Agency for branding, advertising and design | evoq Zurich Cologne
From renovation project to showcase project
The campaign focuses on the Wipkingen parish hall, which is in dire need of renovation and is located on Zurich's busiest street. The city's first high-rise building is to be renovated and reopened as the "Haus der Diakonie". The considerable costs of over 50 million Swiss francs are to be communicated transparently by all committees and ultimately approved at the ballot box with a “yes” vote.
The website serves as an information hub
The main medium for the information campaign is the website, which has been specially designed for this purpose. At haus-der-diakonie.ch, future visitors can have their say, learn about the most important milestones of the project and find answers to their questions. The website will also provide information about the status of the complete renovation and temporary uses of the large terrace. The opening of the HDD is planned for 2027.
Those affected become participants
Other activities in the run-up to the vote on the 50 million project include events, guided tours and a public exhibition. This allows interested parties and residents to contribute their ideas and wishes for the HDD in a participatory process at an early stage of development. Participation is facilitated by the project partner Moderat.
A set of diverse communication tools
Flyers, posters, social media posts and guided tours are additional communication tools and offerings that evoq develops and implements. The tone of the communication and the referendum campaign is deliberately informative and thus tailored to the characteristics of the target group. Even before the vote in parish, the project must pass through various internal church committees, be positively received and finally be approved.
For the actual referendum, evoq designs the voting brochure in collaboration with illustrator Benjamin Güdel and copywriter Marc Lustenberger. Around 65,000 copies of the brochure are sent out to parishioners by the Zurich State Chancellery together with the official voting documents.
A clear “yes” at the ballot box
The crowning glory is the clear “yes” vote of around 77 percent of voters, with a turnout of 41 percent. This level of interest is unusually high for church matters and shows that a great many people identify with the diaconal project in the city.
