The client
My Sister’s Closet is the nation’s largest high-end consignment brick-and-mortar brand, featuring inventory like Chanel purses and Armani blouses. Now in their 30th year of business, they have 15 stores in Phoenix and San Diego. They are beloved by their customers. Their stores are cute, current and clean – not dark and dingy like so many consignment stores.
The Opportunity
Founder & CEO Ann Siner asked us to develop a high-concept ad campaign focused on consignment, because that’s what generates sellable inventory. 99% of advertising is a “buy” message. Toothpaste. iPhones. Buy, buy, buy. We had to develop a call to action for selling.
The Strategy
We inherited a significant longtime media buy in high-end lifestyle magazines. After analyzing the creative and researching the customers and market, we made a bold recommendation. Because of the recession, high-profile billboards were cheap and plentiful. Done right, they would remind lapsed customers and introduce new customers to the value of consignment and our client’s brand. We moved every dollar off the page and into the sky.
The creative
Developing outdoor creative is unlike any other. You literally have a millisecond to connect, which means every inch of that board needs to do its job. What you see here is our proprietary approach to outdoor and graphic design in general. “Sell Your Sole” caught fire and the red shoe quickly became the company’s unofficial logo. Many say we then topped ourselves for Ann’s furniture stores, My Sister’s Attic, with “WANTED: One Night Stand.” Because men aren’t as familiar with consignment, we employed a “Trojan horse” strategy, leading with a “buy” message, featuring the URL to draw men into the Well Suited stores, then educating them on “selling.”
The Results
What’s most significant is these ads worked. Yes, they were clever and won awards, but more importantly, they drove customers to the stores to sell and buy. Our role as strategic advisors has only increased over the past decade. Our ability to utilize all the areas of expertise we offer in-house has led to a pervasive and effective marketing program which has turned into an 11 year (and still going) engagement as our client’s outsourced marketing department.
“I’ve had the pleasure to work with the Decibel Blue team for a decade now. In that time, their team has functioned as my virtual marketing department, supporting everything from seasonal promotions and annual sales to market expansions, store openings and non-profit initiatives. They developed a beloved ad campaign that has become synonymous with our brand and are as strategic and organized as they are creative. Even after all these years, I know they really care about my business.”
– Ann Siner, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, My Sister’s Closet
