LEAD GENERATION, GETTING NEW CLIENTS, AND MAINTAINING THE CURRENT ONES IS KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF A BRAND’S IMAGE. WHAT IS THAT SPECIAL SAUCE? THERE IS NO ONE ANSWER, IT DEPENDS UPON THE BRAND. HOW WILLING ARE YOU TO EMBRACE THE CHANGE NEEDED FOR REAL GROWTH?

CHALLENGE
When the homeowner of this beautiful New Haven antique gem came to me, she was hoping I could help her create an ad that would sell both her home, as well as the idea of relocation to New Haven, to New Yorkers and others in the region who may not have realized what the city has to offer.

STRATEGY
I extensively edited the text written by the client to help set the scene, and with the exquisite photographs taken by Jane Beiles, was able to put together an ad to capture the attention of anyone looking for a new adventure in a gorgeous setting.

SOLUTION
Not only was the client thrilled with the end result, but the art director at Veranda, when he saw the ad, exclaimed that it looked like one of their features and totally belonged in the magazine.

STRATEGY
I knew it was important to create messaging that united, informed, and inspired people to take up the challenge. Creating the hashtag #comebackstrong was the first step. This would be able to be shared all around social media, and encourage people to engage with it in their own ways, but it would also help spread the message farther. And since this is a town of truly wonderful and caring people, I knew the “It’s Up to All of Us” message would resonate.

SOLUTION
The result is a full messaging and signage campaign with posters for stores and restaurants briefly explaining what the new directions are, an instagram campaign, a banner, signs for the train and school boards, and lawn signs, all of which work to reinvigorate the town to work together to come back strong.

CHALLENGE
New Canaan resident, coach, sports buff, and family man Mitch Hoffman had a vision — to create a store that sold customizable sports apparel for the active family, and he called it 84. But he saw it going deeper than just a store. He envisioned a place that would become a destination, with excellent customer service that people could count on, and a place to provide everyday active wear, gifts, and fun banter with locals who were entrenched in the community. So, how to turn this new store into a trusted brand and destination shop?

STRATEGY
The first thing we did was create an instagram strategy that aligned with the goals for natural and organic growth. I introduced Manic Monday and Freebie Friday, where we could announce sales and promos that would bring in customers. And since as a coach Mitch is always imparting his words of wisdom, I created “Wednesday’s Words” where he could share quotes he loved for inspiration. That, along with sales and promos for customer engagement, helped grow sales. And posting stories of new items and happenings in the store, and of 84 followers wearing #84gear and then tagging them with “We love our #84family!” connected and engaged them.

SOLUTION
Another big piece of the puzzle for 84 was taking the already existing logo, and creating a brand aesthetic around it that went with Mitch’s request for an active yet rustic feel. I tied it all together with a gray camo and two casual fonts. And as the store expanded and moved into a larger space next door, I created the design for a sign that I commissioned local Connecticut street artist, Eddie Rivera, to spray paint on the brick outside for a rustic, been-here-forever look. I also created interior signage to tie the store’s image and branding together.

CHALLENGE
Potoo is a rapidly growing data firm that offers insights and solutions to brands to help them navigate their position in the online marketplace. With more than 500 brands to manage, and boasting 2800% growth over the last 4 years, the company wanted to transform their image, establish themselves as a thought-leader in the industry, and set up a path for even greater growth and visibility.

STRATEGY
To manage the many goals set forth by the team in such a short amount of time, it was necessary to set up a many-pronged approach in phases. The first was to rebrand, eschewing the original bold but cartoony logo for a more scalable mark that connotes the fierce protective image the firm represents. Next came the website, the company’s biggest selling tool, which would include a blog for thought-leadership articles. With the new brand in place, it was onto creating distinct social media campaigns.

SOLUTION
I rolled out a new logo (created by Hagopian Ink www.hagopianink.com), wrote and designed a new website, and created a brand voice to be used for articles as well as the new social media campaigns I instituted for Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. I also created a blog to showcase the articles, and instituted a schedule for publishing them weekly, establishing the company as a thought-leader in the field. I set up the foundation for an external newsletter for clients and prospective clients, to contain the most recent articles and industry news, and wrote press briefs to send out to local and national media. I also created a rating scale, whereby a good mark from Potoo would be what brands strive for.