“A... ‘thinking of you’ gift,”
WHAT I BUILT
The brand: the name, the look, the voice and the store.
Five designs, each carrying its own message, with copy written from the giver to the wearer. “You got this.” “I am always with you.” “You are surrounded by hope.”
And a tagline that said it all: Give the gift of hope.
THE CHALLENGE
So Hopie had to work the way flowers do: a gift you could send for a hard week or a happy one, any time you wanted someone to know you were thinking of them.
One went to the coach of a girls' softball team, as a thank-you from the team, something to remember the girls by.
If a scarf only ever meant bad news, opening one would feel like bad news.
I built it to feel like love.
When flowers are fleeting and a card just isn't enough.
HOW I MARKETED IT
A $15,000 total budget, for everything. So I went where people were already looking for a way to help, and got other people talking.
Approach: Hospital and cancer-center gift programs, where friends and family already go looking for something to bring.
Why it worked: The buyer was already standing there, wanting to do something.
Approach: Entered the Oprah Show's product search and made the runner-up round.
Why it worked: It put a small brand in front of a national audience.
Go national
Approach: An intense PR campaign to magazines, TV, radio, podcasts and local papers. It landed the front page of the North County Times.
Why it worked: Press reached people a $15,000 budget never could.
Earn the press
Be there when they're looking
WHAT IT DID
Growth: Sales up 500% in 18 months.
Budget: $15,000, total, for everything.
Sell-outs: From 50 units a month to 300-unit designs selling out in four days.
Press: Front page of the North County Times.
National: Runner-up round of the Oprah Show's product search.
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