Revitalizing GoDog: A Marketing and Creative Strategy

My role

Creative Strategy
Consulting across LOBs
Marketing Consulting

Challenge:

In collaboration with L5 Capital Development Firm, GoDog embarked on a transformative journey to establish itself as a prominent player in the pet care industry. As a small start-up with a solid model, GoDog was acquired with the goal of expanding to 150 new locations within the next four years, I was contracted to design and execute a dynamic marketing and creative growth strategy. Partnering closely with the founder and the newly appointed CEO, I worked with key stakeholders to ensure that the legacy and original intent of GoDog was infused into the brand but also is innovative and scaling for enterprise expansion.

The first phase of this venture involved a deep dive into customer personas and data analysis, leading to the creation of a robust messaging strategy framework. This framework, structured around top, middle, and bottom of the funnel segments, became the blueprint for tailored creative campaigns. To ensure scalability, I developed a Go-to-Market Plan featuring over 15 carefully crafted concepts, empowering GoDog to replicate successful messaging strategies as each new store opened. The strategic content map and timeline provided a clear path for implementation, enabling GoDog to effectively communicate its unique selling points and position itself for exponential growth. As a result of this strategic collaboration, GoDog successfully launched a series of creative campaigns that resonated with its target audience, driving brand engagement and customer acquisition. The messaging strategy framework served as a lighthouse for consistent, persuasive communication across various marketing channels. The toolkit streamlined future store openings, ensuring a cohesive brand message. With this comprehensive approach, GoDog is now well-positioned for the enterprise-level growth it aspired to achieve. The success of this project underlines the importance of data-driven marketing, customer-centric strategies, and the power of scalable creative concepts in achieving ambitious business goals.

DELIVERABLES:
Phase 1:
Customer Personas 
Message Maps
Brand positioning and narrative 
Franchise Development Microsite

Phase 2:
New Store Opening (Go-to-Market Plan)
Evergreen Campaigns 
Brand promise workshop + Working draft

Brand Promise:
To be the trusted and thoughtful community partner who enriches the lives of dogs and their pet parents through modernized care and hospitality.

Messaging Strategy and
Core Creative Concepts

Customer Personas

Create detailed customer personas. Working the research team within L5, I synthesized data from the real estate team. In developing customer personas for GoDog’s marketing campaigns, we harnessed the power of Experian’s report on 19 customer groups within real estate data. This report provided a wealth of insights, allowing us to refine the initial 19 groups into 7 sub-groups by considering factors like income, pet ownership, and spending capacity. This process led to a sharper focus on key customer segments, providing a strong foundation for targeted marketing efforts. These personas were essential for understanding the target audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviors. By identifying key characteristics of potential customers, GoDog could tailor its marketing messages and campaigns to resonate with their audience effectively.

Message Maps

Created master message map and sub-points for each category and service to serve as the guiding framework for further and consistent message development across all communications.

Brand Positioning + StoryBrand Framework

This step helped GoDog establish a clear and compelling identity in the competitive pet care industry, differentiating itself from competitors and effectively conveying its brand promise.

Go-to-Market plan

This step helped GoDog establish a clear and compelling identity in the competitive pet care industry, differentiating itself from competitors and effectively conveying its brand promise.

Franchise Development Microsite