Branding and growing a local small business

Wagsburgh was in need of a rebrand, redesign and multi-channel marketing strategy along with a marketing tools refresh to better connect to and serve its customer community.

Joe, the sole proprietor of a small local pet shop located in the historic Deutschtown neighborhood in Northside, Pittsburgh PA, contacted us when he was seeing a plateau in business and was in many ways transitioning toward a stronger foundation and future for his business. Wagsburgh needed better conditions to reach more people to tell its story and capture the hearts and minds of not only locals who live nearby, but also raise awareness with the people who commute to work and bypass the store daily to spark growth and maximize their position in the community.

We know that owning a small business comes with a lot of responsibilities, and so, solutions to small business problems must be realistic, achievable, meaningful, actionable, and successfully achieving the businesses goals.

When the truth has this much heart, we feel you have to get it out in the open where it can express itself and attract the attention it needs.

After a local shelter had closed their small retail store, it left pet owners to drive out of the neighborhood to buy their food, treats, and toys. Wagsburgh set out to fill the gap in availability of healthy pet products and meet the needs of the local community. From day one Wagsburgh has always had the city’s best products, programs, services, events. Joe is a wealth of information, and a genuine fine human who constantly gives back to local shelters and pets in need. Wagsburgh is dedicated to building healthy, lasting relationships. And so, as a small independent pet store it embraces a philosophy of giving back through their knowledge, actions, donations, or giving of their time.

Wagsburgh required improved online communication carried out through sustained and consistent multi-channel campaigns so it could better promote its programs and products, engage with like minded businesses, community events, as well as its own in-store pet and owner focused events.With improved conditions Wagsburgh could better analyze marketing efforts and develop a suite of growth marketing tools for future brand management and measurement by its small staff.

We redesigned the Wagsburgh customer experience to resonate at a human level, uplifting brand assets to better reflect Wagsburgh’s view’s, and innate qualities leading the way to real business impact long into the future.

Fine Humans strategically designed rebranded outreach campaigns, a responsive B2C website, and refreshed social media channels to grow its audience and bring new customers to the store. We met marketing goals through a series of measurable campaigns and outreach initiatives that we learned from and improved upon based on the insights brought into the light.

Analyze, interview and strategize

We analyzed the effectiveness of Wagsburgh’s current efforts and worked closely with Wagsburgh and its existing customers through a series of interviews and one on one consultations to understand the local market and craft a stronger brand presence across all channels of their business to set it up for long term success.‍

Small businesses have the opportunity to be uniquely genuine

We put the Wagsburgh customer at the center of our strategy, learning about what they need and desire, involving Wagsburgh customers and their pets through photography used throughout the website and cohesively across marketing materials.‍

A uniquely Wagsburgh’s brand redesign

Inspired by local artwork hanging inside of Wagsburgh, and the Northside’s deep roots in the arts, we developed a pop art approach to the design of expressive brand assets to carry through Wagsburgh’s customer touchpoints. 

We considered the Wagsburgh's current brand and logo, which was overly complicated, to develop a one-of-a-kind bespoke wordmark along with an iconic secondary mark with an animated wag to greet you in the digital storefronts. As a new baseline for consistency moving forward, we refreshed brand color palettes and established a brand typeface and copywriting guidelines.‍

Website design

We mapped and designed a user-friendly website based on the new brand and Wagsburgh goals. Now it could showcase its nutritious products, customer service, events, and community involvement. On the visual side, the site stands apart, looks and feels different from other websites. We created original illustrations and photographed products inside the store. We crafted engaging sitewide copy. And opened avenues for customers to receive tips and suggestions from the experts. The purpose is to give future customers an idea of the store before they make their first purchase. ‍

Make it meaningfully

Promotional postcards, designed in the new brand, utilized the photography we shot of real Wagsburgh customers and their pets, driving customers to the brick and mortar location. High quality design removes barriers for trust.Business cards with a raised fur texture believe that the brand is a 4d canvas, when the opportunity arises, we aim to delight all the senses.We don’t mean over market-ity and shiny, but honest, well produced and meaningfully impactful.‍

Develop general, targeted and promotional email awareness outreach campaign foundation

The most important place you can be is in your customer's inbox. Every email is an opportunity to make a positive impression. We want you to establish a trusting relationship with people who see things the way you do, and so will use your services now and into the future. Strategically we believe you have to give something to get something, Wagsburgh tips, and expert perspectives balance sales and promotions creating loyal customers along the way. Wagsburgh can analyze the performance of its campaigns and learn from them to improve placements, offers, and engage its audience in the best possible way to build loyalty.

Pawsitive engagement

Through a campaign called Wagsburgh Pet stories, we interviewed Wagsburgh customers about their pet relationships, in order to better understand, and celebrate, these heartfelt relationships spanning many different types of people and their unique pet relationships. Our view is that you don't just say you're about the customer, you actually do it, and Wagsburgh is an expert at serving its community. Our task was to find out what had been there all along. Wagsburgh's social media footprints, Facebook ads, Instagram posts were updated with the new brand to improve the quality of trust, consistency, and identifiability, and remove friction to engagement.‍

Brick and mortar brand experience

Wagsburgh’s exterior and instore signage was deployed in the new brand, all the way down to the price signage. Customers could now enjoy branded sweatshirts and backpacks showing their local pride and pet values while making Wagsburgh more visible as they walk down the block, and at the dog parks in their community.