contents The Romp Meet the Team The Big Picture Execution Phases: 1. Evoking the Otter Internal and Aesthetics 2. Gathering the Romp Promotions and Externals 3. Smooth Swimming Leave Behinds Conclusion
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contents
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Allie Hughes
meet the
romp
Account Executive
Copywriter
Ashlyn Kloda
Kelly Scollard
Project manager
Patty Irizarry Fetch Strategist
Jennifer PeĂąa romp (n) a grouping of otters
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Thomas McMullen
Digital Specialist
Art Director
Amelia Baumann Junior Art Director
Betsy McMullen PR Specialist
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the big picture
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overall challenge who is little otter? Little Otter is a sustainable skincare company on a mission to reduce plastic waste and give back to clean water initiatives. The Atlanta-based brand prides itself on handmade products created with all-natural ingredients. Our team instantly fell in love with this company, and we take personal pride in pushing its physical and digital presence to new heights. After only a few months together, the work we produced far exceeded all of our wildest expectations. We know you’ll enjoy this little company just as much as we do!
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Little Otter Skincare came to our team with paws full of potential. They were a brand on a seriously impactful mission, but they just couldn’t seem to convey that mission to the rest of the romp. From day one, we knew that Little Otter was lacking the proper brand infrastructure to really capitalize on an advertising campaign. They needed to strategically develop their personality, redefine their presence, and build lasting relationships.
overall strategy To set these Little Otters up for success in the long run, our team decided on a brandbuilding strategy for the semester. We knew we needed to update the company’s aesthetic and voice on all digital platforms before we started promotion, so we dove into an extensive research and editing process right away. Then, we used a newly polished brand voice and aesthetic to spark love for Little Otter products within the B2B and B2C spheres alike. And in the end, our team provided the brand with a river full of content along with guidelines on how to best utilize their newly established presence.
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strengths
weaknesses
opportunities
Niche market of planet friendly skincare Prime headquarters of Atlanta High quality, respected products Passion for company message
Limited number of products offered Limited production capability Limited marketing Brand recognition limited to a small few
Growing market for local, green brands B2B networking through social media Increased digital engagement
threats Emerging natural skincare lines Established natural skincare lines Oversaturation of entrepreneurial market
swot analysis
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1 evoking the otter Internal and Aesthetics
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evoking the otter phase one:
the challenge When we encountered Little Otter Skincare, they were a company overflowing with personality and perspective, but their digital presence lacked consistency. Often, the brand’s loveable ethos was lost in cluttered copy and mismatched visuals – confusing the audience and misrepresenting their products online.
New Tagline Website Refresh Social Media Spruce Product Renaming
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the strategy Our team sought to solve this problem by diving deep into the brand’s story and mission, pulling as much info from its social media accounts and website as we could. We used this information, along with extensive guidance from the Chief Executive Otters themselves, to build style and voice guidelines for our team. From there, we expanded the newly developed essence of Little Otter to every customer-facing platform available.
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All consumer-facing copy lacked a clear sense of brand identity and cohesion. Little Otter needed to differentiate themselves from the competition by playfully conveying their product offerings, while also emphasizing their mission.
“10% to clean water work” “Natural and organic products for people and the planet” “We think plastic packaging is bullsh*t.” “Highly effective sustainable skincare on a mission.” “Join the Otter Romp.”
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Analyzed brand voice and personality Developed internal copy guide Pitched a new, cross-platform tagline
sustainable skincare – the way it otter be.
new tagline 18
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Once our team was familiar with the newly revamped style of Little Otter, we began tackling the brand’s website. Many of the pages were cluttered with copy, and the user experience was ineffective and confusing – a detrimental flaw for a company hoping to expand its e-commerce arm.
Streamlined user experience Decreased site bounce rates Updated copy to match new voice guidelines
website refresh 20
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social media spruce Little Otter’s Instagram feed lacked the humanistic feel that helps bring a skincare company to life. Our team suggested a balance of graphic sales content, mixed with photographs of real humans using the brand’s products.
previous social feed lacked a single shot of a face or of the product in use and relied heavily on stock footage
Refreshed Instagram feed Humanized product displays Aligned with the brand revamp
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product renaming
48%
of people were unfamiliar with face oils
Created and analyzed skincare survey Pitched findings to the client Renamed product “Golden Light Face Serum” 24
face oil
serum
Although our team definitely didn’t set out to rename any of Little Otter’s products, we couldn’t get past the thought that “Face Oil” seemed undesirable from a first impression. After conducting a comprehensive survey, we found that “oil” not only had negative connotations with us, but with a large majority of the brand’s potential consumers.
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2 gathering the romp Promotions and Externals
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gathering the romp phase two:
Social Media Engagement Search Engine Optimization Newsletter Sales Literature Redesign Jittery Joe’s Flash Sale Story Pitch
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the challenge Once our team finalized this otterly beautiful brand image, we knew it was time to tackle the biggest challenge yet. Little Otter Skincare was desperately failing to maximize the reach of its messaging, and previous customers were not being adequately retained. The brand’s sales literature needed a face-lift and a copy-lift, and their email marketing strategy was basically nonexistent .
the strategy To begin sharing Little Otter’s updated brand with the world, our team sought to develop a strong pack of loyal followers – the romp. By pitching our client to various news outlets and updating their social media practices we were able to accomplish just that. But we didn’t stop there; our team built powerful retail relationships, bringing in raving new romp members and smashing sales records.
