Fleet Farm has 33 locations in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin with customers coming from suburbs, small towns, and farms. The design elements themselves are inspired by the things customers interact with everyday: worn paint, wood, and rust. The photography beautifies these elements to create an attractive familiarity. This alone transports the idea because they products immediately stand out. Fleet Farm is not drawing customers from the cities, so bus ads and brochures are not useful. Crossroads customers want things they can use over and over. As farmers and small town families, they value nature and look for sustainable products. Crossroads advertises with canvas reusable shopping bags and packaging products in reusable containers. They send employees to local farmers markets to not only sample and sell, but to build one on one relationships with customers. The farming industry continues to make major strides in technology and more and more people are joining social media platforms, therefore, online advertising and social media are essential to spread Crossroads' message.
Fleet Farm has been around since 1955. They say if you can’t get it at Fleet Farm, you don’t need it. They carry their own generic brand of clothing, food (both human and animal), and hardware. Each product has a different tone and aesthetic. They are not united under the voice and personality of Fleet Farm, which confuses the customers. The goal of this project was to create an identity that unified Fleet Farm’s generic brand. A unified look and feel will help Fleet Farm’s high quality affordable products stand out against the competitors on the shelves. Nobody likes to wade through hundreds of products trying to decide which brand is best for them. They already trust Fleet Farm as their go-to store, so they will trust in their ability to make great products and making the trip will be smooth and painless rather than a time consuming chore. Being able to spot a Crossroads product anywhere in the store is essential to helping customers engage further with Fleet Farm.
A unified brand identity created a much more enjoyable shopping experience for busy, overwhelmed customers. Fleet Farm's sales increase as more customers choose their generic brand. The company is already well known and trusted to be the source for anything one might need and Crossroads provided a stronger way to provide customers with the things they need at better prices. The audience is not concerned with fluff and useless extras. The brand stays true to Fleet Farm's values and the values of their customers by choosing recycled materials for packaging, allowing for reuse, and choosing sustainable methods. Crossroads makes it easy to maintain a green lifestyle.
