A refresh to stay current
Whether you suffer from writer's block, the 3 o'clock yawns, or the stuck-inside-for-a-year-pandemic-doldrums, change, or a refresh, might be just the thing to perk you up again. We all need to flip the pages every now and again, to stay motivated, relevant, and feeling good. The same goes for businesses.
Getting up on plane with a new campaign
This year we worked with Boats By George (BBG) to reboot a recent business model and also build out merchandise and photography, resulting in a 15.9% increase in sales from 2020 to 2021. Sometimes, refreshing a brand means simplifying a brand, stripping things down to the most important elements that truly connect to the audience.
A scrolling image of a landing page for a Cobalt dealer offering a smart buyer program.
In BBG’s case, focusing in on people’s passion for Lake George and love for boating on said lake was a natural direction. By infusing beautiful, authentic photography, updated buzz-worthy merchandise, and event and promotional marketing into their established, well-known brand, we gave BBG’s ads a fresh feel and their customers a new experience. We redirected their campaign to focus on the feelings that people experience on the water and away from the facts that are better left to the sales team.
Segmenting messages by audience
One size fits all rarely works in clothes or marketing. Which is why we segment messages by audience, people want to hear and see what is relevant to them. And, given ever-shrinking attention spans, you don't have long to get to the point.
Quick tips for audience segmentation to hone your message.
Customer profile: It's ok if you are just starting. Take current customers and past customers and craft messages that suit each.
Demographics: Do you have products that appeal to different age groups? You should still present them in different ways to appeal to the target group.
Price points: Selling a $3 pretzel and a $50 wine call for different tactics.
Supply and demand: Your inventory or access to products can and should influence your message.
Providing repeat brand impressions
A young woman with long hair and glasses stands in front of a lake wearing. t-shirt with people jumping off a cliff called Calves Pen.
Bearded man pulling on a hoodie as he sits on the stern of a boat after a swim.
A man in sunglasses wears a green shirt with an image of Buck Mountain as he sits in a both with his date.
When people love a brand, don't miss the opportunity to give them more ways to connect. With merchandise, Trampoline designed custom illustrations linking the BBG brand to specific areas of the lake, mostly well known to locals. Using these illustrations printed on shirts, we created a way for a boater to represent their favorite spot (and BBG), much like a favorite sports team or band. Creating fun competition within the retail space, and by featuring a few new locations year after year, we leaned into building a sense of anticipation as well as local pride. With this merchandise, we put a focus on high-end garments for their logo wear so that their full offering, from the boats all the way down to coffee mugs, has a certain level of both elegance and elevated quality.
Versatile campaign elements will go the distance
To this end, we designed a campaign focused on “_____ Life,” insert word (Surf/Family/Float/Legacy) depending on the boat brand/model. With this direction, we gave customers the unmistakable feeling of being behind the wheel of a boat, on the water, feeling the breeze and the spray of the water on a tranquil lake morning. We held video and photo shoots to spotlight specific brands, in specific locations, featuring locals to give the brand the high-quality, in-use imagery that is unmistakably centered around Lake George.
Surf Life represents Malibu, a line of boats that are designed for people who enjoy wakeboarding, waterskiing, and other adrenaline-friendly activities.
Legacy Life serves up Chris-Craft, a line known for its craftsmanship and timelessness.
Float Life brings to life the Barletta brand, a luxury pontoon line for a laid-back boating experience.
Family Life is tailored to Cobalt, the anchor boat brand for Boats by George and their customers for nearly 40 years.
As we say goodbye to the 2021 boating season, we look forward to 2022 and the waves yet to be ridden.