BRAND STRATEGY . CREATIVE DIRECTION
FINISTERRE
Finisterre is a B-Corp that’s been loved since it was founded on the coast of the Atlantic over 20 years ago. Built for the needs of hardy British surfers, they make enduring outdoor wear for life lived in and around the water.
As they prepared to grow internationally, I worked with their leadership team to redefine their brand idea and sharpen up their brand strategy. I led a team of marketers and creatives to roll it out across all content and brand experience touchpoints, and got it all down in a comprehensive set of guidelines. The project included the production and art direction of campaign shoots, and two stints in-house as their head of brand and then content director.
DEFINING THE BRAND
I worked closely with the CMO on a focussed discovery stage that included research, team interviews, a competitor audit and a customer survey. Together we used the collective insights to develop the brand idea and identify their muse. That gave us the clarity we needed to define a purpose, vision and mission that really resonated with the team. We went on to build a set of experience principles, define the tone of voice and sharpen up the visual identity and content approach. All of this was brought together into a brand book, that I also designed.
The strategy gave the team a clear foundation for expressing the brand consistently both at home in the UK and as they expanded into North America.
CREATIVE DIRECTION & CONTENT PRODUCTION
After the rollout of the brand strategy project, I returned to Finisterre for a stint as Content Director.
Strong content is central to Finisterre’s reputation; they’re known for consistently turning out epic shoots. I led the content strategy as well as the production and art direction of both local and international shoots, working with the team to make sure the casting, locations and storytelling were all consistently strong.
Locations: Cornwall, Algarve, Biarritz
IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS
I led the evolution of their e-commerce photography, refining the approach to create a more effective and consistent product experience. The changes improved on-site conversion and streamlined shoot operations.
CONSISTENT BRAND EXPERIENCE
I worked with the team to develop a strapline and support the launch of a new store. The strapline was rolled out across product, campaigns and retail, while the brand strategy informed a consistent in-store experience.
Photographers: Jack Johns, Abbi Hughes, Nick Pomphrey
Videographers: Luke Pilbeam, Tyler Crewes
Marketing & content team: Bronwen Foster-Butler, David Gray, Larry Stafford, Steph Rogers, Amy Simcock, Zak Rayment
COLLABORATORS
“Sophie is an absolute star. One of those rare talents who is both confident and egoless. Her craft, creative direction and branding, is world class, bringing beauty, meaning and true leadership to every project she touches.”