavily influenced by the visual language established during the brand refresh, but we added in our own elements to update more than just the skin.

What was once a glorified splash page with outdated and infrequent news blips, was now an easily accessible portal for users to explore the brand at their own pace. A carousel contains eight buckets focused on all the different ways MilliCare takes care of business. From responsible care to sustainable care, the user is constantly reminded that MilliCare doesn’t just offer services and products, it believes in and stands behind its work.

Nothing communicates that mission more than MilliCare by the Numbers, a continuously updated ticker at the bottom of the page that tallies the resources MilliCare is saving across their network. It’s one thing to say you make a difference. It’s another to show the difference, to calculate your impact live. It’s a stronger experience.

Your Local MilliCare Provider, another tool we introduced, serves two purposes. It provides a quick and convenient way for end users to locate the MilliCare representative in their area. And, as a show of support from MilliCare, it puts franchises front and center on the home page, helping them promote and grow their business.

The Results

While the site is less than a year old and the brand refresh is still being implemented across all mediums, the effects of the website are trickling in. Total visits to the site have increased and users are sticking around longer. On average, users are spending one and a half times the amount of time they spent a year ago and user retention has improved.

The results have been so positive and show such progress that we are implementing the visual design and core messaging across all franchise microsites, further solidifying the strength of the brand. Now that’s taking care of business.