American Express
Blueprint
Brand Strategy and Positioning
Insights
Business Blueprint: Big Picture Leaders want financial management tools that add simplicity, insight, and speed. However, they don't want to use the same provider for all of their financial accounts and services but want the ability to manage them from one place.
Business Line of Credit: Our audience wants more accessible funding that works for them and their businesses' needs. It can evolve with their business over time, giving them greater control to make bolder choices.
Payment Accept: SBO leaders are proud of their business and want to polish every aspect of their operations professionally. However, for many, the way they request and receive B2B payments can seem less than professional.
Business Checkin Account: SBOs are satisfied with their checking account due to low expectations, have little motivation to switch because of the time and effort involved, and fear losing out on the banking relationship they’ve developed over time.
Strategic Positioning:
Business Blueprint: An all-in-one-hub built to unlock ease, efficiencies, and insights for small businesses
Business Line of Credit: Built for taking the guesswork out of funding
Payment Accept: Seamless payments built for businesses that mean business
Business Checkin Account: Built for small businesses that deserve more
Background
American Express acquired Kabbage, a fintech startup that provided financial products to small businesses, such as Lines of Credit, Payment solutions, and checking accounts, and a dashboard that analyzed small businesses’ cash flow to provide recommendations and allow companies to plan better for the future. American Express decided to fold Kabbage products into its ecosystem. It relaunched them as American Express Blueprint, a centralized hub of interconnected accounts and services that offers ease, efficiency, and insights for Small business owners when they connect their Amex and non-Amex Cards and Accounts.
Ask
To identify marketplace positioning for each product, including Line of Credit, Payments, Checkin Accounts, Credit Cards, and Business Blueprint through primary and secondary research.
Problem
Small businesses have access to various financial products that address a different need. However, there is no connecting thread, so small business owners feel overwhelmed by the abundance of information.
Kiehl’s
Canabis Sativa Seed Oil
Herbal Consternate
Product and Social Media Campaign Strategy
Background
Kiehl's partnered with Sephora to create a product that utilizes cannabis' healing capabilities. Herbal Concentrate will be featured in the newest section in Sephora, focusing on cannabis-based products. Cannabis wellness products are a growing category with a variety of new products that focus on solving various problems. Cannabis is known for its calming abilities and is used for problem skin to help with acne and breakouts.
Ask
Devise a campaign that establishes Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil as a serious skincare ingredient & Herbal Concentrate as a highly efficacious product while recruiting new customers with a 100% natural offering for problem skin prone to blemishes, redness, and discomfort.
Problem
Even though cannabis stigma is fading and the category is becoming more mainstream and socially acceptable, consumers still associate cannabis with stoner culture and not as an efficacious skincare ingredient.
Insight
Those who are prone to blemished skin are willing to try new things to achieve clear skin
Strategic Approach
Normalizing cannabis as an efficacious skincare ingredient by exploring the power of herbs
Creative Solution: POWER OF HERBS = A MARRIAGE OF SCIENCE AND NATURE
As a nod to Kiehl's spirited sense of “handmade” apothecary art, we used a mixed-media collage to illustrate the efficacy the balance between nature and science creates when it comes together in Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil.
Codex Beauty
Brand Architecture, Positioning, Audience Development and Naming
Background
Codex beauty is a skincare line that is rooted in science and transparency.
Ask
To develop a brand architecture for the brand's launch, including purpose, positioning, target segmentation and name development.
Problem
Skincare is an oversaturated category that offers little to no transparency into the product composition, while consumers are more educated than ever about ingredients and their efficacy.
Insight
Science First: To get a buy-in from the consumers, beauty brands need to lead with a scientific approach to assure the consumer that the products will work and there is real science behind the formulation and not just a promise.
Strategic Positioning
Open Source Beauty: A radical way to look at the beauty category where information flows freely between the brand and the consumer, ingredients, formulations, and methods are shared with the loyal community of Skintellectuals who disseminate skincare knowledge among the consumer base.
FILA
Strategy/ Campaign/ Content
Insight
FILA champions Modern Explorers to lead a fulfilling life that is constantly evolving. Modern Explorers want to learn more about themselves by engaging with the outside world however they see fit.
