Wolf AgencyWest Marine: Discover yours

December 2015

THE TEAMEXECUTIVE SUMMARYTHE BRIEFTHE TARGETTHE CLIENTFINDINGS & INSIGHTSTHE BIG IDEACREATIVE STRATEGYTRADEWINDS: CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONSTHE TIDE: COMMUNITY BLOG

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SHARE YOURS: SMARTPHONE APP IN-STORE MARKETING: CATCH OF THE WEEKIN-STORE MARKETING: INTERACTIVE WALLTHE CURRENT: EMAIL NEWSLETTERSOCIAL MEDIA: INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOKOUTDOOR: MUNICIPAL BUSYOUTUBE: STREAMING COMMERCIALMEDIA PLAN & BUDGETTHE SUMMARY

Table of contents

Pobably eating pizza right now. Known to many as Saige, but to this group she is mother wolf.

Likes cooking food and eat-ing it immediately, also enjoys hiking with frequent stops for refreshments and snacks.

Likes hiking and cats. Can’t decide if the highlight of my week was the amount of beer I drank, or the fact that the cat finally wanted to cuddle with me!

Loves music, going to shows, coffee, and street tacos.

Finds herself at ease when she’s baking in a 104 °F Bikram Yoga Studio and biking along the Los Gatos Creek in 60 °F.

Enjoys fishing, watching sports, and going on adventures in the mountains.

Enjoys coffee at 30.56 cel-sius, hitting a golf ball further than Happy Gilmore and wearing short shorts to show off his “amazing” thighs.

SAIGE PERRYACCOUNT Manager

ACCOUNT Manager

account planner

account planner

Art director

Art director

copyWRITER

COPYWRITERTREVOR SCHLITT

SHAUNI HUEBNER

JASMINE WHITAKER

MICHELLE LI

RYAN ROUBAL

KAITLYN NONAKA

GEOFF ROSSI

The Team

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executive summary THe brief

Our favorite memories are often connected to a specific place. Revisiting that place brings those memories and emotions rushing back, a feeling that can’t be replicated just anywhere. No matter who you’re with, what you’re doing, or how much things have changed, that place remains alive in your memory: your own secret spot.

West Marine encourages customers to venture out and explore what the water has to offer. With products that suit a wide range of waterlife activities, West Ma-rine gives you the tools you need to discover your secret spot. A new campaign will breathe life into the brand, spread brand awareness to a broader audience, and ultimately, establish West Marine as a secret spot in itself. What used to be just a warehouse of products, West Marine will now be a destination for a life on the water.

With 270 locations in 38 states, West Marine is the largest retailer of waterlife supplies, gear, apparel, and products in the United States. Yet in the public eye, West Marine is just a warehouse peddling boating parts. Our goal is to open the public eye to all that West Marine has to offer: everything you need for a life on and around the water, from sailing to stand-up paddleboarding and everything in between.

Giving the brand a human voice, tailoring communications to a younger audience, and positioning the brand around a broader range of waterlife activities will create an emo-tional connection. That connection will establish West Marine as The Waterlife Outfitter.

Reinvigorate the brand with human touchpoints and a modern edge.

Reach a younger, more active audience while retaining seasoned boaters.

Establish a community of waterlife enthusiasts.

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The Target The CLientTHE ADVENTURER

Adults 35-54

Loves watersports

Wants to have fun, play, compete

Values comfort and style

Fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding,

waterskiing, snorkeling

THE ADMIRAL & THE CAPTAIN

Men 53-65

Owns a boat

Wants to share knowledge

Near or in retirement

Sailing, power boating, fishing

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Founder Randy Repass started West Marine by selling rope to fellow sailing enthusiasts out of his garage in Sunnyvale, CA. As a boater himself, he understood what boaters needed, and by sharing his experience and knowledge, West Marine has grown to be the biggest waterlife outfitter in the United States. That exchange of knowledge be-tween people is what grounds our campaign and breathes life into the brand.

S

o

w

t

strengths

weaknesses

opportunities

threats

Long term connection with suppliers

Loyalty program

Availability and diversity of products

Internal communication with staff

Lack of Brand awareness

Store Layout lacks visuals

Growing online competition

Rental companies

Aging core demographic

Internal communication with staff

Lack of Brand awareness

Store Layout lacks visuals

We turned to one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and online surveys to find out what draws our audience to the water. It quickly became clear that a lack of brand awareness stood be-tween us and our customers, and we set out to fix that by understanding the emotional anchors that tie people to the water.

Waterlife is a social experience. For the adventurer, the water is a place for friends to come together and share thrills. For experienced boaters, the ability to share years of knowledge and experience gives a sense of pride. No matter what brings you out, the water is a com-mon thread that weaves together people’s lives and passions. This led us to establish a community for waterlife enthusiasts to come together.

