our ‘build the perfect cheese board’ app.   

whole foods market was looking for a new tool that would drive consumers to the specialty cheese department at 38 whole foods markets throughout their mid-atlantic region. beyond boosting cheese sales, we wanted this tool to be multifaceted for both the client and the consumer. once again, we were sure to include lead acquisition through email capture, as well as a seasonal contest for the new year. adding a layer of education for the cheese novice as well as the expert, this new app allowed users to build their perfect cheese board. cheese rookies, with a shake of the phone, received one of several pre-built boards covering textures, tastes, and types. the cheese aficionado was able to build their board based on their own personal tastes for pairings. the app then created a shopping list for easy reference in-store. beyond the boards themselves, users could peruse 72 individual cheese profiles. since its launch, the cheese wheel app has consistently seen hundreds of weekly downloads. 

an app for a summer of sausage.

whole foods market approached the watsons about developing an app that would increase their brand recognition, build the whole foods market constituent database through email acquisition, and drive customers to purchase during the summer months. leveraging the innovative and visually arresting “summer of sausage” program, we created a new app with tons of features like recipes, food facts, and a “shake” game. in addition. to expand the reach of the app, we built in a region-wide contest, with a winner for each store, and social media integration. users were also given the opportunity, through gps, to sign up for a sales flyer form their local whole foods market. using only social media and in-store promotion, the summer of sausage app secured 3,000 new whole foods market fans, garnering more than 500 downloads per day surrounding the launch, and receiving press coverage throughout the mid-atlantic region. 

madness digital

when whole food market’s northeast and mid atlantic regions developed a price-based marketing strategy, the watsons created a branding strategy called “madness”. our digital media strategy launched on food blogs, like brooklyn eats and grubstreet, and non-endemic sites, including a pandora takeover.

despite its 68 shops and 35 places to eat, many locals still consider grand central an iconic train terminal and nothing more. how, then do we portray the terminal to become a destination — and how do we accomplish this while simultaneously promoting a major brand event? 

throughout the course of each year, we create an integrated campaign, including a digital programmatic strategy, that positions grand central terminal as a retail, dining, and architectural destination, reminding the diverse new york audience that there’s far more to this brand than trains. 

cabot creamery is about premium-quality, locally made, incredible-tasting cheese. through research, we came to find that cabot’s versatility as a cheese knows no bounds. while most people buy a cheese for cooking, a cheese for snacking, and yet another for entertaining, cabot has the rare ability to be new york’s go to, all-in-one cheese—while still coming out on top in all categories. so, to raise their profile in new york, we created an integrated campaign that positioned the brand as “the best cheddar on the block”. 

with a digital media campaign running across nymag.com, grubstreet.com, chowhound.com, and more, we drove people to cabot’s new york facebook page and gave new yorkers a chance to win a fully catered dinner for 10 in their homes. the campaign also included wild postering, shareable art, and a facebook flier campaign.

when columbia skincare launched a breakthrough topical probiotic, we took our messaging to digital. starting with a profile of the people who have engaged with the brand in the past, we used that data to develop a lookalike seed methodology resulting in an increase of 2.1K active users.

montclair state is new jersey’s second largest public university with more than 21,000 students and over 300 majors, minors, concentrations, and certificate programs. to reach our target, mainly comprised of high school juniors and seniors, we created a social strategy that resonated in message and medium. from animated banners and video, to static digital ad buys, we reached gen z on the social platforms where they live — instagram, youtube pre-roll, snapchat, and facebook. showing them how and why being red hawk ready will get them to their goals. photography was directed — and often shot — by the watsons.

boston children’s hospital is the top rated children’s hospital in the nation. and while its reputation is beyond reproach, their recruitment advertising and employment branding encompasses everything from information technology to nursing. so, to reach each target in this wide spectrum of skill sets, we created evocative, digital ads that gets to the heart of the brand’s universally powerful appeal.

in new york? need a free condom? we’ve got you covered with our condom finder app. created for the new york city department of health, access to condoms has proven highly effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). the app, a roadmap featuring 3500+ free condom locations throughout the five boroughs, is just what the doctor ordered.  

we painted the town whole foods green with disruptive, relatable messaging, as pure and honest as the brand’s offerings.  with short, quippy lines that were quick and easy to read, we drove our messaging home to even the busiest passersby. we made them smile, we made them think, and most of all, we reminded them what value really means. 

using urban/suburban streets as our landscape (including a times square takeover), we created billboards, in-store signage, and train posters — reaching people where they live, eat, and shop. 

the stunning green design jumped off of every medium, creating a look that was both conspicuous and beautiful. and the tagline summed up every message with a call to action: Shop like you deserve it.™ 

the watsons covered sidewalks with bio-friendly stenciling for new yorkers who had a penchant for looking down. and we branded pedicabs — giving shoppers who spent over $50 on groceries free rides home. we also ran the campaign on food blogs and NYC-centric sites.

the results?  the whole foods’ tribeca store experienced the brand’s biggest opening, messaging was adopted by other stores in the mid-atlantic region, they received press coverage for the campaign and pedi-cabs, and there was an increase in basket size among all existing stores in the region.

the watsons reached into our bag of tricks for something special, and as it turned out, the bag was all we needed. slice of life value messages, appearing on the shopping bags of actual satisfied shoppers, transformed them into human billboards. and let’s face it, there’s no better proof of whole foods’ promise than a person with a bag full of groceries, carrying our messaging all over town. we also created an OOH strategy that reached our audiences in new jersey and manhattan.

to raise the profile of whole foods’ holiday prepared foods, the watsons created a campaign for the northeast region that included out of home, digital, and print in Time Out New York. the message? we’ll do the cooking. you take the credit.