COLABORATORY is an internship program hosted by the Portland Advertising Federation. I participated in the internship during the summer of 2008, which was the first year the internship was offered. The internship took place over six weeks in Portland, Oregon. Ten participants were selected and individually paired with three of the ten participating, advertising agencies based on their strengths and interests. The interns spent two intensely focused weeks at each agency learning from all disciplines.

During the six weeks working at agencies across Portland, the interns also formed two competing teams to develop a campaign pitch for local client Sameunderneath.

The two sides of COLABORATORY gave me a broad view of how agencies work, and at the same time taught me the finer details of collaboration.

• Innovative marketing comes from people working together to synthesize new ideas and test them out. COLABORATORY is where that happens.

I was an account manager on team Lattice. Lattice spent six weeks gaining a detailed perspective on Sameunderneath's brand including values and customers. Our goal was to create a Marketing and PR Plan for the young business.

1. Our Approach:

In our approach we wanted to keep the strong elements that the brand had already established. Instead of changing everything that Sameunderneath had established, we narrowed the messaging to provide consistency for all brand touch points.

We believe that in keeping the same identity of the brand and developing messaging from it the Sameunderneath movement can flourish. A focused brand will attract new customers because there will be less clutter for them to sort through. Streamlining the messaging will help Sameunderneath continue to spread the positive change that occurs as a result of being socially aware, the essence of what Sameunderneath is.

The implementation plan is broken down into four phases. We suggested applying our plan with a West Coast focus to act as a stepping stone, allowing time to re-evaluate before going national. Once the plan achieves the desired success it will be implemented nation wide starting in the areas where Sameunderneath distributors already exist, and then moving into popular, hub cities.

2. Target Audience:

Sameunderneath's target market is the Enlightened Rebel, a large umbrella term for three subgroups. They are generally 25-34 year olds who hold the same values as Sameunderneath in being socially aware. Sameunderneath's secondary target market are women 50+ years, who are shopping for themselves and/or their families.

Lattice has clearly defined the target market for Sameunderneath and broken the Enlightened Rebels (Sameunderneath's target market) into three different subgroups: Movers & Shakers, Try-Hards and Established Pioneers. Our primary target audience are males and females ages 25-34, while our second target audience are males and females ages 35-54.

The audience for Sameunderneath is remarkable. They are changeagents that are inspired and passionate to bring about a change in the world. They are at the forefront of the change movement and are ready to inspire others to become socially aware and make a positive change.

3. Believe Campaign:

The Believe Campaign is the overriding theme used to represent Sameunderneath through all of its promotional material. The Believe Campaign is centered around the tagline Think it. Wear It. Believe It. This was the tagline already used by Sameunderneath before we started the project, yet we felt it was consistent with the brand. In our ads we adapted the headline to read I think _____________. I Wear Sameunderneath. I believe _____________. Consumers are too fill in the blanks with their own think and believe statements that reflect their own personal values and those of Sameunderneath.

The campaign starts with stickers, which are passed out at Sameunderneath stores. The stickers are to be placed all over town creating hype around Sameunderneath. The Believe Campaign will live online as well. Consumers are encouraged to share their statements on the Sameunderneath online store for others to read and respond too. The beauty of this approach is that the Believe campaign is continuously generating new content through user submissions. The campaign is spread into print advertisements, online media, and grassroots campaigns involving chalk and bamboo planters.

Sticker Campaign:

Chalk Campaign:

The goal is to have chalk Believe statements written in strategic places around key markets in the West Coast. The chalking campaign places the brand message right in front of the consumer and draws their eye because it is visually intriguing. The Believe statements will have a call to action directing consumers to the Sameunderneath website.

Bamboo Campaign:

The planters serve as an educational tool teaching the consumer about Sameunderneath's earth conscious decisions. The planters would have a Believe statement, and a disclaimer reading, Sameunderneath fashions its clothing out of bamboo fibers. Bamboo is sustainable and 100% biodegradable, a call to action to the Sameunderneath website would also be on the planter.

4. In-Store Branding:

Boutique Displays:

Sameunderneath has a certain visual appeal in their two flagship stores. For Sameunderneath to portray their visual appeal in their distributors stores we suggest branded displays. We want the distributor's stores to have the same look and feel as the Sameunderneath stores, this way when a consumer walks into the Sameunderneath section of the store they can immediately recognize the brand, and understand what Sameunderneath is all about.

Take Away Card

The in-store take away card will be used as a promotional tool to inform the consumer about Sameunderneath's values and also have a call to action (the incentive) where the consumer can download a free song. No purchase is necessary to take one of the cards.

Hang-Tags

The hang-tags informs consumers about the business practices, beliefs and materials Sameunderneath uses in their clothing. This is a brand touch point that will involve consumers with the Sameunderneath movement. The hang-tag has a peel-away sticker that is the same as the stickers from the Sticker Campaign. The hang-tag is an extension of the campaign furthering the reach of the message.

Employee Brand Book

It is important for Sameunderneath to provide branded messages to its distributors so customers coming into that store will have immediate answers as to who, what, and why the Sameunderneath brand is. The employee brand guide will be given to all Sameunderneath employees and distributors to educate them about the values and philosophies that Sameunderneath stands for. The back of the book includes a fold-out planogram that depicts the way the in-store displays should be set up.

5. Branded Clothing:

Lattice suggested putting Sameunderneath's logo in a consistent spot on all clothing, the bottom right corner. The logo would be embroidered in the same color of the clothing to helps people recognize the clothing as Sameunderneath. It creates consistent branding for all Sameunderneath products. We also suggested making their shirts tagless to help reduce the amount of materials used on tags.

Awareness T-Shrit

The Awareness T-shirt is designed to spread the Sameunderneath movement. The shirt will be sold at Sameunderneath flagship stores and distributors with 15% of proceeds going to a cause chosen by Sameunderneath. The shirt acts as a personal brand touch point that connects with consumers on a deep, personal level because it will have a branded message on the inside of the clothing with the phrase, We are Sameunderneath. Only those who purchase the shirt will have that connection to the Sameunderneath brand and philosophy.

6. Campaign Achievements:

By creating a unified brand message that speaks specifically to the target audience, we will spread the Sameunderneath movement and grow its following.

We aren't just selling T-shirts; we're spreading the values of Sameunderneath. We're sharing different perspectives to educate each other. We're spreading a grassroots movement to change the way people look at each other.

Watch our process video below.

7. Credits:

Account Managers

Allison McKeever
Heather Schwartz

Graphic Designers

Melissa Casillas
Whitney Bard

Copywriter

Megan Nuttal