Challenge
Hope & Main, Rhode Island’s first food business incubator, came to us for help on two levels. First, many of the nascent local food companies they nurtured had their recipes down pat, but lacked a strong brand identity, needed marketing guidance, and would benefit from media coaching.
Additionally, as a parent company, Hope & Main itself needed a boost with communications, an online marketing strategy, and member coordination in order to present their efforts cohesively to the public and prospective small businesses.
Solution
In 1-on-1 interviews, we worked directly with the bakers and makers to identify their most compelling story elements and define brand messaging. We created a media cheat sheet that summarized each member’s talking points and brand strengths. We helped members identify “pain points,” and the resources they need to grow past them.
We held intense media workshops to equip members with the tools needed to seek out media coverage and to stir up brand awareness on social media channels. In a private boot camp, we taught and facilitated a peer-to-peer model of collaboration that helped members identify and solve common branding problems.
For Hope & Main itself, we guided their media strategy, including writing professional press releases, forming media lists of relevant local print and broadcast outlets, and pushing out news by submitting releases and executing personalized pitching and follow-up.
