Dr. Ida Rolf Institute (DIRI)

TASK

Refresh a pioneering legacy brand to propel it forward for longevity. 

WHO IS THE DR. IDA ROLF INSTITUTE^®?

Formally known as the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, it was renamed as the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute^® (DIRI) in the rebrand. It’s the home of structural integration’s pioneering modality ‘Rolfing^®’ – a 10-step holistic, deep-tissue bodywork therapy focused on fascia, developed in the 1970s by Dr. Ida Rolf. It’s a tertiary-certified membership organisation with a career path for students to use the Rolfing^® trademark and receive ongoing support.

CHALLENGE 

There was a disconnect between Dr. Ida Rolf and Rolfing^®. The legacy and significance of Dr. Rolf was lost. Rolfing^® became a generic term for structural integration, with no link to the heritage and knowledge of the behind-the-scenes work it takes to maintain the modality’s high quality, prestige and tertiary certification. 

The brand was dated, visually and functionally, and lacked consistency and distinction. Students were subject to a lacklustre onboarding process that failed to convey the incredible experience they received, and the brand wasn’t communicating the enormous value and opportunity in what they offered. 

Young marketing-savvy structural integration practitioners were leading the charge with their social media presence and understanding of visual branding, and the Institute faced fading into the noise if they didn’t act fast. 

SOLUTION

Studio Oi was thrilled to partner with DIRI for this work. We launched our strategy by conducting over 25 interviews and focus groups with former Rolfing^® students (known as Rollers), people across many bodywork fields, DIRI faculty, and clients. 

Our strategy identified the need to rebuild the brand and visual identity, launch a brand education piece and improve the website’s user experience. 

The name change from Rolf Institute of Structural Integration to Dr. Ida Rolf Institute^® and the new logo were the first steps in our comprehensive plan to leverage and honour Dr. Rolf’s invaluable legacy. And it was a big move that required legal involvement. This was supported by storytelling, website messaging and carried throughout marketing material and content. The tagline ‘We hold to higher standards’ was our play on words to acknowledge the Institute’s prestige in structural integration, its commitment to delivering high-quality therapy and training, and the hands-on nature of Rolfing^®. 

Our brand and visual identity overhaul was underpinned by humanness, using colour psychology to establish the palette, rounded, relatable fonts, and photography styled to always feature hands and head as a nod to the Rolfing^® practice (working with body and mind). We transformed their social media platforms and repositioned their brand to appeal to a younger audience.

The website proved tricky; we only had access to approximately 20 per cent of it. Its complex membership management program meant we had to build new primary pages using Bootstrap to interface with their CRM.

SERVICES

Strategy
Board presentations
Promotional material
Brand design and copy
Tagline and headline copy
Copywriting and content writing
Social media strategy and content

CLIENT VALUE

The client was so thrilled with the rebrand pitch that they signed off on the visual identity and name change within four hours of our presentation. We successfully repositioned the brand to fit the modern era of education and future-proofed it to remain an industry leader for years to come. 

Studio Oi’s ongoing services prove so valuable that our partnership continues to form part of DIRI’s annual strategic plan.

“Studio Oi is one of the most creative and responsive marketing teams I have ever worked with in my thirty years in education. They completed insightful and uncanny research on our organisation and executed a bold rebranding plan that took us to another level. We continue to work with Studio Oi on a week-to-week basis as brand, marketing and communication partners. It is a joy to work with them.” – Christina Howe, Executive Director, The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute^®