Gold award for Metlifecare’s Virtual Village

On Thursday evening Metlifecare’s Virtual Village won the Gold award for Best Community Management Impact at the Commercial Communication Council’s Pressie Awards.

The Virtual Village is an online entertainment hub filled with brainteasers, music, recipes and fitness activities to help keep minds and bodies active at home.

Entrants in the Best Community Management Impact category had to demonstrate the impact that exceptional community management has had on their brand, organisation or community.

General Manager Operations, Richard Callander, said Metlifecare’s Virtual Village created very tangible support to residents and was the result of a cross-functional team effort.

“The Virtual Village helped to maintain lines of communication and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness within our villages, as well as the wider community, during lockdowns.

“Launched within a week of the first lockdown occurring, the Virtual Village continues to live on our website, as a community service, to both residents and those living at home,” he said.

The online puzzle packs and daily quizzes were particularly popular with residents, with one commenting that they strongly recommended the continuation of the Virtual Village after lockdown. “They are a fantastic innovation and something that enhances the Metlifecare experience,” he said.

Community management has increasingly become a powerful engagement tool and Pressie Awards judges were looking for an effective strategy that reflected the company’s personality, position and business objectives. Campaigns had to show that they delivered engagement, sentiment change or a positive impact on objectives for the business or community organisation.