...is a new cafe & bistro opening in the Swedish summer city of Båstad. They wanted a website, a visual identity, a social media strategy to connect with their visitors at an early stage, as well as a night-time strategy -- to know how what type of clientel would show up, and how to adjust the atmosphere accordingly.

 

It's still a work in progress, but you can check it out at http://www.verandabastad.se/

 

Veranda strives to be a place that both your niece and your grandmother will enjoy. This means they want to appeal to a broad target audience, and I wanted to help them to do just that. 

 

I defined one primary and one secondary target audience, the first one being men & women between the ages of 35 and 55. Second one being men & women between the ages of 22 and 34.

 

I thought it was important to distinguish the generational differences from each other -- so I tried identifying turn-ons, turn-offs as well as preferred sources of information for the two target groups. Having never worked with restaurants before, I believe that this helped me get a broader understanding of what kind of atmosphere and marketing approach would be suitable.

 

Even though it might seem miniscule, I'm grateful for also having been involved in the selection of beer, spirits and wine. Together with a friend, we've composed a drink menu that doesn't rely on generic beer brands, but rather trends and taste within the respective target groups. We wanted to create more sense of appeal towards Veranda by introducing an alternative to what's commonplace to the people of a town that 9 months a year, frankly, is not very lively.

 

As for the social media, I naturally wanted to create a little buzz on their Facebook page before the opening. Veranda is located about 2 kilometers from where the "action" and a few very popular restaurants is running the show. Veranda is somewhat rebellious in the sense that they're taking on the challenge, and that's what I wanted to convey. A little attitude, I believe, can take you far, which is why the slogan on the website is a very playful jab at the biggest competitor. 

 

It's still a work in progress, and when your mom's the client -- I've learned that the creative process, deadlines and order of operations don't really apply in the same way as my freelancing gigs. But I accept it, and it's super fun to work with.

 

Inner peace. (It’s my mom’s business. Go figure.)