THE CLIENT:
Clark Howard Inc.
Consumer finance expert and advocate Clark Howard became a household name when he began sharing his money-saving tips and advice through his nationally-syndicated radio show that launched in 1989. He is also the author of 10 books, including three New York Times best-sellers – with “Living Large In Lean Times” reaching #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.
The Challenge:
As the radio industry began to face a bit of a gloomy future, the organization was forced to rethink its overall business strategy, which included identifying new opportunities for growth.
The challenge was to figure out how to ensure that the organization, and its mission, remained relevant and continued to reach new audiences in the midst of both a rapidly evolving media landscape and major shift in consumer behavior and expectations.
The Solution & Process:
The solution to this challenge was very clear from the start: we needed to develop a more versatile, familiar and accessible brand, without having to rely on the name and face of Clark Howard the man.
The way to accomplish this was to create a strong online presence and brand that not only made the information easily accessible to consumers, but also shared the content in ways that (and places where) users wanted, and expected, to consume it.
Through a digital transformation process, we developed and implemented a total digital brand overhaul – creating ways to expand the content strategy (covering more topics in different formats) and reinvent the user experience, in order to make the information more easily accessible to consumers, increase brand awareness, engage both current and new audiences and create (and capitalize on) new opportunities for growth. We did this in a variety of ways using a variety of strategies.
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New Brand Identity/Image (New URL; New logos)
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New & Expanded Brand Messaging & Content Strategy
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Website Redesign
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Updated Brand Architecture & New Sub-Brands
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Audience Research & Development
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Expanded Social Media Strategy
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Expanded Marketing & Communications Strategy
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New Branding & Style Guidelines
Project Samples
The Results:
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Increased website traffic by more than 250%
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Increased social following by more than 200%
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Launched two new sub-brands: Clark Deals & Common Cents
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Established 5 new partnerships for the brand
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Established 3 new digital sponsorships for the brand
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Organization went from an expected $200,000 loss to a $200,000 net gain in one year