We recently had the pleasure of hosting a Brand Building by the Beach retreat weekend for an innovative outdoor apparel brand, known as Warrior Unlimited Apparel. Here is a recap of Day 1 from this amazingly productive weekend away!
As an intelligence expert and military vet, our client wanted to maintain the sense of unity and pride that comes with the military uniform while introducing innovative designs to the market.
Though he hadn't planned on combining his desire to vacation in Florida with developing his new brand, we all agreed that the sunshine and saltwater would do his winter-time blues some good. So on an overcast, frigid 34 degree morning, he left Ohio and flew down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to work with us.
Thawing Out
It was 80 degrees and sunny the day we picked him up from the Airport. Only a 10 minute drive from our creative studio, Studio P, the Ft. Lauderdale Airport is a major hub for Southwest Airlines and super easy to manage. One of the reasons why we love the area where we live. The palm trees and warm, clear water don't hurt either!
The Brand Building by the Beach retreat weekend started on a Friday morning at the beach (go figure!). We believe in the power of the ocean to cleanse our mind and body and what better way to start the day than with a morning dip.
After a healthy homemade breakfast, we reviewed the Brand Questionnaire we had sent a week earlier then settled in to our first of three sessions of intense examination of the Warrior Unlimited Apparel brand.
Finding PurposE
Starting with WHY, a la Simon Sinek, we got to the root of why our client decided to start the brand. The WHY of your brand is also your purpose. It is a belief about the world that you most likely formed while you were still in your early 20s.
The Purpose Statement that results from this belief becomes the North Star of your brand. All design, purchasing, and collaboration decisions will be based on whether they align with your Purpose.
Once your Purpose Statement is defined, your business will become a lot more streamlined and you will feel confident in your new found clarity! Plus, it helps us brand developers and designers understand where you are coming from which is essential for conceptualizing the Positioning Statement, logo, and brand assets.
PURPOSE STATEMENT: I believe in empowering others to be proud of themselves and their accomplishments.
Meeting the Mission
Next, we worked on HOW. The HOW supports the WHY and gives rise to the Mission Statement. Usually a Mission Statement reads something like: we do x to help this set of people do y. They can get pretty boring and wordy, fast!
During our brand development/review process, we asked specific questions of our client that narrowed his Mission Statement down to a succinct 10 word or less declaration.
MISSION STATEMENT: Warrior Unlimited Apparel: designing innovative styles to empower a nation united in patriotism and pride.
We then identified the brand values and used them to craft guidelines for making sure the HOW gets met.
VALUE STATEMENTS:
1) Instill PRIDE in people to live their best life
2) Unify Americans by re-igniting PATRIOTISM
3) Reinforce mental RESILIENCY
4) Bring INNOVATIVE technology to the outdoor apparel industry
5) EMPOWER others through positivity
the Excitement builds
By the time we got to WHAT, our client was in full flow-state and waving his arms in excitement as he quickly raddled off the products and services he had planned for Warrior Unlimited Apparel
WHAT:
= Men's and women's patriotic, professional, tactical active, outdoor, beach, and urban apparel that is both functional and alluring
= Philanthropic initiatives that support veterans mental health through extreme sports
Satisfaction
Unwinding from the focus of a productive day meant enjoying local craft beers and gourmet pizza from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. We love supporting local and consciously do so as often as possible!
The look of satisfaction on the face of our client was palatable (or maybe it was the pizza!). In a single day of intense focus that required deep self-examination, we had defined and built the foundation of the Warrior Unlimited Apparel brand in all of its true, authentic glory.
When you have a bigger purpose that drives your brand, you begin to build something meaningful that transcends simply what you do and embodies who you want to be in the world.
You're invited
We'd like to invite you to learn more about our Brand Building by the Beach retreat! Send us a message and we will give you all of the details of this brand-changing weekend in sunny south Florida!
