Tommy Bahama

Brand equity is powerful. When a company has it, they can let the market come to them. However, what if half the population only buys your brand for someone else and not themselves? How can you get them to respect and view you as a brand they personally want to patronize? It's a very real problem with so many brands vying for attention. 

 

For Tommy Bahama, the solution was in their communication design. Vibrant colors, playful typography, fun - none of that was part of the story-telling used to engage with customers. Women perceived Tommy Bahama as a man's brand and believed the women's line appealed only to older females.

​

Through this more inclusive creative direction in catalog, in-home, and e-mail collateral , we successfully transformed public perception of Tommy Bahama from a menswear label to a true lifestyle brand with broad appeal across genders. For these targeted moments, I shifted the copywriting to speak directly to female consumers and highlight the fashion and lifestyle aspects that would appeal to them.

 

Women started to see themselves reflected in the brand and sales of women's products grew exponentially over the next few years. It reinforced that brand equity depends on continually evolving your visual identity and messaging to connect with your full target audience. The work significantly expanded Tommy Bahama's customer base and this approach became the standard for other brands within the parent company's portfolio.