PROJECTS
Brand Development
Advertising
Marketing Materials
Website Development
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Campaign
MARKET SEGMENT Outdoor Stock Photography
THE COMPANY Wild West Photos is a small outdoor and western stock photo agency based in Bozeman, Montana. The website features more than 50 photographers from around the region and contains an image library of over 13,000 photographs. The company offers an extensive collection of rights-managed images for advertising and editorial use.
THE CHALLENGES Since Wild West Photos is a relatively small company it would need to find a way to compete against the larger organizations that offer millions of photos covering a wide range of subject matter. The second task was even more challenging and would involve finding the appropriate price point for the images they sell. In the last half decade the emergence of the microstock agency has greatly reduced the value of stock photography, and developing a long-term pricing strategy would be an important factor if Wild West Photos was to remain viable in a market with such extreme fluctuations in pricing.
THE SOLUTIONS
First, we felt that Wild West Photos could benefit greatly by focusing on a specific niche; outdoor and western images with a strong emphasis on the western lifestyle. This would give them an advantage in a marketplace filled with stock agencies offering very little specialization. Secondly, by including the option to purchase home décor prints on all of their inventory, Wild West Photos could reach a whole new market segment that was not tied to the stock photo business model. Finally, they were encouraged to focus their marketing efforts on larger nationwide ad agencies, and those organizations typically maintain higher budgets and are very interested in protecting the brands they are developing for their own customers using rights-managed photos.
Potential buyers were also hand-picked through extensive research to enure they would be the right fit for the images Wild West Photos has to offer. The marketing pieces we created were designed to be fun and inviting, with a very western flair to help support their unique brand.
RESULTS
Wild West Photos continues to gain momentum in a market dominated by the mega stock corporations. Product specialization, personal service and a unique brand has helped them stand out from the competition. In 2011 they will be adding photography workshops to their growing list of services. The classes will be held in a number of western national parks—Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton and Canyonlands. The appeal of these courses is considerable and it will allow the company to continue to grow well into the future. Photographers who conduct the workshops can now interact with Wild West clients on a much more personal level, furthering brand awareness.
Website Design
In 2007 the Wild West Photos website received a Silver W3 award for overall design. The look and feel of the website and closely matches the type of imagery Wild West Photos sells while providing them with a very distinct and recognizable brand.
Marketing Materials - Print Advertising One of our mottos at I Spy Design is "Have Fun" and we really tried to bring a little humor to the ad campaigns for Wild West Photos. The print ads were created with minimal imagery and featured a large, bold statement that was meant to grab the attention of the viewer through its shock value. The tag line "one of a kind outdoor stock images and home décor prints" emphasized the uniqueness of the imagery as well as the value of their products.
Please note: No animals were harmed in the making of these ads.
Marketing Materials - Direct Mail
The marketing piece below was developed as a tri-fold mailer and designed to fit into a custom envelope. Two postcards were integrated into the layout and perforations were added which would allow the recipient to tear off and mail the attached postcards. We purchased custom stamps from Stamps.com and they mirrored the image that appeared on the front of the cards. We felt this would encourage each person who received the mailer to send out the postcards to a friend or colleague. Using just a single mailing Wild West Photos could potentially reach another two or three customers.
Marketing Materials - Direct Mail Postcards
The following postcards were developed to showcase the variety of images and artists featured on the website. The logo was an integral part of this process to keep the Wild West Photos brand in front of buyers. One of ten different postcards cards would be mailed over a twelve month period with each buyer receiving a new card containing a different image each month.
Film Biographies A series of short video biographies were developed to highlight the talents of a handful of photographers who contribute images to the website. Each video was 2-3 minutes in length and gave the viewer a little background information on each artist. The five photographers who participated in the short films loved the idea because it gave them the opportunity to express their own philosophies about photography. It also helped Wild West Photos build a greater repoire with their most valuable asset...their photographers.
