Simply right.
It's not very often that a client hands you their brand and says, "Have at it." But that's pretty much what happened with Simply Amish. The agency I worked for had just been entrusted with a major brand refresh when I signed on. And they changed everything, including the name of the company. They brought me on board to help give the new brand its voice, and together we did a lot of great stuff — using humor to create ads that played off of the Amish mistique.
Many styles. One standard.
There are two major stereotypes when it comes to Amish furniture. On the one hand, people expect exceptional craftsmanship. But on the other, they tend to associate it with a country style that's well past its sell-by date. The truth is that the company offers a wide range of furniture styles, including contemporary furniture that's as comfortable in a New York loft as a model on a catwalk. The "Many Styles. One standard." tackled the first stereotype while hyping the other, accomplishing two goals with four simple words.
Testing the waters.
For our first ad, we decided to push the limits of our client — and all of his dealers — with an ad that included three of the seven deadly sins. Fortunately, they embraced it, paving the way for a fun brand that blended beautiful furniture with an irreverent sense of humor.
This one's for you, shania.
We made this ad to shift the consumers' mindset and broaden their concept of Amish furniture. It acknowleged the country stereotype — then blew it away. With beautiful images, fun copy and a little dig on the only country star further from Nashville than we were.
Coasting on a sense of humor.
Since the amazing finish on our furniture made coasters obsolete, we created a fun set of "training coasters" to help customers prepare for the adjustment while they waited for their new furniture to arrive.
"You never know what some drip will drop. That's why we protect all of our furniture with a sealant that makes it practically impervious to water, nail polish remover and alcohol. Of course, being Amish, we are just guessing on the last two."
The Real deal.
It's not just a label on a tag. Simply Amish furniture is handmade by real Amish craftsmen. And if it's ever damaged, it will go back to the same small family shop to be repaired. So we made this ad to communicate its authenticity and announce a new sale. The copy on the back was mostly utilitarian, but I gave it a fun lead. "Modesty is important in the Amish community. Which is why you'll seldom see them taking anything off. Especially in public."
Trade Show Promotion Card
Every year, Simply Amish makes an appearance at a big furniture show in Las Vegas. We created this piece to announce the arrival of their new brand.