(Click slideshow to enlarge CREATIVE BRIEFING DECK)

Real Problem
Aston Martin’s brand has not taken a solid stance in the Americas. The brand has strayed too far into exclusivity and gone dormant. The name, Aston Martin alone no longer carries strong meaning. Aston’s only strong recognition is for its long history with James Bond, which has become golden shackles to acquiring new consumers.

Market Forces – Setting the Stage

Category: The category of luxury vehicles worships speed, flash, and brash colors. These vehicles represent the rich who throw away their wealth on tasteless pursuits. They are the Soulless.

Culture: The affluent have been criticized for their wealth and as such do not connect with cliché displays of luxury.

The Ultra Rich: The majority of the ultra-wealthy were not born into their riches. They believe that their success is due to their clear sense of purpose in life (Passion). These people believe they have earned their success from personal hard work (Merit) and perseverance (Soul) in the face of failure. They even cite that their happiness is determined by the realization of personal potential (Success), but the weak fall prey to the trappings of success. These people chased success for the wrong reasons.

Our Target Audience – The Likable Rich (Mirrors of the brand)
The Likable Rich, who know that success is only the beginning. We like them for their enduring passion because they continue to share it with us. These people continue to strive past reaching success because they adhere to their core values.

True Success is not found when we reach it, but when we share it with others and are recognized for our success.

Audience Insight: People driven by passion who find success can preserve their meaning and purpose after becoming wealthy.

Brand Truth: Imprinted with the values of passion, merit, and perseverance. The car with soul, in a category of the soulless.

Strategic Platform: For whom success is only the beginning

There is an untraditional brief, too. It explores the demise in 2016 of 2013’s slew of Ultimate Men (the most interesting man goes to space / retires). The Parable of an Uncle’s Mistake is an attempt to explain the true insight. But you’ll have to email sean@boutchard.com to read, an Uncle’s Parable on Success – ‘Buying a Porsche.’

Pitch Brand Manifesto Video 

Creative Demo for Global Site

Client: My Sensible Baby – a smart monitoring device that was created to help prevent SIDS during the first 6 months to a year of the infants’ life.

Background: It was spring 2014, a year before the dad-vertising onslaught that was the Super Bowl XLIX. Our team was tasked with creating a digital campaign for a smart baby monitor. It was a promising product, utilizing technology to deliver an experience which helped parents maintain their sanity during the crazy first 6 months of having a baby.

Issues: We believed there were a couple minor things holding this product back from success.

– First, they only had a product with no brand. There was an opportunity to create a strong brand that could extend outside of the first 6 months of childhood that the product is relevant.

– Second, the packaging and app interface looked like a medical device. It made parents more nervous.

– Third, the name. My Sensible Baby was confusing. It needed a little tweaking even though the client loved it.

Target: First Time Dads.
This was the lynchpin of our blue ocean strategy. Why you may ask? What about moms? Aren’t they the ones usually buying? Well, we forecasted times were about to change. Millennials are now becoming first time parents and we found that the soccer mom is transforming into the skateboard dad. And in a category that launches new products every nine months, everybody was still talking to moms. We wanted to stand out in the sea of baby products.

Strategy: The “Fourth Trimester”
After speaking with all the father’s we know, we stumbled upon the “Fourth Trimester” blues. The first few months of infants’ life are known as the “Fourth Trimester,” because Moms share a special biological connection with the newborn. The newborn misses the familiarity of the womb and enjoys the comfort a mother brings. Meanwhile, Moms are experiencing a radical range of changes in both their bodies and minds that only mothers fully understand. This makes for an uneasy period for fathers who aren’t sure of their role yet. This was also the period where our product lived.

Again and again dads spoke of the guilt they felt during this time. They desperately wanted to feel useful, but didn’t know exactly how and were worried about everything that could possibly go wrong. What if Sensible could calm his fears and make him the hero he so desperately wants to be?
We needed to Celebrate Dads as the Hero of the Fourth Trimester.

Implementation: We began our journey by chopping off the unnecessary words from the name. The product became Sensible and our strategy led the creative team to the concept, Dad Conquers Irrational Fears.

Our creative team knocked it out of the park, created an 8 bit video game, redid the packaging, streamlined the interface with a calming facelift, and executed some great radio and TV spots. From a business standpoint there was a great chance to make this thing bigger by creating a brand for all things dad. We decided on calling it Dad Labs.

Since we first came into parents’ lives as their child was born, if we did well, we could create line extensions for products later in their childs‘ life. This would extend the customer lifetime value of our audience. And the CEO of the company, our leader figure just happened to be a first time dad.

Brainstarter:
Brand – Dad Labs  Product – Sensible
Caveman Dad had to worry about saber tooth tigers eating his baby.
Now, saber tooth tigers are gone.

SIDS is dads’ current saber tooth tiger. Lets get rid of SIDS.

View Creative Brief

Concept: Dad conquers irrational fears

8-bit Video Game

Dad Versus The Irrational Universe

Online Spot

Jimmy Grows Up Overnight

Radio

Dad Takes on Inca Warriors

Digital Ads

Alien Abduction

Client: mysensiblebaby.com

Created by:
Sean Boutchard (CS)
Michael Grasewicz (CBM)
David Spradlin (AD)
Patrick Farrell (CW)
Andy Holdeman (XD)

Challenge: How do you increase consumption of fruits and vegetables in the U.S.? Its an age old question mothers preach, but how do you actually change the behavior.

