Brand Strategy: The first thing we did was to understand the vision and goals of the client. We realized that the client wanted to not only dominate the local market but also extend internationally. For this, we helped come up with a strategy that positions the brand in a niche rather than the broader “outdoor clothing” market segment that they were servicing and hoping to continue with. Our argument was that times have changed and the market is now saturated with BIG players owning not only a large share of the outdoor garments market but also the mindshare of active people looking for outdoor activities such as camping, canoeing, and more.
Although they have been in the outdoor market for almost 30 years, because the company had no proper strategy, planning, or marketing, they ended being just a corner shop. To go from that to seize a portion of the market would require a herculean effort. To make it possible and give the company a shot at it, specialization was the key.
By focusing only on the hiking market and utilizing content marketing and social media campaigns, the company stood a chance at being a de-facto brand for the hiking community worldwide.
Brand Solution: Once the positioning strategy was in place, we set to work researching and brainstorming a name that would fit the new direction. We wanted to create a name that would carry some weight and instantly create an association with hiking and be perceived as a major brand. Among the various brand name ideas, we came up with, “Hiker Brand”, was the right fit. It aspires to position the client as “the” brand for hikers.
We then proceeded to create a visual identity that involved a series of logo designs centered around the idea of mountains and an emblem-like design to further drive home the brand status of the strategy and the awesome brand name.
