Branding Salon :: Stand By Your Brand

Case Studies

MacCallum House Inn & Restaurant
Team Members: Publicist Jude Lutge, Marketer Julie Vetter and Graphic Designer Shona Freidman

When new owners Jed and Meghan Ayers and their partner Noah Sheppard took over the under-performing MacCallum House in Mendocino, California, they wanted to invest in a team to develop a multi-faceted brand and marketing strategy, including special events promotion, local write-ups, and Web site optimization for publicity and press.

To set the stage for this new marketing campaign, Shona developed a look and feel for the Web and print communications which convey the sophistication and style woven throughout the MacCallum House experience. These pieces include a full-scale Web site, brochures, menus and advertising, newsletters, and internet promotions which all convey a consistent message of the attention to detail that establishes confidence.

For marketing, the use of targeted, seasonal, eblast newsletters with clever marketing ideas that tie into current events has resulted in record reservations. These promotions are linked to the Web site to further leverage the marketing value. The newsletters have a very high open rate (average 33.6% Open rate and 22.6% click through rate) as well as a large number of forwards. An ongoing, strategic publicity campaign has secured articles in food magazines from Chocolatier to Plate and travel magazines from Sunset to Coastal Living. Wine Spectator followed with its review:

“Everything considered – atmosphere, food, wine – MacCallum House gets the nod as the area’s best restaurant.”

In fact, through careful brand development on the part of Jude, Julie and Shona, MacCallum House has risen to the top of the competitive fine dining scene on the Mendocino Coast, culminating in the restaurant “Oscar” of a terrific New York Times review:

“There is no better place to spend an entire evening than the MacCallum House.” NY Times

"I don't know if we would be on the map without the dedication and talent of the Branding Salon team. They are a huge part of our ongoing success and I would not want to launch a venture without their being on board."
Executive Chef Alan Kantor (former owner)

BloemBox
Team Member: Creative Director Rachel Cost

Botonist and designer Laura Quatrochi had developed dozens of retail garden products for brands such as Smith & Hawken and VivaTerra. So when it came time to launch Bloembox, her own line of unique gifts, she had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted. She just needed someone to take a cue from her product line and complete the vision. Work started in 2002 to prepare for a lauch at the New York Gift Fair, including packaging detail design, a brochure, a tradeshow display and Web site. After the BloemBox launch met with huge success, work began on an eCommerce Web site, line extensions and point of purchase displays.

BloemBox has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, on the O List in the Oprah Magazine,

People Magazine, Woman’s Day, the Today Show and many more.
“As someone involved with the creative process of garden and seed product design for over 20 years, I was delighted to meet and work with Rachel Cost. She is both imaginatively creative and an excellent copy writer. She combines her creative skills and writing ability with a keen sense of marketing. I appreciate her quick response, thoughtful clean designs and her ability to share and incorporate my ideas into the artistic process. I have the greatest respect for Rachel’s abilities to understand the “vision” of any project and highly recommend her services.”

Laura Quatrochi
President, Wildflowers International

Estilo Weddings
Team Member: Creative Director Rachel Cost and Graphic Designer Shona Friedman

Maria Ryan had created an online bridal store, but wasn’t getting the results she wanted. She knew she needed some help in developing her brand but wasn’t sure where to start. Rachel consulted with Maria to uncover her true passion and style, develop a compelling backstory, and then edit a line of gifts to create synergy for the brand. Once the business model and creative direction were solidified, work began on a new eCommerce site. And to create a successful launch, a press kit was created, including a written press release. Estilo Weddings received an immediate response from InStyle Weddings and was covered in popular bridal blogs including Style Me Pretty, The Unbride and many more.

“My husband and I opened an online wedding store in January of 2007 with not much success until we came across Rachel Cost and Co. We first contacted Rachel with the sole purpose of redesigning our Web site, but we got so much more.

Rachel helped us better identify our company’s vision. She worked with us on establishing strong image and branding, product positioning, and marketing strategies. In addition, she also walked us through the entire creative process to fully accomplish our vision and goals. The result is a cohesive design of our logo, Web site, media kit, and marketing materials. Almost instantly our sales went up and media took notice of our company.

Everything Rachel has done for us far exceeded our expectations. We are very fortunate to be able to work with someone as smart and creative as Rachel and would highly recommend her services to others.”

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