Both brands share a similar audience, outdoor enthusiasts who strive for adventure and are seeking inspiration and expertise regarding outdoor activities and gear. Kelty marketing divides their primary consumer demographic into two categories, the first being individuals 40+ who are experienced, traditional, and trust the brand due to its legacy and familiarity. The second audience is comprised of individuals ages 18-39 who are spontaneous, vibrant, stylish and versatile adventurers who are encountering a wide range of activities. The Sierra Designs marketing team defines their primary demographic in a very similar manor to Kelty’s first target audience category, what they call “experienced explorers”. This group is defined as individuals ages 33-48 who are environmentally focused, gear-junkies who are dedicated to getting outdoors.

The Kelty brand was established in 1952 by the founder, Dick Kelty, who both invented the first external frame backpack and led Kelty to join Patagonia and The North Face as a founding member of the conservation alliance. While this long history provides reputability and brand recognition, it has also provoked the need for an updated brand identity that is cohesively implemented / translated digitally across all brand communications and marketing campaigns. Prior to my introduction to the brand, an updated brand style guide had been introduced, but it had not yet been effectively integrated throughout all brand representations. Sierra Designs is a gear-focused brand that strives to create top-of-the-line gear at an affordable price, without sacrificing quality. The brand needed to elevate their customer communications, brand identity and visual communications through their marketing campaigns in order to increase sales and compete with the industry leaders.

As the lead digital graphic designer at Exxel, I held the responsibility of conceptualizing and creating all digital advertising campaign materials that not only appealed to the respective target audience, but were striking, elevated the brand identity and increased sales / ROAS overall. These marketing campaigns were comprised of emails, SMS messages, Gif’s, advertisements for multiple platforms, and website updates that all needed to be consistent, cohesive and implemented simultaneously. My goal was to surpass the company initiatives of increasing profits, customer engagement and brand recognition through innovative, elevated designs.