Designing a passport
to cycling passion.
PEARL iZUMi
Recentering a brand on their core purpose, connecting people to the world around them through the power of cycling.
BACKGROUND
How does a storied brand get their mojo back?
PEARL iZUMi is a mainstay brand in cycling apparel. Well known for their quality, reliability, and for products that strike the perfect balance between comfort and performance. And while no one spoke ill of their offering, their place in cycling culture had diminished. They were seen as a dependable commodity, like a Toyota Corolla, great function, not a lot of passion. It hadn’t always been this way, they were once highly regarded for their innovation, fit, and materials. Now they were considered basic - a safe bet.
Fort West was asked to reestablish the PEARL iZUMi brand with cycling culture, first internally with their own team, and then externally with a bold new look and reinvigorated purpose.
Services
+ Brand Strategy
+ Brand Design
+ Brand Activation
+ Marketing Strategy
+ Media Planning
BRAND STRATEGY
Time for Fully Engaged Freedom
PEARL has a proud history in racing and innovation. Over the years, the same advances they brought to increase comfort for purpose-driven performance apparel (especially in chamois design) opened the door for enthusiasts and casual riders to enjoy the same comfort (and performance) for their every day rides, making PEARL a staple in cycling. But as time passed new disruptive brands began to change expectations in cycling culture. Many of the innovations PEARL pioneered became best practice for all, and the same universal adoption they had sparked earlier now had them perceived as generic. In short, they changed the game, and when the game changed again, they were left on their heels struggling for relevance.
Working together, we helped PEARL iZUMi get back to their roots of innovating products that deliver performance-driven comfort and connecting people with the world around them through the power of cycling. When those two things come together riders experience what PEARL iZUMi promises - fully engaged freedom.
STRATEGIC TARGET
The
Enlightened
Explorer.
Reestablishing focus was key for PEARL iZUMi to claim their rightful position in cycling culture. Paramount to that was understanding their audience. We needed to define their Strategic Target.
Identifying as a core cyclist, the Enlightened Explorer is on a lifelong mission of discovery. At work or at play they define their own path, ever curious to find out what lies on the road ahead. They approach every opportunity from a practical point-of-view. They value form that follows function, tangible innovation, and experiences that deliver moments that matter.
Core Values Org. Benefit
+ Experience ⟶ + Freedom
+ Connection ⟶ + Community
+ Commitment ⟶ + Performance
+ Authenticity ⟶ + Stewardship
+ Progression ⟶ + Innovation
BRAND CHARACTER
Introducing The
Momentum Maker.
A strong brand character brings personality and tone of voice to life. We utilize archetypes to help personify the brand’s offering and promise. Unique to Fort West, we then identify and combine two sub-archetypes to create an ownable character that sets the brand apart, and becomes the driving force for all expression. For Pearl iZUMi, we created The Momentum Maker.
N. One who is both an inspiration and a catalyst to action for those around them. They encourage, support, and lead a life in perpetual motion, fully immersed in the moment.
BRAND DESIGN
Stories That Move
For PEARL iZUMi, the design ethos is intended to inspire riders to connect with the world around them while demonstrating the gear that helps to make that connection rich and authentic.
Design elements convey dynamic movement and energetic progress celebrating the spirit of the ride. We see product used in real scenarios capturing cyclists in their element. We offer multiple perspectives (detail, fit, how the product interacts with the environment) in order to bring depth to the essential role we play for those invigorated by the ride
DESIGN SYSTEM
Making momentum through a sum of parts.
Our design system embodies the brand character - The Momentum Maker. Every element is there to create energy - from the signature pop-color of “Screaming Yellow” to the bold typography to the intentional photography used to show (not tell) cyclists what it looks like when you are fully engaged in the freedom of the ride.
MESSAGING SYSTEMS
Inspire first, explanation to follow
The PEARL iZUMi brand promise of “Fully Engaged Freedom” is all about creating cycling passion. When we speak to the Enlightened Explorer, our overarching goal is to invite them into our world and demonstrate to them the care we take to turn every mile into meaningful moments. Emotive language and haiku like phrasing draws riders in leading them to discover the deeper benefits of PEARL’s innovation and quality.
BRAND TAGLINE
An intentional shift of intentions.
With this brand refresh, PEARL had got its mojo back. To properly re-introduce themselves to the market the brand needed a bold tagline that would signal their change of intentions and stand the test of time. One that would reflect their newly reestablished positioning and resonate with the long standing purists in the cycling culture.
BREAK AWAY
Every time you get on the bike is an opportunity to break away. Some rides are spent breaking away from the pack or from the rider you were yesterday. Other rides are a chance to break away from the everyday distractions, frustrations, or obligations. Either way, PEARL iZUMi wants to give you the tools to get on your bike so that you can seize every opportunity to break away.
BRAND ACTIVATION
More than a metaphor.
With BREAK AWAY, our goal was to own an open, inviting look and feel that allows us to directly tie PEARL iZUMi’s products to a great ride. It’s free of distraction, open with possibility and connected straight to the cycling experience.
We juxtapose cinematic photography with tight macro product details implying PEARL iZUMi’s attention to the little details in the gear make it so you can put your attention into the little details on the ride. Our open typography is paired with Haiku inspired messaging, romanticizing the moments all cyclists experience and connect with
COMMUNICATIONS BLUEPRINT
Craft follows story.
Re-introducing PEARL iZUMi to cycling was going to take more than a press release. Our challenge was to reignite passion for the brand by improving its perception among our the industry and riders alike.
We created a bespoke Communication Blueprint that defined goals, priorities, product positioning, talking points, marketing narratives, and the creative assets that would be needed to support the go to market strategy.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Timely demand
for a timeless brand.
An effective marketing strategy relies on more than powerful words and creative — it takes understanding. Understanding the business, the consumer, the stories they care about, and the channels that influence them.
Our marketing strategy utilizes two key frameworks: a go-to-market plan and a Communications Blueprint. The go-to-market plan defines the budget, the journey, and the channels, and the Communication Blueprint details the timing, the narratives, and the actions.
INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN
We were
Made For This.
Outfitted with brand guidelines, a story to tell, and a strategy for telling it, we created a campaign to share Southern Distilling Company’s values, vision, and award-winning whiskeys with the world. “Made for This” showcased life’s great moments, made a little bit greater with a whiskey worth savoring.
OUTCOMES OVER OUTPUT
“This direction finally makes us look like a world-class brand. We can punch above our weight.”
Pete Barger, Chief Executive Officer.
