DEXTER OUTDOORS

Brand refresh for outdoor-focused knife manufacturer

Founded in 1818, Dexter-Russell is the largest US manufacturer of professional cutlery. They reached out to us for help in reaching the growing angler market. They’d been successful in marketing to fishermen and women in certain regions, but aimed to develop a brand position that would help them build the outdoor-focused side of their business from coast to coast.

Services Provided: Consumer Research, Brand Strategy and Identity Development, Packaging Design, Photography Direction

We established insights around of the Dexter Outdoors brand and products, the different cutlery companies active in the segment, and current consumer perceptions. The audiences posed a uniquely complex challenge as there are numerous US fishing regions, each targeting different fish species, and each with different brand and product preferences.

We used focus groups and surveys to identify opportunities for brand and product differentiation. We led discovery calls and strategy sessions with company leadership, using the knowledge gained to create a strategic foundation for the brand that would set them apart.

We developed language, including the tagline “Respect the Catch™” to convey Dexters’ focus on making quality knives that benefit anglers by allowing them to maximize their hard-earned harvest.

We explored multiple brand identity directions in rough. We created core elements including logos, type systems, and color palettes, and applied them to proof-of-concept design examples. Once we finalized a direction, we created brand guidelines and other assets to be used by the Dexter Outdoors marketing team. We coordinated and directed a lifestyle photoshoot off the California coast to build a library of imagery for use across various marketing channels.

Our brand refresh has resulted in confidence and enthusiasm with the Dexter team. The strategic process helped us create alignment and articulate the brand’s essence. The combination of sound strategy and standout creative empowered Dexter with a renewed sense of what they stand for and how best to express it.

“LESS+MORE’s is as high or higher quality than that of any major global agency I’ve worked with in the past, but they are more accessible and nimble. They nicely balance creative, out of the box thinking with practicality. They truly felt like an extension of our team.”

KARA SHAFFER, VP of Marketing, Dexter

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