PORTFOLIO PROJECT
KERSHAW
With a loyal customer-base, a humming social presence, respected influencers, and a fabled commitment to quality, Kershaw is one of those rare companies that exists entirely outside of marketing hype. Their products — innovative knives, built from superlative materials, designed for a host of uses and lifestyles — are Kershaw's obsessive focus. And their mission — to design and manufacture tools people are proud to own, carry, and use — is fulfilled with every knife Kershaw sells.
Manufactured in Oregon and shipped all over the world, Kershaw knives have maintained a reputation since 1974 as authentic, reliable, high-performance tools. Because of this, Kershaw knives have become status symbols and collector's items.
So when Kershaw set out to introduce a category-rattling suite of new products, while also refreshing the overall brand, the margin for error was as low as the stakes were high.
Our production calendar was condensed and accelerated. Our priorities centered on video production that would set the bar with a youthful, high-octane lifestyle vibe. And our output would supply various assets for marketing across Kershaw's principal channels.
CLIENT ::
Kershaw
SERVICES ::
Creative Direction, Team Leadership, Team Management, Ideation, Creative Concepting, Scriptwriting, Casting, Directing, Scoring, Editing, Copywriting, Copyediting, Content QA
CHANNELS ::
Video, Web, Social
APPROACH ::
Targeted, Strategic, Multidisciplinary, Collaborative, Brand-driven, Customer-centric
KERSHAW :: MORE
From moment-one, we established a cross-collaborative, blended agency/client team that respected each other's needs and specialties, while working seamlessly together. Meanwhile, on the agency side, our priorities included:
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Create attention-grabbing, authentically compelling marketing and product assets that could work in the now, while simultaneously developing creative templates that could work in the future for rollouts beyond our engagement.
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Maintain a tight focus on product attributes, creating action-packed assets that showcased new product features.
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Generate excitement, and keep the Kershaw customer front-and-center, appealing to their known desires while pushing beyond their expectations.
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Establish a clearly defined brand, easily distinguishable in the marketplace.
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Please multiple high- and mid-level stakeholders at every milestone as part of a high-touch, hands-on, multidisciplinary agency/client production effort.
Across an accelerated, multi-layered production calendar, our tasks included:
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Update and evolve the brand voice and tone, retaining legacy fans while targeting an emerging, younger customer-base.
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Update and refresh the brand look and feel, elevating it to an aspirational but still-inclusive vibe and style that could convey energy and excitement.
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Create new showcase videos that would utilize brand-based storytelling, voiceover, and scoring, along with sophisticated 3D product-renders rife with dynamic text, multiple callouts, and graphics.
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Parlay these assets into cutdowns, stills, and communication components ready for release across Kershaw's web and social channels.
The initiative was not only successful, it was tons of fun to produce because of the relationships we established across our blended team.
ADDITIONAL SAMPLES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
From name brands to small businesses, from cause-based nonprofits to
specialized firms, I serve a wide range of B2C, B2B, and DTC clients
delivering custom content for all channels.
My work spans video, print, radio, OOH / outdoor, in-store, digital, web, and social.
My clients span professional services, consumer goods, food and beverage, spirits, confectionery, beauty, adornment, baby, pet care, outdoor/sporting, insurance, education, science, and technology.
Samples from my full portfolio are always available. Just ask.
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BLAED SPENCE
contentthatconnects [at] sonic [dot] net