Re-animating a brand and re-invigorating slowing sales.
The Challenge
Sales were suffering at The Public Market because of new competition, accessibility issues (both perceived and real), and consumer apathy. We needed to reconnect shoppers with a beloved local brand by increasing its profile, visibility, and reputation.
The Solution
A brand envisioning process revealed a compelling point of difference—the passionate expertise and uniqueness of the many vendors who make up the vibrant Public Market. From this insight, we developed the “Passionate Experts” brand platform, which focused on connecting consumers with the people who would not only sell them their fruit, vegetables, meat, flowers, chocolates, baked goods, and more, but who would be able to speak to the origins and history of these items and provide advice on how best to select and prepare them.
This was a unique proposition that the corporate competition simply couldn’t touch. To be effective, the campaign needed to communicate the many compelling reasons to shop at The Public Market on Granville Island—the expert vendors, the finest-quality and freshest offerings, and the vibrant, multi-sensory atmosphere—and it needed to do so using an authentic brand voice. The community-based campaign consisted of a new brand identity and design coupled with a mix of advertising in both traditional and new media (cue the produce-wrapped cement trucks).
The Results
After years of softening sales, the campaign (combined with the energy and pride instilled in the vendors themselves) was credited with increasing The Public Market’s sales by nearly 20% over the industry average. Highlighting its unique point of difference resulted in a meaningful behaviour and sales shift.
