Chef Tina Jo — Creating an Entirely New Brand
We helped Chef Tina Jo develop her brand from the ground (almost) up. When we started working together, she had a fairly successful show, Splendor in the Raw, that aired on Public Access Television and online. She also had a tremendous following on Facebook, and waste her limit of 5,000 friends who were interested in her recipes and the raw food lifestyle. She was looking for a complete and cohesive brand to help direct Tina Jo and her team, and transition her friends and fans from Facebook into customers as she began selling e-Books and coaching services.
Her approach to raw food was far more simple and down-to-earth than her competitors, and Tina Jo herself was an extraordinarily approachable and friendly in comparison to other raw food chefs.
Bex decided her brand needed to reflect these distinct qualities and we moved forward making sure everything was friendly, simple, and fun. We used lots of white space and contrasted it with bright colors and movement, to express the way raw foods look and the way they make you feel. Copy is simple and conversational in tone. We even developed an umbrella line for her new products, entitled “Real Life Raw,” which is Tina Jo’s approach in a nutshell!
The bursting tree logo is emblematic of Tina Jo’s excitement and happy outlook on all things natural. We developed stationery, a website, an e-blast template, email signatures, Twitter and Facebook setups that all follow the standards set by the logo. Although you’ll see variances in each communication touchpoint, each is also undeniably Chef Tina Jo. It keeps customers excited to see the next execution but is also instantaneously recognizable, just like a good friend.
One piece we found critical to her success was figuring out how to get her friends and fans from Facebook to become customers on her website. We developed a custom Facebook tab for her, so viewers could get a taste of what the Chef Tina Jo website would look like and sign up to receive Tina Jo information and recipes on occasion.
Hold It Contemporary Home — Maintaining a Brand
Sometimes a brand just needs a baby-sitter. That’s not to diminish the importance of the job, but it’s a good way to look at brand maintenance. Hold It Contemporary Home was a successful home furnishing business that came to Bex Brands to maintain their brand with high quality deliverables that stuck to the brand platform already established and avoid the high cost of larger advertising agencies and design firms.
Bex Brands helps with ads, postcards, invitations, email blasts, web banners, website consulting and social media setups. They all maintain a clean, minimalistic look with cheeky copy, but vary in subtle ways like imagery and layout to accommodate different messages or mediums. Each touchpoint is unmistakably Hold It.
When Hold It decided to create a new line of upholstery and furniture, they came to Bex Brands again, and we researched and created separate brand platforms for Michael David (upholstery) and Reclaimed Modern (furniture). While each of these is distinct from Hold It, they still uphold a quality level and design aesthetic standard set by Hold It.
Their business has had continued growth during tough economic times in part to the time and care they put towards their brand image. They continue to be one of our favorite clients as they understand the necessary step of maintenance to uphold a brand’s integrity.
To the Point — Developing a Brand on a Budget
Christine Kinsella wanted to start an acupuncture business and was looking for our help, starting with the name. Even though she had a limited budget, she understood the importance of having high quality brand touchpoints, and because we had a very open conversation regarding her budget from the start, we were able to concept within her budget limitations.
We came up with cards that doubled as part of her promotional device. Her promo was constructed with xeroxed paper, oversized custom rubber stamps and a burlap bag. This allowed great flexibility for her, as she should change the copy as she grew and only xerox promos on an as needed basis. The pieces were appropriate to Christine’s no-nonsense approach to acupuncture and appropriate to the holistic, understated and simplistic qualities of eastern medicine and philosophy.
To the Point enjoys tremendous success with her communication touchpoints and has built an incredibly strong business, due in part to her smart business sense.
