Merchant's Craft-A blank canvas and a big idea.
Challenge
When URM first contacted us, they said they wanted to create a line of grocery products to put into over 200 retail stores in the Northwest. This brand would eventually replace Western Family, an iconic brand in the grocery world. They didn't have a name, logo, packaging, or specific marketing plan.
Solution
A long way to go, and a short time to get there. Coming up with a name can be challenging. This is going to be an exclusive Northwest brand; we needed something that felt timeless, local and unique. After many sleepless nights and tons of brainstorming, the word merchant kept resonating. Pairing merchant with craft was the step that made the name complete; after all, URM stands for "United Retail Merchants" and the original merchants that started the company joined forces as a co-op to help them further their craft of selling groceries. Merchant's Craft was born. You're My Huckleberry. Besides the standard pop flavors that everyone else has, URM wanted to create "uniquely Northwest" flavors as well. Wild Huckleberry was the obvious choice to be the marquee flavor of this new pop line. Exclusive formulas were created and tasted until we knew we had all of the flavors nailed. Signature Collection We rounded out the Merchant's Craft Signature Collection with Fizzle Berry, Doc Merchant and Mountain Splash. All of these flavor formulas are exclusive to the Merchant's Craft brand. Creative packaging and marketing was vital in the success of these new flavors. This is where we really shine. Packaging, marketing and beyond. After several whirlwind months, we had packaging completed, point-of-sale materials made, and trademark lawyers working overtime. Soon after, the first shipments of Merchant's Craft reached the stores and we began marketing the new brand to the people of the Northwest. Social Media, digital advertising, guerrilla marketing, and targeted traditional mediums were all used with stellar results.
Results
To date, Merchant's Craft is outselling its predecessor by a nearly three-to-one margin: a fact worth celebrating!
Want fresh marketing stories in your inbox?
Get the weekly email that makes you a marketing genius.
Stay informed and inspired, for free.