Plans Book2014–2015

Table of Contents

M e e t T h e Te a m

M e e t T h e B r a n d

S W O T A n a l y s i s

C r e a t i v e B r i e f

P r o b l e m a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n G o a l s

C r e a t i v e Ta c t i c s a n d E x e c u t i o n s

S o c i a l M e d i a

S t r a t e g i c R e l a t i o n s h i p

M e a s u r e s o f S u c c e s s

F u t u r e R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

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Kara WexlerAccount Executive

Grizwald Lee BearingtonMascot

Shay FitzmauriceAssistant Account Executive

Phillip JonesCopywriter

Caroline MooreStrategist

Megan RobertsonArt Director

Meet The Brand

Seabear is a fresh take on a classic establishment: the oyster bar. It is the sole oyster bar in Athens, Georgia and fittingly brings heart and soul to all of its offerings. Dreamt up and made real by Patrick Stubbers, formerly a chef at iconic Athenian foodie-haven The National, Seabear invokes the briny breezes and shattered shale shores of the coast. More than just a land-locked embodiment of oyster country, Seabear is a product of passionate collaboration. The artistry and eclectic lean of Athens is evident in every aspect of the restaurant, from the local artwork and hand-crafted fixtures to the innovative menu and exploratory cocktails. Whether you’re sampling high-quality oysters or partaking in the famed absinthe bar, Seabear brings you a warm, thoughtful, and responsibly sourced dining experience.

Meet The Team

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- Owners have cooking and restaurant experience- Bottleworks location is a well-known area with a

fitting clientele and good parking- Ties to The National- Offers Athens’ only absinthe drip- Only oyster bar in Athens- Unique restaurant space/atmosphere- Large bar selection- Memorable name- Owner has many connections with local

Athens business owners

- Only oyster bar in Athens- Many organizations and business host events in Athens- Greek student on UGA campus may be willing to spend

more money for Parents’ Weekends- Athens has three local breweries presenting

partnership opportunities- People respect sustainability efforts- Athens is home to many types of individuals besides

college students, including families, young couples, older couples, UGA faculty, etc.

- Excellent venue for after-parties

- Appealing to a niche market- Somewhat expensive, especially for the large Athens

population of college students- Physically small with only about eight tables plus bar

seating- Minimal advertising since opening- Low brand awareness- Lack of consistent branding across all media channels- Low interaction on social media (except Instagram)

- Other well-known restaurants in Athens offer oysters, many that are noticeably cheaper

- Athens has many restaurants and bars competing for the same kind of customers

- College students, a large part of the Athens economy, generally do not like to spend a lot of money on dinner

- People are not always open-minded about trying new foods (like oysters)

- Customers might not know about other menu options besides oysters

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Target AudienceMale and female Athens natives above the age of 30 who enjoy fine dining. They don’t mind spending somewhat heavily on a meal because they know they are supporting a local business with sustainable environmental practices and strong ties to the Athens community. They enjoy Seabear’s warm, hip atmosphere and well -stocked bar that includes local options.

ResearchOur team conducted a short survey to collect information on dining habits, familiarity with oysters, and customers’ cost expectations when eating out.

Creative Brief Key FactSeabear is Athens’ newest and only oyster bar, with many strong ties to the local culture.

ProblemThe current customer base is small due to low awareness of the restaurant and the owners are uncertain about the particular persona of the Seabear brand.

ProblemThe current customer base is small due to low awareness of the restaurant and the owners are uncertain about the particular persona of the Seabear brand.

Tone and MannerAll brand communications will have a sophisticated tone and will be imbued with a wry and whimsical tone.

Media/Communication VehiclesFacebook, Instagram, Twitter, flyers, stickers (Possibility of guerilla, outdoor, print)Mandatories Logo and address

SupportSeabear’s environmental practices are sustainable and, in fact, lead to cleaner water. Almost everything in the restaurant space was created by Athens locals, contributing to a collaborative, artful atmosphere. The rarity of oysters in everyday cuisine makes the Seabear dining experience unique and memorable; they also offer other unusual

products, such as absinthe and local, short- run beers. Recommendations for food/beverage pairings provided by the restaurant add to the quality of the dining experience. Seabear’s ties to it’s sister restaurant, The National, may also ensure quality in the minds of customers since The National is already well -established and highly respected in Athens.

PromisesSeabear promises to provide a distinct and delicious dining experience that values local products and culture while also promoting thoughtful and sustainable food practices.

64 percent of survey respondents eat at a restaurant once or twice a week, spending more than $10 each time.

41 percent of survey respondents have never eaten oysters before.

68 percent of survey respondents had never heard of Seabear Oyster Bar.

