SALT by Pepper
PORTFOLIO
Business Startup Program ● Branding & Logo ● Brand Awareness ● Website Development
From Concept to Reality – A Full-Service New Business Launch
In winter of 2019, SALT by Pepper approached Boost Media for a full-scale small business launch through our Business Start Up Program, including branding, e-commerce website development, outdoor signage, clothing tags, indoor signage, and brand awareness. All this leading up to the grand opening of this high-end clothing store located in downtown Boise.
We built brand guides, designed physical and digital assets, developed a website, set up social media accounts, boosted awareness for the grand opening event, and expanded SALT’s reach and influence through education campaigns.
Building the SALT by Pepper Brand
SALT’s branding needed to target a specific niche in the market.
Voice and style guidelines were shaped to present the image and aesthetic suitable for this fashionable business. Through vision alignment meetings and brainstorming, we worked to understand SALT’s meaning and vision as well as match the standards of this new brand (and SALT’s partner fashion brands) on a local and national level.
SALT aimed to be more than just a high-fashion e-commerce brand. The intent was to build a conscious community of sisterhood centered around high-fashion. SALT curates their lineup to cater to that community, and all pieces are chosen with longevity and sustainability in mind. Like natural salt, SALT by Pepper sought to be a foundation from which to live this powerful experience. It was imperative that we perfectly realize that philosophy in the branding.
Earthy, natural tones with stone textures were chosen to represent the natural and sustainability philosophies. “The wheel” symbol was selected to represent a sculpture located in-store. Finally, the sans serif typeface rounded out a modern and easily recognizable look. SALT’s aesthetic — the dark, powerful tones and colors, contrasted by white typeface and subdued, infinite circle — reflect the strong, earthy feel the client wanted in their branding image.
The final delivery of the branding package included a comprehensive brand guide with logo variations and marks, font packages, textures, and color palettes to ensure brand consistency into the future.
Telling the Story Through a Stylish, User Friendly Website
Once branding was completed, it was time to use chosen elements to build out a digital presence that matched. Our mantra at Boost Media is always to “tell the story” of our clients and partners, and we had a vision for how to tell SALT’s story through their website.
Establishing an online presence that is user-friendly for both clients and customers is always a top priority. For SALT, we knew we wanted visitors to feel like they knew Pepper, the owner, and the intention was to create a personal connection to her and her story. We didn’t want this website to feel like a faceless corporate store, but instead an inviting experience where the viewer felt a familiarity with the brand, product, and people involved – similar to shopping in a physical retail environment. To accomplish this, we made Pepper and her story prominent on the website, putting a face to the brand.
User-friendliness is always a priority from the moment a viewer lands on the homepage – especially for an ecommerce website. Streamlined navigation that makes the shopping experience easy and encourages a purchase is essential. Artistic styling and branding, followed by function, delivered a brand-consistent experience that was both practical and appealing to interact with.
Each website we build at Boost Media also includes content curation, keyword research, search engine optimization, and backend development. This project also included a plug-in to access SALT’s point of sale software, which allowed for an easy adaptation to a mobile storefront in 2020.
Ultimately, SALT’s website provided an online storefront that felt just as inviting and modern as the brick-and-mortar location.
Full-Service Social Media Deployment
Digital marketing via social media is where the voice and style of a brand come directly in contact with a curious audience. Our initial interview to establish the brand, combined with competitor research of high-end fashion retailers, allowed us to establish an industry baseline and pinpoint where SALT could best make its mark.
From there, we deployed targeted brand awareness campaigns to introduce the company and tell its story prior to a Grand Opening event. We used beautiful imagery and intriguing teaser posts to appeal to a niche fashion-centric audience. This built community engagement and inaugurated SALT as a distinguished fashion boutique in Boise.
Local Boise social media fashion influencers were brought in to tour the store prior to opening and publish personal Instagram posts and stories to drive further awareness in the tight-knit Boise fashion community.
Grand Opening Event Campaign
Part of SALT’s digital marketing strategy was targeted advertising designed to build excitement around the their Grand Opening event. This comprehensive marketing campaign included an omni-channel, grand opening campaign; a full-scale, six-week-long, multi-platform social awareness campaign; and a paid advertising campaign targeting individuals that fit into identified interest groups to maximize advertising spend.
Press releases were drafted and delivered/ We registered SALT in the Downtown Boise Association’s First Thursday Event in order to drive additional awareness and engagement. The Grand Opening Event was accompanied by an article published on the local media platform This Is Boise, and published to over 90,000 social media followers.
Matching the Physical with the Digital
As part of Boost Media’s New Business Start Up Program, we include graphic design and print production packages needed for any new startup business. Our clients have access to a “one stop shop” for their outdoor/indoor signage, miscellaneous items like price tags or coupons, and anything else they may need. Our creative team handles the design and production process from start-to-finish to take some pressure off a new business owner.
As SALT’s Grand Opening event approached, we created the final physical materials, cultivating a uniform, branded appearance throughout the storefront. Some of these projects included:
Outdoor Street Signage
Based on SALT’s branding guidelines, we produced beautiful street signage that matched the building’s aesthetic. The signage required approval from Boise city, which our agency handled, submitting paperwork and managing the approval process.
Branded Price Tags
Keeping on brand with SALT’s aesthetic, Boost’s creative team designed high-quality branded price tags with premium paper and a feel that spoke to the high-end nature of the storefront.
Custom Newspaper Print Collateral
SALT wanted their seasonal fashion catalog to stand out in a crowded marketplace. The solution to this was a unique 4-page newspaper highlighting the new business and the seasonal fashion offerings.
Custom Grand Opening Invitations
To make the SALT by Pepper Grand Opening event a night to remember, personalized premium Grand Opening event invitations were designed and produced.
