BRAND AND CREATIVE STRATEGY

Hello, darling! Working closely with our agency’s client we established a whole new voice, look and feel, and brand guidelines for the OBSW brand. The goal was to make it a stronger household name, competing with DSW shoes. Here are all of the steps we created to make a more fun, sassier brand.

THE PROJECT

Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse (OBSW) hired an Atlanta agency to recreate their design standards, have a shoppable ecommerce site, and give their brick and mortar stores a face-lift. Their strongest competition, Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) had all of these things, but OBSW felt that they had the better product, but lacked brand recognition. I was hired to lead that client and team.

CONSIDERATIONS

We knew we needed to create solutions that go beyond the visible surface of the brand. We wanted to create a brand that had a feeling. We needed to keep our relationship with the current moderate shopper, but needed to reach a new target - the fashionable shopper, and we needed her to love us, and use her social media prowess to help us market ourselves.

Challenges:  1. Create a fresh, new brand personality, that stands out from the competition,  2. Reach her emotionally,  3. Create an impression of fashion relevance and authority

CREATIVE STRATEGY & CONCEPT

Selling Confidence to Sell Shoes. Shoes are an emotional buying decision, especially for women. It's a truth that shoes fit no matter how you look or feel on any particular day. We decided to use emotional brand messaging, as opposed to pure promotional messaging, to create a unique brand voice and personality that will resonate with a fashion-loving but on a budget consumer. As a discount retail brand, we decided the price speaks for itself. Selling confidence allows us to sell the quantity propositon: this brand sells over 30,000 pairs of shoes. That's a lot of ways you can feel and look your best on any given day. We also believe that when the consumer realizes she found a great deal, this too will boost her confidence. * Note: All images are for internal pitch use only and are not owned by the brand.

 CREATING A FEELING: VOICE AND DESIGN

I concepted, wrote, and designed this pitch to sell in the new creative strategy to the client. All imagery for internal use only.

THE VOICE

 Inspired by the brand's Southern Nashville roots and by popular style quotes from the queen of fashion, Coco Chanel, we created a persona called Coco Parton.  This new sassy brand voice was conceived to help us write brand messaging that would stand out from generic retail copy. The brand's communications were meant to be sassy, funny, and endearing.  Above everything, the brand gave style advice every season, like a friend shopping with you. Below is the brand's mantra we wrote to establish the brand's values:

A NEW TAGLINE

If you feel good, you become confident. Like the old saying says "If the shoe fits..." this new brand tagline "If the shoe fits... strut" gives women the encouragement to dress in a way so that they feel their best, which in turn will help them to radiate confidence.  Good style gives you confidence, and the brand's essence teaches the consumer how style and confidence starts with the feet.

BRAND MANTRA

We wrote the brand mantra not only as a branding statement, but also to use parts of it for social media, in-store graphics, packaging patterns, etc.

Empowering Messages, Editorial Style Imagery

The original visual photo direction: edgier, clean photography to be shot in studio to keep the focus on the product. Casting was to be inspirational, showing a range of different women of various backgrounds, sizes, and styles. (Note: these images are borrowed images for internal pitch only...and are not owned by the brand...taken and photoshoped with brand messaging, from Terry Richardson for Elle). 

DESIGN STANDARDS

A 360 degree pitch. To establish the new and improved brand personality, we pitched to the client ways they could apply the new visual and messaging direction across all consumer touch points in order to create a collectively delightful - and consistent - consumer experience. 

SOCIAL LAUNCH ON PINTEREST

Getting the word around. We applied the new voice and design to Off Broadway's new social media channels. Pinterest was our biggest new build. We knew our fashion consumer - she likes to pin, she likes encouragement, and she likes shoes. We created pin-able quotes from both famous fashion ladies, and new quotes from the brand's mantra and brand voice that gives her permission to feel good about her style choices.

** Please see my portfolio page "Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse Site Design & Digital Mag" for our solutions to their online presence. ** 

Creative Team:  

Creative Direction: J.Padgett   

Art Direction: J.Padgett

Design:   E. Harvey, E. Ashley

Copy: J. Padgett, A. Macam