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Problem andCommunication

Goals

When we began working with Seabear, they were still firmly in the introductory phase. The problem was that much of Athens was unaware of who they were, what they stood for, or even where they were located. As such, our initial and primary goal was to reach out to potential consumers. We wanted them to get to know the Seabear brand: to see the quirky, gourmet-leaning oyster bar as a flavorful member of the Athens community. We wanted to build off of the prestige and foodie following of The National, but establish

an independent Seabear identity. The first step was just getting the name out into the heart of Athens—people had to recognize the name before they could love what it meant.

Patrick had previously worked with local newspapers and noticed virtually no impact. The steep cost of producing and placing a television spot was too impractical. We brainstormed ways to drive awareness in the community and disperse the Seabear name. We knew it had to stay true to the eclectic, artisanal, and wryly whimsical tone of the brand. In essence, we needed to communicate the brand name, what the brand is (an oyster bar), and the brand persona.

It became a focus to create branded content to be shared digitally (through social media) and through physical, more guerilla means. One example of our goals becoming realized in our executions is the branded keychain bottle openers. This seemingly simple concept fulfilled all of our communicative criteria and would be a branded accessory that the Athens market would gladly carry around. We created a mock-up and now, several hundred branded “Bottle Shuckers” are now floating around Athens, cracking open cold ones and reminding the community to enjoy their next brew with a half-dozen oysters at Seabear.

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Creative Tacticsand Executions

Flyers

Our creative work for Seabear included digital flyers for specific events, which were sent out on their email listserv and social media; a sticker design; keychains that doubled as bottle openers (or “shuckers”); a flip book to be displayed on tables and provide relevant information about the restaurant; guerilla marketing with chalk; and Instagram and Twitter posts.

For our flyers, we created a fuzzy sidekick who came to be known (to us) as “Grizwald Lee Bearington.” He first appeared in a flyer for a New Year’s Eve event in an “Old Man and the Sea” role, but we couldn’t get enough of him after that.

Grizwald’s first seafaring adventure. This image was presented to our client, Patrick, for approval of the bear character.

A beginning digital sketch of Grizwald.

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297 Prince Avenue Suite 10

seabear’s First

NEW YEAR’S EVE DinnerJanuary 1, 2015 at 12:00 AM

Grizwald in his favorite party attire. This was the final image sent out on Seabear’s email list for their New Year’s Eve Dinner event.

Grizwald gets re-purposed for Valentine’s Day. This image was also sent to the email list and posted on the Seabear Twitter.

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StickersOne of our first big projects was a sticker design for Seabear. Many popular Athens

restaurants like The Grit and Mama’s Boy have stickers with distinct design and prolific reach. We wanted to emulate their success with a simple but recognizable design.

Process work for the sticker design. The concept was a visual combination of a bear paw print and an oyster, which was easily adaptable to a circle-shaped sticker.

After presenting a few options to Patrick, he chose this sticker design. (It was our favorite, too!) In February 2015, we went to press and did a first run of 500 stickers.

The final product, on display at Seabear’s bar. After snagging a few for the team (and our moms), they were available to customers at the restaurant. And they went fast!

SEABEAR OYSTER BAR

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Flip BookOur next big physical project was a flip book to be set at every table in

the restaurant. This would be a simple design with a few permanent pages giving customers salient information about the oysters they were eating, sustainability efforts, and pages that could be easily replaced with timely updates about upcoming events.

INSIDER TIP:

The only absinthe dripin Athens happens to bein the same room as you.

Coincidence?

TO EAT:

1. Snag an oyster. (They go fast.)

2. Oysters can be shy, so get to know yours with a few icebreaker

questions. “Any siblings?”3. Gently tip the oyster

into your mouth.4. Masticate.

Page design was clean and simple, with strong visuals and playful copy.

The completed flip book.The wooden stand blends in with the locally-crafted wood products in the restaurant, and the pages are a mix of informative and humorous.

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KeychainFor a promotional item, our team came up with the concept of a keychain

that did double duty as a “bottle shucker,” or bottle opener. With a little research we found an inexpensive bottle opener in the shape of a bear and were able to mock up a prototype with Seabear’s logo laser engraved on the side. We took it to Patrick, who enthusiastically approved, and had us order a first round of 200.

A first mockup of the keychain.

We decided to go with a simple logo and no words on the back of the keychain.

The final piece. These keychains were given to customers in the store, and the first order of 200 was gone in less than two months.

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Social Media

Patrick Stubbers wears many hats: founder, owner, CEO, head chef, and of course, social media extraordinaire. After analyzing his existing social media presence, we knew it was important to keep the local and personal vibe he brought to Seabear’s accounts, but it was imperative that he become more efficient in his time spent creating social content. Our first item of business was to show him the ins and outs of social media management software including Hootsuite and Latergramme. Using these tools, Patrick could monitor various streams, see who was talking about the restaurant, and follow people using relevant tags, in addition to the most important feature: scheduling social content ahead of time. This essential feature allows Patrick the flexibility of time management and allows him to focus on his craftsmanship in the kitchen during busy times, and spend only down time promoting Seabear online.