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Statictcs show April 29th, 2019 through January 19th, 2020 vs January 20th, 2020 through March 31st, 2020
Even though their playful and organic feed was charming, Little Otters’ content needed to be revamped in order to raise product consideration and conversions. Our team recommended the brand begin using clear call to actions and relevant hashtags, while frequently engaging with their customer base. We created mock posts to eximplify these practices. 30
followers + 22% engagement + 4%
social media engagement 31
Designed a mock newsletter Enchanced website sign-up experience Suggested maintenance and future growth tips
Newsletter Mock
Once the Little Otter Instagram started to build new followers and we noticed an increase in traffic to the website, our team knew we had to keep these relationships going. However, the current newsletter was under-developed and offered no real value in signing up. The otter romp deserved better, so we took it up a notch.
mock newsletter 32
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sales literature redesign Little Otter Skincare needs business to business relationships in order to sell their products in retail spaces. Their existing pitch literature was outdated, cluttered, and not reflecting positively on the brand’s personality. Our creative team refreshed this literature in hopes that it would draw many more friends into the romp.
new
old Streamlined content for viewing in print and web Edited messaging with new brand tone Updated design with humanized photography old literature was outdated, cluttered, and didn’t reflect the brand’s personality 34
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Expansion into the retail scene of Athens began with a Jittery Joe’s coffee shop location agreeing to stock LIttle Otter lip balms. When we heard this news, our team wanted this partnership to go over so swimmingly that the chain had no choice but to expand to all of their classic city locations. We encouraged the brand to interact with all users posting the balm on their Instagram stories, and sparked the conversation with our personal accounts. Needless to say, it worked.
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Sold all lip balm stock in under 48 hours
Expanded partnership to include 10 more locations
Increased instagram following by 4.9%
Jittery Joe’s Flash Sale 38
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With the introduction of Little Otter lip balms to our local Jittery Joe’s, and the resulting rapid sell-out of the products, our team thought this was the perfect time to get our otter friends featured in an Athens’ newspaper, The Red & Black. This allowed for further awareness generation and the potential expansion of lip balms into Jittery Joe’s locations statewide.
Drafted and sent press release Interviewed on behalf of Little Otter Story was picked up by reporter, Anna Thomas
story pitch 40
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3 smooth swimming leave behinds
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smooth swimming phase three:
Product Photoshoot Illustrations Brand Video Future Partnerships
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the challenge Our team sought not only to offer a helping paw during this semester, but to build a lasting resource that will carry Little Otter Skincare far into the future. Making sure all of our projects were completed and handed off in an editable format was of utmost importance. The last thing we wanted to do was end our relationship without a giant exclamation mark at the end.
the strategy Every piece of marketing, creative, or strategy we completed for the brand throughout this semester was accompanied by future recommendations and best practices guides. And thanks to the Talking Dog production team, we leave Little Otter with rivers full of photo and video content to last season after season.
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In updating Little Otter’s overall aesthetic, our team began to notice that the brand was missing something by not utilizing models. For a company so focused on skincare, it surprised us that their feed and website seriously lacked skin! With the help of our agency’s photography team, we had a solution.
Executed model and product shoots Elevated the quality of brand image Created a library of content for future use
photoshoot 46
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Personalized ingredient pages using illustration Personified the brand with an otter icon Created an eye-catching display sign
Little Otter lacked a personal style within their brand images, becoming too reliant on stock photos. In order to enhance the intimate and organic nature of the brand’s ethos, hand drawn illustrations were constructed to be used for digital channels and displays.
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company promo video The founders of this brand, or chief executive otters, wanted a way to tell their origin story to potential customers and partners alike. Because the brand started as a passion project and is rooted in the deep personal beliefs of its founders, we thought an interview would be the most touching and professional way to portray their story. With the incredible help of the videography team, our vision was brought to life at the Little Otter headquarters itself.
Drafted a storyboard for the shoot Coordinated lighting, cameras, props Delivered a polished brand video
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Maepole Epiphany Bear Hug Honey Community Kempt Ardens Garden Journey Juice Daily Co-op Indigo child Indigo Home
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1000 Faces Avid Bookshop Condor Chocolate Flowerland Athens Farmers Market Creature Comforts Terrapin Frontier Gift Shop Dynamite Vintage Epiphany
future partnership opportunities Little Otter products can be found in several small shops and boutique hotels in Atlanta, but lack a presence in Athens. We wanted to curate a list of local shops that fit well with Little Otter’s mission, helping our clients do some targeted B2B sales far after we are gone.
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conclusion
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What started as a seemingly monumental task has now come to an end. The Little Otter Skincare brand is completely reimagined, back on its paws, and ready to conquer another stream. Our team started the semester by analyzing the brand head to tail – maximizing the playful energy of otters while balancing it out with professional aesthetics. Then, we began using all of our research and guidelines to promote the skincare brand and its products like never before. We fostered new relationships for the brand, and even smashed some sales records, all in a day’s work. Finally, our team made sure never to leave an otter dry, creating loads of branded content for them to use in the future, and offering tons of advice for the years and pups to come. As our work goes to show, Little Otter Skincare was an incredibly inspiring and receptive client to serve. They came to our team with fluffy fur and lots of love, right at a time when we needed it most. And we can’t express how happy we are to spread that love right back.
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