Together We R
Russell Athletic
What we did:
- Audience Research
- Strategy + Consulting
- Creative
- Advertising Campaigns
- Customer Experience + UX
- Celebrity Endorsements
- Website + Platforms
- Ecommerce and Amazon
- Marketing
- Social
- Search (SEO and SEM)
- Affiliate Marketing
- Photography and Video Production
- Marketing Performance
- Analytics + Dashboarding
The Russell Athletic brand had a 100-year legacy in the sports apparel industry. It was well-known amongst professional and non-professional sports teams and also as the go-to apparel brand in college bookstores.
Prior to working with us, Russell Athletic purchased two other large athletic apparel brands – Huffy and Brooks Sports. With these new brands in tow, Russell had already launched its website, but it wasn’t enough. The athletic brand needed digital shopping opportunities.
Discovery
We started with a full Discovery of the Russell brand, which included three sub-brands.
Russell Athletic
While its new website had offered e-commerce, the products were lacking some details that would help users find what they were looking for quicker.
Our initial Discovery of the Russell brand led us to a competitive audit of Russell Athletic. Learning more about the brands that were rising rivals against the legacy “R,” we developed personas laying out Russell Athletic’s target audience.
Retail Opportunities
Since the Russell Athletic site did not have any e-commerce opportunities, the only way consumers could buy their products was in bulk for team sports. But the brand wanted to change their retail model.
We started by launching an e-commerce section of their website.
Together We R
Russell Athletic had launched their “Together we R” campaign, utilizing their signature R branding. The campaign inspired athletic teamwork, sacrifice and promise amongst teammates.
Photography
Before any work can begin, we needed to ensure we had enough creative for all digital and print efforts. That led to a photoshoot in Texas using real sports teams and their activity in Russell Athletic apparel.
Digital Ads
To play on the “Together We R” campaign, we created digital ads for the athletic brand that spoke to:
- Teamwork
- Brotherhood
- Promise
- Sacrifice
- Right of Passage
Each sent targeted audiences to Russell Athletic’s website where they could purchase products directly from the website.
Influencers
Russell Women
Russell’s legacy excluded women from its apparel line.
We helped Russell Athletic include the new audience on its site. The new section of the website features women’s apparel, including yoga pants, running shorts and tanks and tops for exercise.
Russell Outdoor
Russell wasn’t just known for its apparel. The brand that owned licenses for Real Tree, Kings Cameo and Mossy Oak camouflages, which were each wildly popular amongst hunters.
While the Russell Outdoors site was already live, there was more we could do to drive targeted audiences to it.
Discovery
The initial discovery of Russell Outdoors showed their average visitor:
John Brooks
- Age Range: 25-49
Household Income: $100,000
Education: College
Kids: No
Digital Strategy
The persona showed a far different audience than the Russell Athletic demographic, so they could not be looped into the Russell Athletic campaign or website. Russell Outdoors was given its own website.
Our competitor audit of Russell Outdoors showed that the brand was ranking high amongst its competitors in search intent and website engagement. But CSS errors and a lack of backlinks was hurting the brand where it could be excelling even more.
Within one year, we:
- Implemented an SEO program
- Created an email infrastructure
- Developed keyword-rich URL strings
- Rewrote title tags and meta content
- Optimized copy for the web
- Created a link-building strategy
- Developed a content marketing strategy, including producing the work
Branding
Russell Outdoor needed to make a stronger space in the market. We started by laying out Russell Outdoor’s manifesto:
Russell Outdoors captures the essence of hunting. It is a symbol of the frontier spirit and a call to those who still possess it.
Hunting is not merely a hobby — it is a lifestyle. And, while those who hunt don’t shy away from the reality of the kill, hunting is about so much more. Hunting is a tradition passed down from father to son and, increasingly, from father to daughter. It is a way to connect with both nature and family. It is also a way to escape the chaos of modern life. In a world of constant change, hunting harks to a simpler life.
Hunting is also inherently dangerous. And that is a huge part of the appeal. Hunting remains one of the few activities in which to experience true adventure. An activity where guns, knives and bows aren’t just acceptable — they’re essential.
We broke their brand messaging into two categories:
Pure Brand Messaging
Designed to infuse the Russell Outdoors brand with the spirit of hunting itself without a direct tie-in to the products.
Product Retail Messaging
of Russell Outdoor
and the superior quality of its products.
Now understanding Russell Outdoor’s target audience, we developed an email campaign strategy that would hit their target audience at the right time and on the right channel.
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