Strategic Approach: The Great Wherever
Exploration happens anywhere, at any time. It’s more than lacing up a pair of boots and venturing into the wilderness. It’s a state of being. Because to explore is to discover and to discover is to live.
Creative Solution: Odd Planet
In order to showcase a collection that is not about performance, we created a story of modern-day explorers discovering a familiar-feeling yet surrealist landscape called Odd Planet, sharing their adventures through video transmissions.
Each of the Explore collection’s four mini-capsules was given its own color treatment and set build. Hyper-real backdrops served further to establish the extraordinary wonder of the FILA world.
Background
FILA is a sportswear brand that is having a resurgence because of the streetwear and athleisure trend.
Ask
Bring FILA’s new Explore collection to life through still and moving imagery that imbues FILA’s tradition for adventure while further solidifying FILA’s reputation as the original disruptor in sportswear.
Problem
FILA launched a new heritage-inspired Explore collection that imbues FILA’s tradition for adventure while further solidifying FILA’s reputation as the original disruptor in sportswear. The collection is not meant for the outdoors and is purely a fashion statement.
Methodology: FILA Brand Review, Audience Research and Definition, Competitive Audit, Research and Analysis including Cultural Trends, Fashion Trends
Canada Goose
‘Live in the Open’
Brand, Campaign and Social Strategy
Ask
To develop a single-minded, emotionally driven product marketing platform for the Fall/Winter ‘19 season across all product marketing initiatives.
Problem
Consumers view Canada Goose as a basic wardrobe staple when the brand aspires to connect to them on an emotional level.
Insight
Canada Goose has built an affinity within the filmmaking community
Strategic Approach: Live in the Open
Build an emotional connection with the audience by establishing Canada Goose as a storytelling brand to drive brand affinity, relevance and awareness.
Creative Solution
Launch “Live in the Open,” a campaign platform that tells stories of individuals who live in the open, literally and figuratively. The campaign references the benefits of being outside and spending time in nature while acknowledging the emotional benefits of being open and connected to the community.
Fall/Winter ‘19 featured three individuals:
Alice Pasquini: An Italian outdoor artist who paints murals. Her work in one struggling Italian village sparked a street festival that brought new life to the community.
Jiayi Zhao: A Beijing-born Arctic explorer who has become a sought-after guide for expeditions to the poles.
Jordin Tootoo: The first Inuk Canadian ever to play in the NHL, who now devotes his time talking openly to Indigenous communities about mental health and his individual journey to healing.
TUMI
Brand, Campaign and Social Strategy
Ask
Accelerate Tumi’s business by developing a more differentiated and consistent global brand experience.
Problem
Tumi is a luxury travel brand that is beloved by its customers, but they are gravitating towards RIMOWA and a new entrant AWAY, making it harder for TUMI to hold market share.
Insight
Tumi’s products are known for their unparalleled performance and craftsmanship.
Strategic Approach: Perfecting the Journey
Tumi helps people to seek their perfection by creating innovative high-performance products that enable the journey.
Creative Solution: Freedom of Motion
Tumi gives you the freedom to pursue your perfect journey. We do this by promising freedom from concern through functional superiority. Knowing our products are reliable, adaptable, and designed to suit your needs means you’re free to focus on the things that matter.
This spring, we celebrate our functional superiority with a suite of product-focused assets that showcase Tumi products as heroic and high-performing. The emphasis is on design excellence, technical innovation, and unparalleled craft — the qualities that give you the freedom to move through the world however you want.
EQUINOX
Visual Content Platform Strategy
Ask
Create a creative direction for on-demand content that is aspirational and on-brand with scalability in mind and that differentiates Equinox from its competitors.
Problem
The market is oversaturated with fitness apps. How does Equinox translate its luxury fitness experience into fitness content?
Insight: Fitness content focuses on utility. Equinox is a luxury offering that is uniquely positioned to offer more.
Strategic Approach: More Than Fitness.
Provide next-level fitness content that transforms the workout experience at home and extends the Equinox brand into the consumers’ environment
Creative Solution: Perspective
Life is about the people you surround yourself with, your support network, and your people. Each individual in your orbit brings a differentiated and unique perspective to the table, and each adds value. Equinox is no different. It is a community of high-performance individuals and high-performance trainers who have chosen Equinox because it represents a new perspective on fitness — fitness as a lifestyle. As life. We are all at different levels of strength, but we are all unified by our desire to live better lives.
