CASE STUDIES | NANÜK
Nanuk - Outdoor Apparel Company Branding and Promotional Campaign
Project Brief and Background
The Nanük campaign was a project assigned in the second semester of Year 3 of the Graphic Design for Marketing program at the Wilson School of Design. Students in the Corporate Communications class were given one semester to design a cohesive and engaging brand identity with promotional materials for an assigned company with a specific product offering. Each student was assigned a topic where they were given a description of a company to brand. The description I received was of an outdoor apparel company that sold quality, goose down jackets. This assignment allowed me to develop a brand identity for Nanük, a hypothetical, Canadian-made, outdoor apparel company. The target market of this project focused around locals of the Canadian west coast and developing a campaign that appealed to their lifestyle and culture. This particular group was 50% male and 50% female, between the ages 20 – 37, who enjoy the great outdoors. The primary objective for this campaign was to design and promote a Canadian-made outdoor apparel company that effectively attracted its specific target market and provided a viable solution that met their lifestyle needs.
Problem
The leading problem that I discovered while researching Canadian made, outdoor apparel options was that companies who sold down jackets only offered styles that suited for cooler provinces of Canada (Ontario, Quebec and northern provinces). There seemed to be a hole in the market for an outdoor apparel company that specifically accommodated the west coast lifestyle. This particular marketing situation was positioned within a business to consumer market. Nanük is placed as a new niche as it directly markets to the west coast consumers.
Research
Before producing the campaign deliverables, I was required to conduct research and create a positioning document that would be the basis of the brand. Elements for this specific document included a tagline, brand essence, USP, brand character, elevator pitch, key brand messages, user value propositions and target audience. Analyzing Nanük’s competitors involved compiling a competitive landscape that studied the visual identity, values, strengths, weaknesses, marketing communication materials, brand positioning and unique selling proposition of each competitor. The research for this project was also focused on the characteristics, attitudes, demographics, socioeconomics and psychographics of the target market.
Strategy
The campaign was driven by five stages with specific deadlines within a three-month timeframe. These stages included a positioning document, brand guidelines, concept selection, design mock-ups as well as a final presentation. The key factor that informed how I approached this project was finding a solution that catered to the life style of west coast Canadians. One of the strategies that was used for this campaign was gaining an in depth understanding of our target market. This was accomplished by constructing audience personas and defining the general attitudes, user values wants and needs and integrating these into the campaign. The other strategy for this project was compiling a competitive landscape of other outdoor apparel companies (Arc'teryx, Canada Goose and many others). After evaluating the competition, there appeared to be a common theme among the list of competitors. Every single company took a serious approach with their advertising and overall brand attitude. I decided to take a different approach with Nanük that best catered to the west coast culture and would respond positively with the target market.
Solution
Naming and Brand Voice
In Inuit religion, the word “Nanook” translates to “polar bear” or “bear,” which represents and accurately depicts the durability and performance of the down jackets that the company produces. The supporting brand voice for this campaign consists of messages based off of a play on rhymes; “Over the river and through the woods, to the streets of downtown we go.” “Leave your supper, leave your sleep and come with your buds into the streets. This particular brand voice speaks to the adventurous and spirited individuals who make up Canada’s west coast.
Imagery
Imagery for developing the brand and promotional materials was centered on the lifestyle and attitude of the west coast and its locals. The colour palette consists of reds, associated with energy, determination and pays tribute to the vibrant patriotism of the west coast. White symbolizes safety and positivity while black represents prestige and the timeless design of the down jackets. Through the brand and promotional materials, I focused on incorporating imagery of the locals in their environment and capturing them in popular west coast activities. I selected the typeface Futura because it mimicked the brand’s lively spirit. The main constraint faced during the course of this project was designing campaign materials within the brand guidelines which were established at the beginning. The other constraint that students had to face was having the brand identity accurately reflect the positioning document and staying true to the original company description. After reviewing the finished product, I was confident that the design solution was appropriate in supporting the project’s objectives. The solution that came from this campaign accurately reflects the Canadian west coast life style while standing out from competitors.
Challenges
The main challenge for this particular project was finding imagery that reflected the playful nature of Nanük. Most images found were of individuals with serious expressions on their faces that did not accurately reflect the brand's attitude.
Effectiveness/ Results
The final presentation took place in the beginning of April showcasing Nanük’s finalized brand and supporting promotional materials. Overall, I received a lot of positive feedback with only a couple of suggestions. This confirmed that my campaign effectively exceeded the initial goals that were set. The approach I took provided a solid solution to the initial problem that offered outerwear options for west coast Canadians. Some of the comments that I received from the client were: “consistent visual language applied to brand applications,” “good visual continuity displayed through material,” “Icons on business card detract from the overall design quality of the material,” “good use of brand voice throughout material” and “excellent slide design.”
Additional Information
Process
The process of this campaign began by creating a positioning document that included a competitive landscape and audience personas. From there, I designed mood boards that represented the potential brand direction, as well as selected a name that was suitable for the company description and concept. After settling on "Nanük" and the brand identity, I designed the supporting brand guidelines that were applied to all promotional materials. Once the guidelines were established, I began designing the campaign deliverables to support the brand.
Refinements
Once I had received feedback from my critique, I took the initiative to make the suggested changes to the deliverables that were brought to my attention by the client to meet their requests.
