Shakti stands for empowerment through correct information but a mere change in name and symbols would not result in behavior change. The Shakti experience has to reach each center and must be practiced by the custodians of this brand i.e. the service providers. An ICTC has a humble staff of a medical officer, counselor and a lab technician. It is these practitioners who are guardians of the brand and will give users the Shakti experience.
DEFINING THE SHAKTI EXPERIENCE
This section will orient the readers to the ‘Shakti branding experience’ and ‘branding rituals’.
Most of the ICTCs are located within the premises of government hospitals. One of the key findings that emerged from the research study was that many users found it difficult to locate an ICTC in the hospital.
To address this issue an initial recce was conducted in various ICTCs to understand:
• How easily accessible is it for the user from the entry point of the hospital
• What is the shortest route to the respective ICTC
• Awareness of ICTC within the hospital premise
Challenges identified during the first recce:
• Lack of awareness of ICTC was observed; not many knew where the ICTC was within the hospital premise
• Recce team was sent to ICU, when asked direction for ICTC in a suburban based government hospital
• It was time consuming to reach certain ICTC’s from the entry point of the hospital due to lack of directions and lack of awareness within the hospital staff as well
Recommendations given post the first recce:
1. Have the most effective presence of the branding elements
2. To ensure the best visibility for all the ICTC centers. Thus ensuring that the ICTC centers are easy to find/reach, especially the ones in the big 5 hospitals. Need for proper directional signage to locate the respective ICTC’s with minimal human help
3. Do this in the most efficient way with minimal cost
4. To maintain an optimal balance of visibility elements
5. Increase awareness in Mumbai about HIV testing centers in Govt. hospitals
6. Increase recognition, recall & response
Based on the recommendations of the first recce a second round of visits to the all the ICTCs were made and an exercise drawing up the directions and pathways from the entry point of the hospital to the actual ICTC was conducted. This exercise entailed the following steps:
• Find the shortest distance to reach ICTC within the hospital premises• Look for the pathways from the nearest Hospital Gate (Main Gate) to the ICTC
• To map the material to be used for the respective branding elements to the specific mounting area
• Look for the pathway from the OPD to the ICTC at the respective hospitals
• Calculate the number of direction signages required to reach the respective ICTC’s with minimal help
• Determine where and how to install the main façade branding at the respective ICTC centers
• Determine where and how to install the Registration area Signage
Both the visits were implemented and a branding plan emerged
1. GATE SIGNAGE
The gate of a hospital is the entry point for all users and potential users. A signage at the start is absolutely critical to guide the user especially in big hospitals where it can take up to 30 minutes to actually locate a testing centre. Image (right) is the actual gate signage that has been displayed on the gates of each hospital. The key message that this signage delivers is “Free Service”. Right at the beginning the 1st aspect / USP of ICTC is that it offers free service, hence the message at the gate.
2. DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGEAs the user enters the hospital he is surrounded by different pathways, lanes and wards. Which one is he supposed to enter?
He asks a few people around, ‘Where is the HIV testing center?’
People look at him with disgust and don’t bother with a reply. He goes to the hospital staff seeking a definite reply on the exact location of the testing centre but to his surprise even the hospital staff is unaware and ask him to go to a particular OPD.
This is the predicament that the user faces. He has mustered up the courage to go get tested, he is at the hospital but does not know how to reach the ICTC.
Directional signages essentially address this predicament, guiding the user along a pathway and making it easier for him to locate Shakti clinic. As shown in the representative images, directional signages will be put up at key points along the hospital pathway to guide the user until he finally reaches the center.3. FAÇADE SIGNAGE
Image (top left) is the scene of a façade of an existing ICTC. It is difficult to tell if one has reached the ICTC, with absolutely no sign/board/direction of the center.
In the image again, one can find an area marked in area. This spot was chosen for displaying the façade signage.
The Shakti façade signage (image second left) tells the user that he has reached the clinic again reminds him of the free service available here.