Setting the Stage: The Renaissance of Farmer’s Markets
Farmers markets are more than just a place for local foodies to get fresh fruits and vegetables. They have grown to become a haven for artisans and musicians to sell their wares. It exposes people to ethnic cultures and traditions. These markets have revitalized neglected neighborhoods and transformed them into places people want to spend time at whether they are shopping or not. Farmers’ markets build social ties, linking rural and urban populations and also neighbors in a mutually rewarding exchange. Farmers’ markets play a pivotal role in maintaining cultural communities that can teach youth and families how to live healthy, balanced lives. They turn the chore of grocery shopping into a fun social event where people can explore and discover new foods. When farmer’s have a chance to talk about their food it gives the produce a life of it’s own and takes the fear out of intimidating vegetables.

Insight: The story makes food tastier
The rich stories behind the food enhances the flavors we experience. They stir emotions that are inextricably entangled in our physical sensations.

Target: Tag Alongs
Farmers’ markets are an incredible melting pot of people from all sorts of backgrounds, but not all have the True Believer mindset. Tag Alongs go when they are invited by a friend and its convenient. They will never go alone, its a social event for them. They want the full experience of the farmer’s market. They need the side dishes of music, art and crafts. They enjoy going once in awhile, but haven’t made it a lifestyle yet. We need to turn these Tag Alongs into True Believers.

Strategy: Where food comes alive
We need to spread the culture of farmer’s markets where food comes alive. By growing these communities not only will we greatly increase the consumption of fruits and veggies, but encourage healthy living that gives back to the local economy. If we start with their friends the rest will follow.

Reasons to Believe:
1. States with the highest consumption of vegetables also have the highest density of farmers’ markets.
2. From 2008-2014 there has been an increase in farmers’ markets by 76%, that has since slowed down to 1.5% in the past year. They need advertising to grow their consumer base before markets will be able to grow in numbers again.
3. Food Stamps (SNAP benefits) are worth double at farmers’ markets.

Results:
We created a unified brand that all 17 farmers markets in the region could utilize as well as customize to promote their specific market. Working with the Virginia Farmers’ Market Association, Feedmore.org and the Capital Region Collaborative, we are launching a campaign for farmer’s markets in Virginia that will start late this spring.

TV Spot – Hands of a Farmer

Web Spot – Morning Stories

Print

Client: Feedmore.org

My Role:
Primary Research: Interviews, Ethnography
Secondary Research
Strategy Development
Camera work for TV spots

Created by:
Sean Boutchard (CS)
Tim Brown (CBM)
Elly Taura (AD)
James Fees (CW)
Duncan Hoge (CT)

Challenge: Nike once dominated the shoe category in China, but currently they are losing customers to Adidas and other fashionable street wear brands. In September 2013, Nike predicted their sales will continue to drop for the next two quarters, which would make for five consecutive quarters of loss.

Setting the Stage:  In China, the one-child policy children are very persuasive in how their parents spend their money. This “lonely generation” are at the center of four grandparents and two parents which results in centralized attention. With so much family attention and pressure focused on cultivating these only-children, the youth are interested in expressing their identity through their personal choices. Brands are not just status symbols to them, the Chinese youth care about fitting in, personal expression, and increasingly more about social responsibility. Online they are able to find freedom from the gaze of their parents and it is perfectly natural for them to have virtual friends they have never met in real life. The new “China Dream” is a not only a life of luxury, but also giving back value to China.

Cultural insight: In the past you were what you owned, now you are what you share.

Real Problem: Nike has always been a beloved brand, but as the younger generation seeks to be more connected and are less concerned with conspicuous consumption, we needed to positioned Nike as more than a label. Rather, something they can rally behind together with their circles.

Objective: Increase Nike’s brand equity in China.

Charity Partner: WildAid has been extremely effective in curbing the consumption of endangered species in Asia. They have recruited the largest superstars in China to spread an immense public awareness campaign that has permeated China’s culture and society.

Solution: We connected the Brand with a charity to solve the problem. Our solution to this challenge was Nike Wild. The campaign connects the brand with the speed and beauty of these endangered animals. Nike Wild taps into your natural animalistic instincts and encourages you to harness that power.

Strategy: Make movement the currency for change.

Concept: The prowess of these animals is the same spirit that lives in every athlete.

NIKE WILD FUELBAND PROJECT “UNLEASH GREATNESS” 

Nike believes anyone with a body is an athlete. Through the activities you love you can DO something to change the world. Utilizing FuelBand and Nike+ technology, people will be able to earn money for WildAid through physical activities. Drawing from an initial “Wild Bank,” individuals can raise money on their own and join a team. The app tracks their progress on a leader board that displays how they and their teams rank among others in regard to money raised.

Social Engagement

Users will be able to publish stories and photos on the FuelBand App of their activities. They will be able to share these through the major social media platforms of China, Korea, and Japan.

To further foster social communities Nike Wild will be incentivizing the “Wild” experience. Each time the funds raised reaches an increment of 500,000, the team who has raised the most money in that time will be publicly recognized and awarded a package of products from the Wild line and Nike gift cards.  The group who raises the most money combined by the deadline in 2016 will receive a paid trip to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“It is a dynamic market for testing as the Chinese are very keen to try anything new. They spend more time online, mainly on mobile phones – than most people in other markets.”

China boasts the largest internet market in the world, with more than 570 million users and it is growing exponentially. Leading Platforms in Asia: WeChat / Wei Xin (China), KakaoTalk (Korea), Line (Japan), and Facebook.

My Role:

• One-on-One Interviews
• Secondary Research
• Strategy Development
• Brief Writing

Credits:

Sean Boutchard (CS)
Kendra Gaines (AD)
Billy Galanko (CBM)
Duncan Hoge (CT)
Nelson W. Johnson (CT)
Andrea Sofia (CS)
Andrew Couch (CW)