…TO STAY OPEN TO CHALLENGES.
…TO FIND INSPIRATION IN EACH OTHER.
…TO GO FURTHER TOGETHER.
Equinox knows that new perspectives are our ultimate inspiration.
Mastercard
‘Priceless Restaurant’
Creative Strategy
Ask
Create a restaurant experience for high-end exclusive cardholders that will be open for 1 Year that defies expectation
Problem
Mastercard is a technology company with no equity in the food and restaurant space.
Insight
Higher-spending consumers want access to exclusive dining experiences but do not always have the ability to travel to the most exotic restaurants around the world.
Strategic Approach
Beyond Food: Create a frictionless restaurant experience by connecting consumers to the world through food by removing barriers between people and experiences.
Creative Solution:
Launch a ‘Priceless’ Restaurant by recreating the most exciting and dynamic dining experiences from around the world in immaculate detail, including furniture, utensils and the ambiance.
Restaurants included:
Lyaness (England): A 2018’s “World’s Best Bar” with decor mirroring London's original. Drinks will come from famed mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana
The Rock (Zanzibar): A version of a Zanzibar dining destination that sits on a small rock in the Indian Ocean.
Teruzushi (Japan): a 12-seat sushi counter helmed by chef Takayoshi Watanabe, who in Japan has become known for his theatrical use of a long, 70-centimeter blade.
WESTIN EAT WELL 2.0
Strategic recommendations to inform Westin's Eat Well Pillar
problem:
Westin wanted to develop a best-in-class food and beverage program to enhance its current SuperFoodsRX experience while clearly articulating the brand's point of view on what Eat Well truly means. With its current food program, SuperfoodsRX contract ending in 2017, Westin wanted to take a proactive and progressive approach to define the next iteration of its food and beverage program. To ensure that this program is built for the future, Westin engaged PSFK to identify opportunities at the intersection of food and wellness.
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
When Westin launched the Eat Well Pillar in 2008, wellness was still an emerging trend. Consumers were beginning to morph from traditional, reactive behaviors of “health” to the progressive, proactive and predictive approaches that equated with well-being.
Today, wellness is a $3.45 trillion dollar industry. The health and wellness food segment represents over 50% of the global market and it’s still growing. There has been a rise in healthy, fast-casual eateries like Chipotle, DigInn and Roasted. Sweetgreen, one of the world's fastest-growing “fast food” restaurants, sells salads on a platform of sustainability and community.
Themes Driving The Eat Well Experience
Five larger themes were identified through the analysis of 18 trends in the market.
01. PRECISION DINING
Meals are personalized and customized based on individual dietary needs and habits through the analysis of the person's data.
Supporting Trends:
Mix & Match Meals
Targeted Nutrition
Microbiotic Nurturing
04. WELL-SOURCED
Vegetables and never before used ingredients are gaining a prominent place on the plate.
Supporting Trends:
Modern Heritage
High-Profile Plants
Vertical Freshness
Artisanal Waste
Designer Substitutes
02. OPEN INFORMATION
Consumers are demanding simplicity, absolute transparency and source traceability from food and wellness brands.
Supporting Trends:
Clean Labeling
Traceable Transparency
Bespoke Guidance
Additive Education
05. ON-DEMAND ACCESS
Technology is providing access to healthier foods by simplifying the preparation process and providing on demand access.
Supporting Trends:
Plug & Play Prep
Open Pantry
03. BENEFIT-FIRST
Consumers are taking a holistic approach to food and wellness, seeking out dual-benefit products that not only provide nourishment but improve mental capabilities.
Supporting Trends:
Productivity Gains
Aesthetic Centering
Mindful Equilibrium
Elevated Taste
6 STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
From the trend-led research, PSFK determined six strategic recommendations for the new Eat Well program. This section presents each strategy plus recommendations for potential initiatives to bring the Eat Well vision to life.
01. Feed Your Head, Nourish The Body
Amplify the Eat Well pillar by embracing the emerging definition of wellness that encompasses both body and mind.
Insight for Westin: Wellness is being redefined such that lifestyle choices like fitness, nutrition and sleep are evaluated alongside mental acuity, energy levels and emotional awareness to create a more holistic picture of individual well-being.