Such façade signages were displayed in each ICTC increasing the convenience of the user.
4. REGISTRATION SIGNAGEThe image to the left is that of a registration counter standing bare, with no instructions or details to guide the user.
The area in the image marked in red was the point identified for display of the Shakti registration signage.
Signages at the registration (image to the left) will give the message of:
• ‘Free Service’
• ‘No Case Paper Required’
• ‘Shakti Clinic in Ward no. ….’
The intent behind the messaging of ‘No case papers’ was that any user can enter the ICTC without a case paper, but many a times he is not aware of it since any general procedure in a Municipal Hospital needs a case paper. ICTC apart from being a free service ensures that the client does not have to go through the cumbersome process, he can walk into an ICTC directly and he should be aware of this. Bright signages of Shakti at the registration area, gives the user this information.
Signages will have two important elements:
1. Standardization
i. All directional signages will be standardize across all the ICTC’s
ii. All Gate signages will be standardized
iii. Branding elements for all the PPP’s would be standardized
2. Customization
i. The main Façade branding for the big 5 hospitals will be customized
ii. The Registration Signage for the big 5 hospitals will be customized
iii. Signages with the ward number will be put up at every hospital, every signage will be customized as per the ward / room no at the hospital
SHAKTI BRANDING RITUALS
“A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may
be prescribed by the traditions of a community.”
Apart from giving the product (ICTC) a revamped look, feel and design; it is also imperative to translate this into an actual experience at an ICTC such that this experience reflects what the brand stands for.
MDACS devised a set of practices or in other words ‘rituals’ that would make up the Shakti experience at every ICTC. These rituals are simple yet strategic actions that will radiate ‘Shakti’ to all the senses.
SENSE OF SIGHT
All visual elements will be consistent with the Shakti brand colors.
1. Motivational Posters
• As the user enters the Shakti clinic s/he will be welcomed with 4 motivational posters both in Hindi and Marathi.
• The messages on each of these posters are aimed to lift the spirits of those waiting for their turn of counseling.
2. Testimonial Posters• The user will also find 4 posters of PLHA and their trysts with the disease.
• More importantly it tells the user that even with HIV/AIDS their life goes on normally and urges them to use the benefits at the Shakti Clinic. There will be 4 testimonial posters both in Hindi Marathi.
3. The Counselor
Once the user reaches the counselor and is set to begin his counseling session, he will encounter the next element of the Shakti experience.
The counselor will be wearing a specially designed lab coat that carries that Shakti colour and symbolizes the empowering experience. This also helps distinguish the Shakti counselor from the other service providers at the hospital.
4. Branded Materials
a. Personal Identification Slip – This slip will have motivational messages for the user.
b. Consent form
c. Referral slip – This slip that has details of the user is usually handled by external hospital staff. There have been instance of stigma against positive users by external staff. This slip will now have an anti-stigma message that can be read by user and the others (hospital staff).
5. Map with all the 100 ICTC locations in the city of Mumbai
Each ICTC will have this map so if someone is at a big hospital which has a crowd to handle, he can go to another ICTC which is close by, all he has to do is look at the map. This material intends to provide users with convenience so that he saves his time.
6. SENSE OF SOUND
Music has the power to influence emotion.
Every counselor will be given an inspirational music CD that will be played at the Shakti Clinic.
This ritual aims to motivate users through music and leave a soothing effect on them.
7. SENSE OF SMELL
A visit to the hospital or a health clinic most often guarantees a typical clinical smell which creates a dull and sick environment.
The third sense that Shakti experience touches upon is that of smell. Every Shakti clinic will have a zestful lemon air freshener which will remove unpleasant clinical smells and fill the room with a pleasing light fragrance.
Each of these rituals right from the counselor’s wearing a Shakti coat to inspirational music being played in the clinic constitute the Shakti experience of treating the user with the highest regard and giving him a positive and hassle-free experience and most importantly taking away the fear of testing as well as that of the disease.
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