SituationIn 2002, when Brandspank was founded, only a precious few marketing agencies had committed themselves to serving a specific niche. And of those that did specialize, it was usually in real estate or tourism… and certainly not the retail sector. Retail marketing was perceived (by most agency personnel) as ‘low rent’ and characterized by starbursts & sales. But we didn’t share that point-of-view; having a deep passion for retail, we saw it as an untapped opportunity—and especially so after the economic downturn in 2008.
SolutionShortly after opening our doors, we decided to position ourselves as retail marketing specialists. We then set about to own this position through action, not just words… and we continue to look for ways of demonstrating this every day. Our strategy is to always practice what we preach which is why we choose to promote Brandspank using the same tactics that we’d recommend for any client we serve. And even though we’ve evolved our position to be a ‘user experience agency for bricks & mortar retailers’ we still combine storytelling with shopper marketing.
SuccessSo, even though our work IS award-winning, we take more pride in our client’s satisfaction and businesses being successful… and we’ve had lots of those. Not only have our clients gladly endorsed and recommended us, but they have also felt comfortable enough to share their positive sales and awareness numbers with us. We’ve also been contacted by (and/or featured in) CBC, Macleans, and Marketing Magazine—for our commentary and opinions.
Storefront Boutique
Instead of having a reception area, we decided to create our own storefront boutique (within the mall)–to sell our clients’ gift cards. So we not only think like a retailer, we ARE a retailer. We also use the boutique as our ‘test kitchen’ for trying-out in-store signage & promo ideas–in real time.
Window Signage
Our window signage not only gets attention but it doubles as a whiteboard in our office.
Located in a Mall
We set-up shop in a mall. After all what better place, than a shopping mall, for a retail marketing specialist to call home. In addition to netting us attention from the media, it also allows us to keep a close eye on shoppers.
New Website
Our goal was to develop a website that could tell a story as well as we could in person AND provide one of the best online user-experiences by any marketing agency anywhere. Though we’re quite biased, we do feel we’ve achieved this goal. But, hey, what do you think?
Leave Behind
More than a simple ‘forget-me-not’, this leave-behind summarizes Brandspank’s uniquely innovative approach to retail marketing. It’s just another part of our overall package that strives for both style and substance. But what really matters is that prospects continuously contact us and refer to it. You could say it’s a silent sales person.
Our Business Card
It seems that in this era of LinkedIn and online address books, the simple business card remains as one of the few ways left to provide contact information AND still show some personality. So, given our unabashed passion for retail (marketing), we’ve designed our business cards as a tribute to the iconic sales tag.
The ConsumAER Quotient
We created the ConsumAER Quotient to help retailers identify where and how to invest marketing budget for maximum ROI. It’s a free, online, self-test that identifies the organization’s opportunity area–whether it be customer Attraction, Engagement, or Retention.
Working in Our Client’s Store
To gain a greater understanding of our client’s business and the customers they serve, each of our Account Managers spend up to 3 days on the sales floor of our client’s store. This type of observation provides far more insight and appreciation for the business than relying only a discovery meeting. And though we always listen our clients, we find listening to their customers is equally as valuable.
Creative Walk & Talk
Though we all enjoy the casual and collaborative atmosphere of our office environment, we realize that it’s also important for creative minds to get out of the workplace for added inspiration. That’s why we routinely go on Creative Walk & Talks to discuss and explore ideas while walking throughout various outdoor settings. For some reason, being physically active also stimulates the brain.
Retail Walk-About
As a supplement to our online research, we schedule ongoing in-person observations at various shopping centres and retail districts. This is one of the key ways that we remain in-the-loop of the latest consumer trends and are able to monitor the (marketing) activity of our clients’ competitors on a consistent basis.
Promotional E-Mailers
To help us stay top-of-mind with potential prospects, we have implemented an ongoing data-marketing campaign. Each of our e-blasts includes a specially priced (service) offer and/or relevant retail marketing information–to ensure value to the recipients.
