AMANDA K. RUE B R A N D S T R AT E G I S T Contact amanda.rue@gmail.com 804.387.2775 735 S. Pine Street Richmond, Va. 23220
AMANDA K. RUE B R A N D S T R AT E G I S T
SmallKitchenAppliances [research]
[concept]
[design]
[retail]
[market]
Research historical market competitive in-use trends
AEG/Electrolux Noise Report 2007 A food processor is loud enough to cause hearing loss 4 in 10 believe the noise of equipment in the home is one of the curses of modern life On being given the choice of a standard appliance or one that made half the noise at a 10% price premium, around half would go for the quieter, more expensive option
Cooking Behaviors
Emerging Technology Functional Innovations
Insights 1. The kitchen isn’t just about cooking - it’s the hub of the home. 2. Kitchen appliance noise is a necessary evil to signify that it’s working. 3. “Value added” in SKAs is style and design. 4. The noise that surrounds the home often goes unnoticed, but has harmful psycho-physiological effects.
Concept
Courteous Cook a full line of
Silent Kitchen Appliances designed to complement your lifestyle by not interrupting your life, but complementing it seamlessly.
BrandConviction WHY: We believe disruptive noises from kitchen appliances add unnecessary stress to the home. HOW: That’s why we give at-home-cooks a way to reduce the disruptive noises in the kitchen that normally interrupt their lives. WHAT: We do that by crafting our line of silent small kitchen appliances with aerodynamic design, efficient seals, soft motor mountings and sound absorption materials.
Positioning amidst a constantly disrupted world, we craft quiet in the kitchen
MarketOpportunity Reduce harmful side effects from noise in the home by bringing harmony to the kitchen.
Blenders Food processors Mixers Coffee Grinders Juicers
BrandManifesto White noise. Ambivalent sound. Stop and listen. Sounds you’ve never noticed. Noises you’ve never heard. It’s the buzz of the world around you. Creating another layer to the fibers of your senses, it exists as another element that adds to the bustle of your life. We want to be one smaller piece of the interference. Remove one element with the introduction of another. An appliance that stops increasing the chaos and lets you live your life with a few less decibels. Welcome to the world of the Courteous Cook, where we want to stop disrupting your world so you can enjoy the quieter moments.
Team: Amanda K. Rue, Kyla Wagman, Rory Shallis, Lisa Scotti, Abbey Dethlefs
SmallKitchenAppliances [research]
[concept]
[design]
[retail]
[market]
Design Concept Generation
Brainstorm
Concept Refinement
IDEATION
Concept Details
Test and Refine
PROTOTYPING
Retail
DEMONSTRATE DEMAND
Product Design Team: Nick Sorrell, Creative Technologist
DELIVER
Product Production
SmallKitchenAppliances [research]
[concept]
[design]
[retail]
[market]
GoToMarketStrategy CommunicationObjectives
Expose noisy kitchen problem
Announce Courteous Cook as solution
Explain Simple Design
Develop Brand Equity
CreativeDirection
Tone What we are
Minimalism
Channel
Courteous Cook Simple Modern Concise
Goal
Function
Supportive and Empathetic Informative and Concise Confident and Bold High-end
Examples
What we aren’t Whiners Complicated Brash Pompous
% of Budget
Point of Purchase
Illustrate benefit, At-a-Glance Understanding
LED screens Audio set up SKUs in non-kitchen departments - baby section
30%
Television
Boost excitement, Build Trust, Reverse Suspicion
Food Network, Morning broadcast, HGTV Brand campaign featuring 1 product at a time Morning routines are disruptive and chaotic enough
25%
Build Trust, Focus on Technology to Reverse Suspicion
Gourmet, Real Simple, Parenting If you can silence a gun, you can silence a blender. Form, Function, Volume
10%
Radio
Showcase Benefit
Leverage audio-sensory experience Question the sound of silence
5%
Digital
Prove Technology and Design, Gain Trust
Video banners driving to microsite Video tutorials act as a reference for explaining technology
5%
Product Placement
Showcase Function and Benefit
Find brand ambassadors in that already have followings Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, Modern Family
Trade Shows
Hands-on Testing, Attract Bloggers
Consumer Electronics Trade Shows Miami, Aspen, Salt Lake City
NonTraditional
Consumers experience Pop up smoothie stands in high-performance markets the product Sound chambers Cater silent dance parties at the MoMA
10%
5%
10%
Hair Care
Aussie
Aussie is uniquely positioned to unveil truth about the brand through humor as the ‘jester’ of the category.