Recommended Programs:
DIGITAL DIETITIAN
Provide guests with an AI-enabled assistant that helps balance their meal choices between indulgence and nutrition, from a set of menu options that offer varieties of proteins, vegetables and starches in various preparations.
• Balance meal choices between healthy and indulgent.
• Mix and match ingredients and portions according to wellness routine, specific benefits for desired state and taste preferences.
• Guests can choose from an a la carte selection of menu items - meats, vegetables and starches.
WELLNESS THE WAY YOU NEED IT
Create Wellness-Specific menus tailored to desired activity or state. Curate food choices based on what guests are looking to achieve:
• What is my body clock?
• I have an important meeting tomorrow.
• I need to unwind after a stressful week.
• I just had a killer workout.
• I feel like I’m coming down with something.
02. Westin Destination Wellness
Make local discovery and excitement key aspects of an expansive, aspirational wellness experience.
Insight for Westin: Whether it's vacation or business travel, wellness-oriented guests are eager to discover local food and customs that can improve their routine - and give them something to share when they get home.
Recommended Programs:
WAKE UP LIKE A LOCAL
Make the first meal of the day more of a discovery experience. Breakfast is often the most important meal of the day for guests and most likely to be consumed on-premises:
• Highlight the uniqueness through local customs, seasonal offerings and ingredients.
• Offer personalized meal options based on the locality.
• Educate guests on local foods, customs and ingredients by providing a meal service with instructive components.
DESTINATION LOCAL
Empower chefs to bring the creativity, culture and personality of their locale to life through their menus:
• Make local customs, seasonal offerings and ingredients a core part of the breakfast ordering.
• Educate guests on the wellness benefits of local foods, customs and ingredients through instructive materials.
• Digital menu boards and mobile messaging highlight daily and seasonal offerings.
• Tie local ingredients back to wellness benefits through compelling visual presentations.
03. Westin Open Kitchen, Open Plate
Embrace transparency in all aspects of the mission and delivery of Eat Well to earn the trust and credibility of the industry, influencers and guests.
Insight for Westin: In a global marketplace where products often cross multiple borders and pass through multiple hands before reaching their final destination, there is a growing desire to understand the provenance, processes and footprint of what they consume.
Recommended Programs:
BEAUTIFUL UGLY
• Position ‘ugly’ produce and/or food scraps that would otherwise have been wasted as featured menu options.
• Create a special entree or chef’s tasting menu using food waste.
• Partner with a celebrity chef to design the meal to create additional buzz and credibility.
• Donate all proceeds from sales of this meal to a charity working in the sustainability space.
THE 25% PROMISE
Commit to a bold sourcing and sustainability goal that brings the idea of “Destination Wellness” to life...and promote it accordingly:
• Analyze the hotel supply chain and set an achievable goal - like 25% - for sourcing food from local producers.
• Treat the percentage as a total across all properties so that hotels with better local relationships can exceed the number and lift the business goal as a whole.
• Highlight the location and stories of local ingredients at properties through menus, digital ‘chalkboards’ and mobile apps.
Westin Wellness To-Go
Deliver education and guidance that improves guest wellness long after their stay.
Insight for Westin: Consumers are invested in self- improvement and betterment, but many lack the time and knowledge to create lasting change in their daily lives. They’re increasingly seeking out valuable brand partners to leverage their expertise, offerings and access.
Recommended Programs:
360-DEGREE WELLNESS
Capture the wellness data of guests to better understand their needs and partner with them on their personal journey:
• Encourage guests to share a broader picture of the their everyday health by linking their Westin profile to existing wellness services.
• Develop a wellness assessment tool (online or in-person) that captures daily habits, physical/biological metrics and personal goals.
• Upon checkout, participating guests would receive a Wellness Receipt of all the meals they’ve eaten and other wellness activities they’ve engaged in, along with personal tips and advice.
• Westin could share tailored wellness content, advice and tips for keeping healthy while on the road.
• Messages could also be localized around particular properties to connect guests with the most relevant information.
Possible Partners: Runkeeper, Apple Healthkit, MyFitnessPal, Lose It!
