AMERSA

Overview

The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction approached Mekanic in the midst of a “good dilemma” – attendance of their annual conference had grown significantly since COVID, and as an association, they had begun to attract a set of new, diverse, and varied members. Mekanic partnered with AMERSA to create an updated brand and positioning that would help audiences see themselves as a part of AMERSA, while helping retain the momentum AMERSA had attained.

Strategy

Like many organizations, AMERSA’s new challenges and need for an updated brand, stemmed from their growth, adding new audiences to their membership, and the need to create a more cohesive and inclusive brand experience. During our initial conversations, we surfaced that AMERSA was moving – somewhat by accident – from a strictly evidence-based research professional society, to a more everyday-practice and lived-experience community of professionals working across the spectrum of substance use care. Which meant AMERSA’s messaging and brand could no longer only focus on an academic/research audience, but needed to reflect the individuals who were in the day-to-day work with patients and clients undergoing care for substance use.

Tactics

We began the engagement with a lengthy research and discovery process, which included stakeholder interviews, workshops, audits, surveys, and an extensive review of AMERSA’s existing communications and brand identity. After identifying AMERSA’s primary motivators, unique identifiers, and an understanding of its audiences, we developed a framework for updated messaging, and developed new brand identity concepts. These were presented, with a recommendation from Mekanic, which was received and approved by AMERSA. We developed extensive messaging to cover all of AMERSA’s offerings, as well as audience-specific messaging for its diverse range of new members.

Outcome

The new brand and messaging was universally well received and praised by AMERSA’s leadership, staff, and membership, and served as the catalyst for their continued success attracting new members, increasing attendance at their annual events, and expanding their influence across the substance use spectrum.