Be a Shriner Now

TONY PAWLI

SHRINERS INTERNATIONAL Recruitment campaign (select ads, collateral sections and web pages shown) Retired old men in silly hats, riding around parades in tiny cars. This negative perception was causing a steady decline in Shriners International's membership. They knew that for growth and long term success, they needed to appear more relevant to a younger audience. The fez—that "silly hat"—embodied the non-relevance they needed to escape. But it was also the most widely identified symbol of the organization. So I turned it into a positive. Rather than an outward symbol of identity, I used it to represent deeper qualities. Values like fraternity, philanthropy and family. Timeless values that are at the core of what it means to be a Shriner. And it worked. The campaign did more than attract younger members and exceed the Shiners' recruitment goals. It created change in the corporate culture that pushed the their rebranding efforts forward.