Getting out on the water is an escape. The water is an escape from the mundane or stressful reality of daily working life. It brings about a feeling of freedom that consumers crave, no matter their age or standing in life. This drove us toward the secret spot: that place the customer associates with the special memories that get them through the day.

People want to share their stories. We asked everyone we interviewed: what’s your favorite memory on the water? People told stories of the laughs they’ve shared, the lessons they’ve learned, and the feelings they felt along the way. This sharing mental-ity is what links every aspect of our campaign together, because a story left untold is a memory that will fade.

findings & insights

By reaching a broader audience, West Marine promises to of-fer everything customers need to pursue their own version of a life on the water. A community of knowledgeable staff and passionate customers offers a hub for sharing stories, insights, and experiences. West Marine provides both guidance on your journey, and a destination for discovering your own secret spot.

No matter what brings you to the water, West Marine promises

everything you need to discover your secret spot.

THe big idea

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Creative Strategy

Our priority in designing our campaign was to bring together like-minded people and create a place where employees and customers alike can feel like they be-long. Our goal is to infuse internal and external campaign elements to provide an outlet for sharing knowledge and stories, while promising a sense of belonging across platforms. Knowing that our customers view the water is an escape from daily realities, we tailored our campaign elements to the places where those reali-ties take place.

Our inspiration was simple. Throughout our research, hearing the passion and enthusiasm in people’s voices when they told us about their memories pointed us directly to our ultimate goal: providing a way for people to share, inspire, and be inspired. Our creative elements are designed to look effortless, human, and realistic, as if each piece is what you see when you close your eyes and relive that moment that coined your secret spot.

tradewinds CORPORATECOMMUNICATION

Personal note from CEO

Employee shared stories and photos

Dynamic brand content

Distributed Monday mornings

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SHARE YOURSSMARTPHONEAPPthe TIDE COMMUNITY

BLOG

Find secret spots by region

Share your own secret spot

Browse by location

Sort entries by distance, popularity, or sport

App serves as mobile version of The Tide blog

Link blog posts back to app locations

Employee serve as brand ambassadors

Community includes employees and customers

West Advisor articles will live here

Clickable links to products on westmarine.com

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IN-STORE MARKETING IN-STORE MARKETINGCATCH OFTHE WEEK

INTERACTIVE WALL

I recently went on a weekend getaway to Tahoe and the weather was freezing! I wore this West Marine Women’s Third Reef Jacket and it kept me warm day and night. Plus, my boyfriend says red is my color ;)

Angela’s Catch

Employees get incentives to test products

Prominently displayed in front of store

Tailored to store region

Positioned at point of sale

Interactive touch screen connects to app

Features store region’s weather report and sailing winds

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the current EMAIL NEWSLETTER SOcial Media FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Customer photos selected as features

Focus on content, not promotion

Links customers to westmarine.com and The Tide

Encourage fans to share their secret spot

Curate relevant boating content

Feature fan photos on company page

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YoutubeOUTDOOR STREAMING COMMERCIAL

MUNICIPALBUS

Overworked office employee swirls chair and takes a break

“Or maybe it’s where you found the one.”

Roll out municipal bus ads throughout the Bay Area as test run for national campaign

Voiceover: “It’s where you caught the biggest fish of your life.”

“There’s a different secret spot for every story,”

“It’s where you go to get away from it all.”

“and every story begins at West Marine.”

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the SUMMARYMedia Plan and Budget

Introductory period (April-May): During this time we will be heavily streaming our ads online and introducing the campaign on social media to start growing brand awareness and rec-ognition of the Discover Yours tag. Internally, we will transition communications and install in-store marketing elements. An internal understanding of the campaign goals will be the focus.

Emphasis period (June-July): Our goal during the emphasis period will be to re-inforce the sharing element of our campaign. We will begin to prioritize social media engagement, including posts that ask for stories and shares. We will begin to promote the blog heavily in-store and online. Upper management will make their store rounds to check in on in-store implementation.

With its market share and variety of products, West Marine has something special to offer customers. Discover Yours connects the brand with a sense of community, establishing trust and promising a lasting relationship. An invitation to share your secret spot positions the brand as a trusted ally and friend. West Marine stands to gain not only a broader audience, but also, an open door to an engaging and interactive future between the company and its customers. As this relationship develops over time, and as customers develop personal connections with the staff and the brand, West Marine itself will become the ultimate secret spot.

In-Store Interactive wall installation

Facebook 14,000 users, $100 per day

Bus Ads Five buses, $350 per month

App Development Three part time UX interns

Blog Development Website costs and server

YouTube 70,000 views, $0.30 per view

21k10k

38k100k

12k

7k

12k

There’s a different secret spot for every story, and every story

begins at West Marine.

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