One of our most effective strategies for growing the Seabear audience organically was merely increasing brand engagement to the existing conversation. Fortunately, Seabear’s unique atmosphere, beautiful presentation of delicious seafood, and impeccable bar selection cause many customers to feel inclined to document their wonderful experience on social media. We encouraged

and helped Patrick to engage with these customers in meaningful ways including likes, retweets, and replies to comments. Additionally, we leveraged future interest in Seabear by following the accounts liking consumer’s various posts, increasing our follower base organically with relevant consumers.

Our main goal was to help Patrick become self sufficient on social media, so rather than solely providing content, we taught him our many tricks of the trade. We taught him how to leverage various mobile editing applications to give them a more polished look, as well as more advanced editing with text overlays on his graphics. Due to the high volume of consumer postings, Patrick has also been able to repost stunning photography and extend the sophisticated aura of the restaurant into his social profiles.

Throughout the year, Seabear’s social media presence has worked off of various social media trends and hot topics, all while maintaining a level of witty humor true to the brand. We had a great time seeing the increased engagement and watching Athens fall in love with Seabear and our owner as many refer to him: “Stubbs.”

Social Media

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TwitterIn addition to increasing Seabear’s

engagement on Twitter, we composed tweets that referenced current trends and events and, in some cases, elicited the social media gold star of a “lol.”

When we weren’t making so-bad-they’re-good puns, we were on the lookout for customers tweeting (and sub-tweeting) about Seabear and favoriting, re-tweeting, and responding from Seabear’s acount.

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InstagramPatrick runs his own social media accounts

and already had great success with Instagram when we partnered with him. We aimed to make him more efficient and hone his existing skills; the personal feel of his Instagram presence was important, and we wanted to maintain that.

Rather than taking over his social media accounts, we supplemented them, and gave him advice that he took to heart: post more pictures of people, overlay text on some of his images, and utilize photo-editing apps to make life easier.

User engagement with Seabear’s social media accounts is strongest on Instagram, so we encouraged Patrick to keep that up and maintain helpful, friendly interactions with every customer who reached out online.

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StrategicRelationships

Hotel Indigo

Georgia Food Tours Garden and Gun

We have worked to establish a relationship with Hotel Indigo that will allow us to promote Seabear Oyster Bar to hotel guests by providing menus and offering special discounts. We hope to expand these efforts to other local hotels in the future. By providing menus to the hotel concierge, we hope to be one of the first restaurants mentioned to guests upon their visit to the Classic City.

Georgia Food Tours is a former Talking Dog client that wanted to give back to the agency that helped get them where they are today. After we contacted them, they added Seabear as part of their Prince Avenue Tour. The tour is also complete with many other townie favorites, historic architecture, and a lively entertainment scene. It brings many potential new customers right to Seabear’s front door.

We have reached out to Garden and Gun Magazine inquiring about possible ad or editorial space for Seabear. Patrick is a big fan and wants to submit one of his original recipes to be featured. We are still currently awaiting a response back.

Seabear’s menus are on display at Hotel Indigo in order to attract Athens visitors who are looking for a nice dinner.

Now, foodies get to fight over the last bite when they swing through Seabear on the Prince Avenue Georgia Food Tour.

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Measuresof Success

Total social media presence has almost doubled since we took over and continues to grow daily.

200 bottle shuckers ordered,0 remaining.

500 stickers ordered,approximately 100 remaining.

7 flip books designed and constructed,dispersed throughout the restaurant.

Registered on LocalEats.com and UrbanSpoon.com

Reserved spot on Georgia Food Tours.

InstagramBefore: 1,088After: 2,685

TwitterBefore: 150After: 332

FacebookBefore: 889After: 1,326

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FutureRecommendations

After a successful eight months with Seabear Oyster Bar, we have several recommendations for future marketing efforts. We encourage Seabear to participate in more event marketing. This could include anything from hosting live television show viewings to hosting pop-up restaurant events at art galleries. We also suggest that Seabear takes advantage of the many Greek events at the University of Georgia that often bring parents to Athens, including Parents Weekend. Reaching out to these parents through advertising and special offers has the potential to increase restaurant traffic throughout the year. We also hope that the restaurant’s number of strategic relationships will grow, and we hope to see more promotional efforts in Athens hotels. This may include anything from special offers for hotel guests to branded hotel key cards.

Increasing customer loyalty programs will also be beneficial to Seabear’s long-term customer relationship management goals. In addition to this, we hope that Seabear will grow into a more professional voice while still maintaining its whimsical personality. Patrick’s hands-on approach to every aspect of his restaurant gives it a personal feel that drew in many customers who know the man behind the curtain (or, in this case, the counter). However, he will be able to leverage that personality by making it slightly more refined and accessible to more members of his target audience.

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So long, and thanks for all the oysters.

That’s All,Folks

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