Situation The hair care industry as a whole is saturated and uses naming as a source of product differentiation. This leads to the development of manufactured needs and the overpromising of product benefits. Aussie tries to play in this war of semantics, but does not communicate actual value propositions. As a smaller player in the P&G family of affordable hair care, Aussie attempts to use quirky humor and a tie to Australia as key differentiators. In actuality, the only thing exotic about the Aussie brand is the unique ingredients, as the product is neither manufactured nor sold in Australia.
Existing Print Opportunity Grow Aussie’s relevance by moving beyond semantics to differentiate by highlighting the unique Australian ingredients.
Strategy Tell a brand story as unique as the ingredients.
Insights Target Audience By focusing on a higher educated group with a slightly higher disposable income, we can tap into a growing market trend of consumers who care about the makeup and origin of the ingredients in products. These consumers are the foodies, who care about the ingredients of their foods, the people who take vitamins, and the people who share more intellectual interests. We can reach these witty and educated consumers by tapping into these evolving trends. Since the ingredients of products resonate with this audience, they will respond with curiosity and interest towards the rebranding efforts of Aussie.
1. The story behind the product builds consumer buy-in and loyalty. 2. Existing Aussie customers share the same values as the brand: practical, witty, smart, down to earth. 3. They also resent the pressure to fit a more mainstream youthful and trendy image.
Creative In order to align the Aussie tone with its behavior a brand story was developed to both showcase a sense of humor and highlight the fact that Aussie products aren’t sold or made in Australia.
Phase One : Establish Story Phase Two: Highlight Ingredients Phase Three: Debunk hair care myths
The Creative Concept Australians had beautiful hair, until we stole it. The stuff for beautiful hair grows exclusively in Australia. They used to have it all, until we stole it. Nobody knows for sure how it was stolen, but everybody knows that it’s in Aussie.
:60 Radio Spot How was great hair stolen from Australia? No one knows for sure. But one thing everyone can agree on is how great their hair used to be. We're talking about hair so stunning that the dodo birds across the country dropped dead, one by one with awe. Hair with the natural beauty of, nature. Hair so beautiful that no Australian ever felt the need to invent anything. Except the boomerang. Speaking of the boomerang--why do you think it chooses to return faithfully to its thrower? Because. Even an inanimate piece of wood couldn't bear to be apart from such. beautiful. hair. And while no one knows for sure how great hair was stolen, we do know where to find it now--in bottles of Aussie shampoo and conditioner.
AMANDA K. RUE B R A N D S T R AT E G I S T
Contact amanda.rue@gmail.com 804.387.2775 735 S. Pine Street Richmond, Va. 23220
education M.S. Creative Brand Management (CBM) Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, Va. Current GPA: 3.8/4.0, 2009-Present The CBM curriculum includes many of the core fundamentals of a traditional MBA program while adding an emphasis on creativity and collaboration. Teams work together to develop brand and communication strategies to solve real-world business problems. B.S. Marketing Management; Global Business Minor Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Va. Overall GPA: 3.6/4.0, 2002-2006
work experience JWT, Account Management Intern (Summer 2010) • Worked closely with senior executive teams to develop communications for Bloomberg. • Developed branding and launch plan for Food For Thought, a not-for-profit organization to support the World Food Programme’s school feeding program. Sage Island Interactive, Account Executive (2007-2009) • Managed multiple client accounts to produce cohesive online marketing campaigns through collaboration with internal production teams. • Successfully promoted brands online with a focus on website development and online marketing strategies including SEO and SEM. The Schwan Food Company, Customer Development Specialist (2006-2007) • Utilized door-to-door consultative selling techniques, and developed sales programs to acquire new, higher quality customers which increased revenue for daily routes by 75%. • Worked with CEO and executive teams to develop new outside sales force.
skills
personal
Software Windows 7 Microsoft Office Apple iWork Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop
Interests international travel, live music and concerts, local arts events, musicals, art, food, culture, dancing, painting, board games, psychology, community outreach, reality television, movies, popular culture
Certification Google AdWords Professional
Qualities enthusiasm, passion, curiosity, humor, practicality, quick learner, persistence, resourcefulness, good with people, humility, integrity, leadership, generosity