Seasalt are a Cornish fashion and homeware brand who have managed to grow a local boutique clothing store into a nationwide fashion brand. Today they are one of Cornwall’s biggest employers.

This balance of local and large scale vision, as well as ambition is key to their brand ethos and to their success.

Seasalt now have shops all over the country, and Bubble were happy to place their 2006 campaign; a poster designed for the opening of their new store in the newly built Fox Valley shopping centre.

The Fox Valley centre was built on a former steelworks, which resonates with Seasalt’s aesthetically sophisticated evocation of the local and the everyday that is so unique to their brand.

Their use of the slogan ‘beautiful and useful’ is an effective illustration of Seasalt’s brand ethos at work.

The model featured in their poster campaign exudes a natural beauty, connoting a world where stylish fashion and wearable practicality combine.

The poster is in keeping with the visual identity of the Seasalt brand as a whole. It evokes the vibe of the seaside, accentuated by the emblem of an anchor, whilst at the same time there’s a kind of universality to their iconography.

The artwork design clearly sets Seasalt apart from the crowded competition, whilst not feeling out of place alongside the big hitters of the high street.

Outdoor advertising for retail and high street chains

Window and shop front displays are becoming an increasingly important adjunct to outdoor advertising strategy amongst high street brands.

Seasalt make good use of this strategy with their summer window displays; for example, this paper-based floral flower display from Autumn 2016. A great addition to their outdoor advertising strategy and further proof that it’s the little details that matter.

Outdoor posters and displays

Outdoor posters; street placements, mall 6 sheets, and roadside billboards… these all have their place as part of an integrated campaign aimed at attracting consumers who are close to the point-of-purchase. This is such a crucial component to an effective outdoor advertising strategy that it can’t be over emphasised. Every week, over 7.6 million consumers visit shopping centres. What’s more, over half of consumers admit to making spontaneous purchasing decisions rather than buying pre-planned items.

DigitalPrinting.co.uk outline four lessons drawn from effective retail marketing. Let’s take a look at them in the context of the Seasalt campaign.

Shout about what you have to offer

Seasalt keep things subtle, but the combination of their “beautiful and useful” slogan and the emphasis on their key products (“womenswear, accessories and footwear”) puts their cards elegantly on the table.

Show off your product

Appealing to an audience’s visual sense and making an emotional connection are crucial here. The Seasalt poster effortlessly evokes a sense of place, taps in to the beauty of the outdoors, and presents a vision of an easy-to-emulate sense of practical and aesthetic contentedness. The general attention to detail and coherent, nature-inspired colour scheme make an immediate and deep impact (see our post on what brand colours say about your company).

Let customers know where you are

This one may seem obvious, but the trick is not giving needless information, whilst also making it easy for your audience to track you down. The campaign exploits the Seasalt store opening and ties it to the (also recently opened) Fox Valley shopping centre in an un-showy but quite conscious way.

Build some excitement

Again, this is quite subtle here, but Seasalt’s responsive use of blog posts, window displays, community engagement, and niche targeting reveal an effective marketing strategy that is organic yet methodical and comprehensive.