Vathorst Cycling

Our adventure with Vathorst Bikes started with a no-obligation brand analysis in which we looked at the entire brand, all communication channels and the business model. Then we sat down with the founder to discuss the problems, challenges and the new business model. After the meeting it became clear that Fietsreparatie Vathorst required a complete rebranding with a clear brand identity, a house style with a recognizable look and a number of marketing campaigns to ensure a smooth transition to the new brand. Our plan consisted of the following components:

Brand Strategy:

1. Target audience profiles
2. Brand foundation & positioning
3. Brand story

Visual identity:

1. Visual identity
2. Styleguide
3. Concept creation
4. Graphic design
5. Social media content

Target audience profile, brand foundation & positioning

During a BrandCore journey, the most important question to answer is: Who is the target audience? To answer this question we look at age, environment, education and work, hobbies, favorite brands, problems, expectations and more. By examining these points and recording them, a profile of the target audience is created.

For Vathorst Bicycles we researched two target groups: target audience who benefit from the mobile repair service and target audience who prefer to visit a store. By researching both target groups we got a lot of inspiration and ideas for the next step: Completing and clarifying the brand foundation.

While filling in the brand foundation, a brand identity with a helpful, honest, personal and professional character quickly emerged. During a number of brand strategy sessions this brand identity grew into a brand with clear brand values, a unique positioning and an inspiring vision: A world in which the inhabitants of Vathorst and its surroundings can move as much as possible with a good (working) bike.

Brand story

With two clear Target audience profile and a clear brand foundation, it suddenly became very easy to write an inspiring brand story. So we wrote a personal brand story around the brand essence, 'Back on the road fast', about the need to make bike repairs faster and easier. Because that way you prevent people from standing still or preferring the car to the 'healthy cycling'. Then we rolled up our sleeves to make the messaging of Vathorst Bikes clear. We did this by writing a document with strong headers and web texts.

Visual identity and style guide

The next step in the project was to design a recognizable jacket with which Vathorst Fietsen could make a professional first impression. To find the right style we developed two quirky stylescapes (a kind of moodboards) that each emphasized a different part of the brand identity. The first style cap emphasized the personal approach of the founder and his team while the second style cap put quality first.

We chose the style cape with the qualitative character and converted it neatly into a style guide that explained in detail all the components of the visual identity .

Concept creation, graphic design and social media content

The final step of the project was: Going public with the new brand. The new company name, brand identity and visual identity created a risk that current customers would no longer recognize the company. So it was very important to create a smooth transition to the new brand. We did this with three smart marketing campaigns: 1. A pre-marketing campaign, 2. A new neighbors campaign and 3. An opening week campaign.

The pre-marketing campaign aimed to explain to existing customers that Fietsreparatie Vathorst would henceforth be called Vathorst Fietsen. In addition, it was very important to emphasize that Vathorst Bikes was going to open a physical store. We did this with a flyer and a number of social media posts.

With the new neighbors campaign, the goal was to get acquainted with all the residents and businesses around the new store. To motivate residents and businesses to stop by, we developed a special flyer and had it distributed.

The third and final campaign focused on the launch of the new brand and the grand opening of the new store. During the opening week a special BBQ was organized for customers, friends and colleagues. To support this opening week we developed a special flyer, social media content and a number of creative expressions. After the festive opening all attendees received a goodie bag with handy coupons, flyers and a small gift.