WELLNESS CONCIERGE
On-demand access to a personal wellness coach through a digital platform:
• Give participating guests the ability to chat with a dedicated health coach through a mobile app to get in-the-moment advice on their meals and other wellness choices.
• The Wellness Concierge would have access to a guest’s full wellness profile, ensuring they’d be able to give a personalized level of advice.
04. Well Stated
Lead with simplicity. Make Eat Well synonymous with real, fresh foods that are flavorful and nutritious.
Insight for Westin: There is a great deal of momentum in wellness toward appreciating each ingredient’s singular taste and benefits for what they are. Alongside this, there is a clear need to make the category less complex.
Recommended Programs:
SIX OR LESS
Craft a selection of recipes that feature six ingredients or less:
• In line with Westin’s six pillars of wellness, menus could feature a special section that highlights simple, healthy meal options that focus on bringing key ingredients to life.
• Offer these dishes up as a part of a tasting menu to further amplify the experience.
MENU/X
Create clarity around food and beverage messaging by focusing on highly visual treatments and simple copy:
• Streamline the copy and visual presentation of menus.
• Use more graphical elements to assist in the presentation of ingredients, and benefits.
• Create iconography to help tell the story.
• Consider partnering with a platform like ‘Sage Project’ to create dynamic digital menus.
Westin Anytime, My Way
Calibrate the Eat Well experience around guest wellness goals and routines.
Insight for Westin: Consumers have a larger say in how the marketplace operates. Digital, mobile and social tools have given them more access, more choice and more control, which has created expectations for highly customized experiences that are always available.
Recommended Programs:
HONOR KITCHEN
Offer a 24/7 food and beverage pantry and prep space that guests can access for a fee:
• These communal spaces would feature a number of fresh grab-and-go options, as well as basic ingredients for assembling healthy options like grain bowls, sandwiches and salads.
• Develop a pre-portioned system of boxed-up food options that allows guests to mix and match their perfect to-go meal, while ensuring nutritional goals are met.
WELL MY WAY
Give guests the food they want, when they want it to meet their wellness needs:
Enable guests to:
• To have meals on their own terms and time:
• Have breakfast for dinner after an international flight.
• Grab a refreshment after a 4am workout.
• Order lunch to their room when they’re on their way from the airport.
• To maintain their wellness goals.
• Keep their wellness routines in tact.
WAG!
Brand Strategy
Background: Wag! is an on-demand dog walking app, providing pet parents more flexibility to manage everyday life and instant access to experienced and trustworthy dog walkers, boarding hosts, and sitters in their communities.
The Ask: To define a brand architecture, brand positioning, messaging, brand values and target audience.
Insight: Pet Owners are crazy about their dogs and they will spare no expense on their well-being.
Strategic Approach: Dog Obsessed
Wag! provides services that are centered around pets by connecting dog parents with a community of vetted dog walkers through an on-demand platform, so consumers can share a life together with their pooches that is full of adventure and joyful moments.
Brand Purpose: Sharing The Joys Of Dog Parenthood
The love of a dog is a precious gift, and everyone should experience it, so we want to make dog ownership easier by taking care of the dogs the way you would.
Brand Promise: We provide on-demand, vetted and matched dog walking and sitting services, so dogs and their humans can share a fulfilling life full of adventures and joyful moments.
Methodology: Brand Audit including Stakeholders Interviews, Audience Development, Pet Parents Interviews, Dog Walker Interviews, Pet Industry Trends and Analysis, Pet Category Research and Analysis
VERIZON
“Notable Nurses”
Brand, Experiential and Content Strategy
The Ask: Deliver meaningful experiences to “Those who serve”: Nurses segments in order to demonstrate Verizon’s value proposition: “Giving more to those who give the most.”
Problem: There is low awareness about Verizon’s products that are geared towards Nurses
Insight: Nurses need time to connect to their families, to their communities, to celebrate the wins and to connect to themselves.
Strategic Approach: Moments of Connection
Establish Verizon as the network that enables life’s moments by providing a reliable and superior service geared towards the ones who serve.
Creative Solution: Notable Nurses
A web series made in collaboration with healthcare influencer Nurse Blake that shares and celebrates stories of success and sacrifice from nurses nationwide and highlights the Verizon Nurses Plan.
Process: Audience Development, Cultural Research, Audience Interviews