OLYMPIA PROVISIONS: FATHER’S DAY CAMPAIGN
Olympia Provisions, Oregon’s first USDA-approved salumeria, was founded in 2009 by Elias Cairo and his sister Michelle. Salumist, Elias Cairo, grew up first generation Greek-American with a father who made charcuterie at home, where doing things the old-fashioned way was commonplace. Eli then journeyed to Europe as an apprentice in the kitchens of masters – rediscovering the art of curing meat and finding inspiration in the markets and mountain towns of the old world. He eventually moved to Portland and opened Olympia Provisions SE, the first of a collection of five restaurants. Family guides Olympia Provisions, as well as their undying commitment to authentic, old world traditions and the highest quality products.
For this campaign, we were able to leverage a $1000 budget to attain $98k in sales – reaching $22k (28.9%) over the previous year, and $13k (15.3%) over our goal.
the STRATEGY
objective
Father’s Day is Olympia Provisions best-selling holiday following the Christmas season – however, with an array of charcuterie companies flaunting similar offerings emerging, our client required a campaign that not only would create value for their consumers, but also generate web-store traffic and sales.
obstacles
1. Charcuterie and salami is an untraditional Father’s Day gift. We had to find a way to convince customers that it was the correct option for them.
2. Our client’s previous strategies involved promotional discounts, which had trained customers to expect markdowns – especially around holidays. We needed to instill in our consumer’s minds that the quality of Olympia Provisions’ products surpass their market price.
target audience
After analyzing Olympia Provisions’ consumers, we were able to target older millennial children who were purchasing gifts for their Boomer fathers as our target, as the two groups make up the largest proportion of their customer base.
In order to familiarize ourselves with the competitive landscape, we conducted qualitative research on other companies in the mail-order charcuterie and subscription box category, considering the brand voice, promise, and marketing of each. On top of this, to uncover how millennial children perceive their relationships with their parents, we then consulted secondary psychographic and behavioristic studies as well as secondary sources to gain a deeper understanding into the purchasing behavior of the age group.
research
Due to socio-economic and technological advancements in the 20th century, there has been a marked change on parent-child relationships and the involvement in their children’s lives. Children and young adults have become increasingly dependent on their parents’ support into adulthood – this dynamic has created a cultural shift in the parent-child relationship, crafting a more nurturing, friendship-based bond.
insights
the CAMPAIGN
DEAR DAD
Employing the power of nostalgia and gratitude, our team created a customizable Father's Day card for online customers to add to their web order, turning a last-minute gift for the man who has everything into a poignant reflection of the sender and receiver's relationship. The ‘Dear Dad’ campaign encompasses not only the memories made with the first man in your life, but also the traditions you’ve built with him. With prompts such as "Dear Dad, remember when I..." the sender was able to share a meaningful and specific memory with the receiver. In addition to being shipped with Father’s Day orders, the cards were available for download to be printed or shared on social media with the hashtag #opdads, and physical copies were available at each of Olympia Provisions’ three brick-and-mortar restaurants, two food carts, and farmer’s market booths. Additionally, an e-newsletter was sent to Olympia’s email list of 4,000+ subscribers, encouraging them to head to the website and download their very own card.
This campaign was able to separate Olympia Provisions from their competitors by offering a valuable, unexpected, and personal touch to customer’s holiday orders.
the team
account manager: Sharon Wyatt | strategists: Taylor Wood, Kevin Nickoloff and Savannah Galindo | copywriters: Steven Peeler, Howard Kennedy and Valentyna Wisniewski | art directors: Danielle Emeka, Amy Hodges and KJ Siharath | media: Elliot Dow