< Brand Stories
Black Hound Design Company
Introduction
Black Hound Design Company is an award-winning custom furniture and design company. The company is a team of designers, artists, metal fabricators, innovators, and more. Their work is exceptional and can be seen across the country in restaurants, co-working spaces, hotels, and commercial spaces.
Client
Sector
Services
A few months into COVID-19 restrictions, interior designers, commercial contractors - their primary business source - were seeing slowing in their industry. And as restaurants and more public spaces were facing regulations and closing, they felt the pinch on their business.
The leading edge of their brand became solutions, not impeccably designed furniture.
Many might be tempted to give up as the pandemic, and its effects seemed insurmountable. But there was hope; their product quality didn’t change; their outreach and messaging would need to shift. The leading edge of their brand became solutions, not impeccably designed furniture. We know that better outcomes come from better behaviors and better choices. They knew that to overcome a significant hurdle, they needed to do things better. We helped Black Hound find those better choices by finding ways to better engage with their audience, being helpful, and by adding value.
We leaned into the ‘problem-solving design’ aspect of their brand. It was clear that it was time to put function before fashion and bring solutions to spaces. We helped refine and refocus their brand and message, putting their patented table links front and center. The result was a few new clients who needed outdoor dining, partitions, and other pieces to make spaces socially distant.
We also implemented our Giftology strategy. Giftology is centered around delivering the right message with a small gift to a curated ideal contact list. In this case, hotels, restaurants, and public spaces would need some new items to continue to operate in a COVID-19 world. This allowed Black Hound Design to speak to their ‘solutions-based design’ instead of a simple sales piece that would likely go unnoticed.
During this time, they also were presented with a unique opportunity to outfit Olde Town Arvada with outdoor seating options as indoor dining was restricted over the summer. While this wasn’t cutting- edge custom furniture, it was a chance to help their community, gain some recognition, and uncovered a new way to solve problems. The result was a win/win for all. Olde Town Arvada now had a stylish outdoor vibe, and Black Hound gained some traction for solving problems with their design.
The lesson here is not just the pivot but also knowing your strengths and packaging them correctly.
Next, we thought more about how we could talk to and continue to support their clients. A monthly email newsletter became a fitting way to stay top-of-mind without sales messages. Offering conversational and informative content is less of a straight sales-technique and more of a way to share stories and stay connected.
