Category: Latest Work
September 30, 2024 / Miles Marmo
Deer Creek Lodge | Rebrand and Website Redesign
Deer Creek Lodge is a lodge in Sebree, Kentucky that has received honors and accolades from being recognized as an outstanding hunting experience within a well-groomed property and luxurious accommodations. The owners wanted to evolve the weak existing brand into a dynamic brand that would capture what the real hunting adventure. They needed a comprehensive brand evolution with an accurate and authentic brand story and messaging that would be applied across all communication vehicles including an updated website.
Role
Research
Strategy
Consumer Segmentation
Creative Direction
Creative Production
Deliverables
RTD Product Development
Parent Company Naming
Brand Naming
Marketing & Brand Strategy
Branding
Art Direction
Photography
CGI/Videography
Shopper Marketing
Digital Media
Client
Deer Creek Lodge
Company Type
B2B/B2C
Leisure Travel
Hunting/Adventure Tourism
Corporate Retreats
The Challenge
Deer Creek Lodge was established in 1978 and is privately owned by a family of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Although internationally recognized, brand awareness and attendance needed to be increased to transition it from a family gathering location to a viable, growth business.
The Solution
The project was launched by an intensive on-site brand workshop with the owners and the key staff stakeholders to understand history, individual perspectives from all angles of the business and aggregated goals for the business. This was followed by deep-dive into the national competitive market and research into key targeted audiences. The result being a brand strategy that captures the unique Deer Creek Lodge experience and encapsulated the vision and business goals supported by a brand platform that informs and guides all traditional and digital marketing and sales initiatives.
RESEARCH
Competitors
In order to fully understand the space in which Deer Creek lives, there needed to be a thorough understanding the competitive landscape. Hunters and outdoor enthusiast that pay for this type of experience are not always limited to geographic location, so the research was national including Alaska. Our research revealed that competitive hunting lodges websites organized and presented themselves in the same way, didn’t make booking easy, and only true difference among the properties was geographical location.
Consumer Segmentation
By far, an older Caucasian male was the targeted audience within the national competitive set. Since Deer Creek Lodge was based on cross-generational family-centric experiences, through data driven research, we discovered hunting and outdoors enthusiasts market segments of existing and potential customers that were being underserved. They were the experienced hunter, the interested hunter, the active retreater, and the future hunter. These groups were defined by what experiences are important to the, their socioeconomic status, educational backgrounds, habits, media consumption, purchase behavior and shared interests.
BRANDING
Positioning
Deer Creek Lodge takes pride in offering an exceptional well-rounded experience on and off the field. We are dedicated to give you an adventure worth reliving, stories worth sharing, traditions worth passing on, and memories that will last a lifetime.
Identity
A timeless and iconic logo was created capturing the exhilarating moment a bird is kicked up during the hunting experience. Lines in the bird are reflective of the grass in which it is flying out of as well as an abstract detail implying feathers during flight. The mark is paired with strong and clean primary type with a supportive serif which speaks to the sophistication of the property and experience.
Combining owner and stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis and market/audience research, the goal of the brand was to capture the archetypes and mission, represent the new Deer Creek Lodge persona, support the brand pyramid articulation, connect to new audiences while engaging the loyalist and differentiate in a very competitive landscape.
CREATIVE DIRECTION
Supportive Visuals
The new brand and surrounding visuals needed to support the overarching experience and adventurous spirit of Deer Creek. Creating an elevated brand that reflects luxury while still being approachable was established through typography, thoughtful graphics, intimate photography, and a genuine voice.
Photography & Video
The photography and videography needed to highlight Deer Creek’s offerings and capture the private setting of the lodge and all they have to offer. A moody and organic aesthetic helped tell the experiential story and also constructed a personal connection to the consumer.
Hunting is a generational sport and often passed down, and experienced as a family or group. With the hunting industry primarily aimed towards older males, we needed to make sure women and children were thoughtfully, and respectfully, represented.
Art Direction Objective
Our goal was to immerse the audience in the overall experience— to have them feel welcomed, excited, and wish they were here.
WEBSITE
Functionality
The website needed to be an intuitive hub to connect Deer Creek Lodge to a nationwide audience in an experiential way. The existing website was dated, lacking visuals, voice, and functionality. We needed to make sure Deer Creek went above and beyond the industry standard (which was lacking), and comfortably accommodate their growing audiences’ digital needs, while ultimately, leading to increasing Deer Creek Lodge’s revenue.
User Experience
To show full support of a younger audience, while adhering to the existing clientele, Deer Creek’s digital presence needed to guide and inform the user of their offerings, immerse the consumer in the adventurous experience to ignite their spirit, and be transactional for ease-of-use bookings.
While Deer Creek accommodates their guests, the brand accommodates their guests adventurous spirit, and invites them to hunt, gather, exchange stories, and be a part of the Family. With an extensive graphic system focusing on all of their offerings, the website, and new brand, speaks to their audience in a simple way while not only differentiating them in the industry, but giving them a platform to lead it.
Results
Upon launch booking conversions increased nearly 50% thanks to the updated website and user flow. The immediate success has driven Deer Creek to open up other locations under a hospitality group currently being formulated. Stay tuned for updates.