RETAIL // CASE STUDY

Merry's Home Furnishings

Complete Rebrand + Huge Media Blitz =

Significant Impact on Business

Many in retail may have struggled with the difficult task of trying to attract a wider customer base to their store. If you have a well-established store, it may be hard to garner new attention. Sometimes, all you need is a new marketing strategy. Other times, however, the best move is a complete rebrand that encompasses both your existing identity as well as offers a fresh take on your brand. M3 Agency has an extensive history in rebranding and re-strategizing retail businesses. We are dedicated to getting our clients results that speak for themselves.

For
Example

Merry’s Trash and Treasures has been an Augusta staple for antiques and furnishing for more than 50 years. It was well established and its loyal customer base was generally a middle aged crowd. With a downtown revival bringing in new businesses, as well as a new Cyber Center just a few blocks away that attracts a younger workforce from all over the country, the Merry’s team knew they needed to make a change. They knew their furniture would easily sell itself, so their main goal was to attract new, younger customers inside. When the owners of Merry’s approached M3 Agency regarding a complete rebrand to Merry’s Home Furnishings, we were happy to dive in.

Observation

New and increased foot traffic was the ultimate goal. The rebrand needed to reflect the wide range of quality, modern furnishings Merry’s offers. The name change would significantly help garner new attention. The store’s current logo and branding was, while very elegant, very dated. The script font in the logo needed a facelift to bring the brand into modern times and to match the newly renovated interior of the store. The rebrand needed to be teased across all ediums for at least 90 days prior to launch to help create excitement, and the advertising strategy needed to be expanded significantly.

Hypothesis

By creating a new, modern logo and branding for Merry’s Home Furnishings as well as increasing its marketing footprint across all mediums to promote the new store, they would see an immediate and significant impact on business with a wider age range of happy shoppers.

Procedure

We dove into this project with the intention of creating a brand that will both be relevant today, but also stand the test of time. Equally important was the 90-day media blitz leading up to the launch. Our moves were calculated to ensure that everything from their box trucks to their outdoor signage and business cards were redesigned and ready to go on the day of the reveal. With great feedback and communication with the Merry’s team, we were able to make their vision of a revamped, cohesive brand a reality.

Our method consisted of:

Creating a new logo that would speak for the brand that offered a more modern design while still honoring its roots. With a stamp-like circular logo that featured a nod to its famous scripted “M”, we were able to retain the soul and character of the original Merry’s logo while also bringing it into present day.

Expanding the advertising reach through an outdoor teaser campaign that included signage, billboards, broadcast cable, and radio ads to promote the launch of the new brand and store 3 months ahead of time as well as afterward.

Creating a highly targeted television campaign to promote the rebrand before, during, and after the launch.

Conclusion

The results were instantaneous as the generational gap was immediately filled and both the foot traffic and sales saw a significant increase. Their social media following also went up, and their new brand has become instantly recognizable. Shoppers of all generations now experience the magic of Merry’s Home Furnishings regularly.