PROJECT
Timbuk2
Positioning & Advertising
THE STORY
I'd been working with Timbuk2 for a few years on several successful new product development projects when they asked if I could help them with a brand positioning project. The iconic San Francisco bag-maker had seen the launch of lots of new players in their space but none who had the rightful claim to being the original and best in the biz. Add to that years of diluting the brand's meaning by expanding their product offering way beyond anything that felt authentic to the brand's story, and they suddently had an identity crisis on their hands.
I worked with the company's leadership to help the brand get back to a simpler, more honest, aspirational, and authentic position. We started with a series of executive workshops, interviews, and current employee surveys (plus a bunch of their own customer research). After distilling all of this input down into a report on the current state of the brand, we landed on a fresh new position that only Timbuk2 could own.
What followed were several related projects that brought the positioning to life including an international brand advertising campaign that ran across Europe and Japan (and at home in San Francisco).
The positioning process was a deep collaboration in understanding what the brand is versus what it felt like it wanted to be from the point of view of senior leaders, key employees, and customers.
With all of the input and research done, the new positioning came to life through conceptual visualizations, new photography, a brand book, and an international advertising campaign.
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