Case Study: Ashley Brichter, Birthsmarter
The Power of Brand Clarity: Birthsmarter's Success Story
Birthsmarter is an innovative company making a positive impact in the prenatal education space by offering eye-opening classes for expectant parents. Founded in 2019 by Ashley Brichter, a former doula and education specialist, Birthsmarter aims to empower parents with knowledge and confidence as they navigate the journey of parenthood.
The Challenge
“There’s so much to learn before having a baby that can totally change the experience. Investing in some high-quality learning can set you up for success. It doesn’t guarantee an outcome, but it can make you feel more connected to your partner, more connected to your body. It can really prepare you for the turbulence that comes when you welcome a baby into your family.”
While Birthsmarter was already building a loyal following, Ashley felt that the brand's visual identity lacked professional refinement. More importantly, Ashley felt that it wasn’t resonating with a huge swath of her target audience: expectant fathers.
To stand out in a competitive market and attract a wider audience, the company needed a cohesive look, feel, and voice, including a visual brand identity that felt:
— Striking
— Dynamic
— Distinctive
Birthsmarter also faced the unique challenge that the team’s educational partners are spread out all over the country.
CEO Reservations
“How do you let somebody in and trust that they’re going to be able to really capture the tone and the texture of what you’ve built and enhance that, but not try and change it? if I am [going to] spend money on this, Is it actually [going to] do what I need it to do?”
Before Ashley selected Wild Hearted Words/Nice Tiger as a marketing agency, she had a couple of reservations:
As a startup, they were mindful of costs.
Would a marketing agency truly understand their brand?
In the end, Ashley decided to take a risk on Wild Hearted Words. She put her trust in the company and walked away feeling, “There was so much bang for my buck.”
What Does a Great ROI Look Like?
At first, Ashley was compelled to work with Wild Hearted Words because of her respect for Judy Tsuei.
“She has a very infectious personality… you can point her out in a room. So at first, I was like, ‘Wow, Judy seems really awesome and really talented. Maybe she is somebody that I could really trust here.’”
Then Ashley started working with Wild Hearted Words. She definitely felt supported by Judy, yet what really impressed her was the WHW team at large.
Brent Murrell, Lead Designer
“Brent is my favorite person currently on the planet… working with him was so easy and so beautiful.
This guy gets it. He’s so fast. He’s so communicative. He’s so collaborative. He had no ego and I feel like… I really had a design partner… Brent was stellar.”
In working with Mackie, the company’s Branding and Operations Manager, Ashley felt lucky to have someone who can “project manage you and not let balls drop.”
“[With Wild Hearted Words/Nice Tiger] you have really creative people who are pouring a lot of their time and energy into getting you the thing that makes sense for your brand.”
Mackie Dideriksen, Branding + Operations Manager
Jazabelle Cunanan, Lead Writer
“Jaz and I had some great interactions… I felt like I got so much time. I mean the first call with Judy and Jaz and Brent… was just really investigative… They really wanted to understand where I was at, so they could find ways to help… it wasn’t cookie cutter at all…”
Over time, WHW worked closely with Ashley to provide a comprehensive branding solution. This required understanding Birthsmarter's core values, target audience, and USPs. As a company, we developed a brand book that captured the essence of Birthsmarter's mission and vision, providing clear guidelines for visual communication and messaging.
Results That Make A Difference
Birthsmarter’s collaboration with WHW yielded remarkable results for the company:
“Brent just really nailed it. We stayed with the exact feel of who and what Birthsmarter is about, but we made these really tiny tweaks that make the brand much more accessible in a lot of ways… [now] men feel like it’s a space for them, and more accessible… [Brent] just lifted it up.”
Enhanced Brand Identity: The brand's visual appeal was significantly elevated, making it more inclusive and attractive to expectant fathers (alongside their partners). This expanded reach has contributed to business growth in a meaningful way.
A New North Star: The brand book streamlined Birthsmarter's marketing efforts, and provided a North Star as they scale the company in new cities throughout the country. According to Ashley, “It’s making all of our work much more efficient.”
Increased Confidence: The refined brand identity instilled greater confidence in Ashley and her team, enabling them to delegate marketing tasks to other specialized vendors.
Process + Strategy
WHW adopted a collaborative and client-centric approach throughout the project:
Discovery: The agency conducted in-depth interviews with Ashley to gain a deep understanding of Birthsmarter's goals and challenges.
Brand Strategy: WHW developed a comprehensive brand strategy that aligned with Birthsmarter's mission and vision. Birthsmarter has team members around the country leading local events, so it was imperative to get everyone on the same page.
Visual Identity: The agency created a visually appealing and cohesive brand identity for Birthsmarter, including a refined logo, color palette, and typography. This includes “Certified Instructor Badge” graphics that educators can use to showcase their certification with Birthsmarter.
Brand Book: WHW delivered a detailed brand book that served as a guide for all future marketing and communication efforts.
Visual Identity: The agency created a visually appealing and cohesive brand identity for Birthsmarter, including a refined logo, color palette, and typography. This includes “Certified Instructor Badge” graphics that educators can use to showcase their certification with Birthsmarter.
Key Wins
Ashley was thrilled with the results of the collaboration. Eventually, Ashley referred Wild Hearted Words to her network.
“I felt very held by the agency... I knew that my priorities were not going to get dropped even if I wasn’t pushing them forward. And I think that’s really rare with an agency.”
Win-Win
Wild Hearted Words played a pivotal role in Birthsmarter's elevated brand success. The agency's strategic approach and creative solutions empowered Birthsmarter to refine its brand identity, streamline its marketing efforts, and achieve notable business growth.
