Differentiating "Freestyle" from "Fix"
visualizing a new business
In 2021, Stitch Fix launched "Freestyle," a groundbreaking addition to our service, offering clients the freedom to shop a la carte. This marked a significant shift from the traditional "Fix" model, where customers received a curated box of five items selected by a personal stylist. To effectively communicate this new offering, we needed to expand and clearly differentiate our visual and verbal brand expression for both "Freestyle" and "Fix."
THE ASK
I was tasked with leading a focused effort to distinguish "Freestyle" from "Fix" in terms of brand expression and marketing assets. I assembled a small team of senior creatives and led a one-week creative sprint, structured into five key phases: Concept, Generate, Test, Synthesize, and Implement.
STAGE 1: CONCEPT
We began by generating conceptual territories for both "Shop" (Freestyle) and "Style" (Fix). These territories served as guiding principles, allowing us to create various "tropes" that visually represented each concept. These tropes acted as a toolkit, enabling us to develop diverse advertising variations tailored to specific marketing briefs.
STAGE 2: GENERATE
We created multiple assets for testing, knowing the stakes of launching a new business model were high. I collaborated with the Marketing team and an external focus group company to design a comprehensive testing plan, ensuring we had robust quantitative and qualitative data to support our creative decisions.
STAGE 3: TEST
We conducted extensive testing, including a survey with 3,500 participants and twenty-eight in-depth interviews. Our focus was on visit motivation, brand impression, and communication clarity, ensuring that our creative work not only attracted customers but also left a positive impression and clearly conveyed Stitch Fix's service offerings.
STAGE 4: SYNTHESIZE
Partnering with Marketing, we distilled insights from the testing phase to refine our approach. This analysis provided valuable insights into how the Stitch Fix brand could evolve and how we could distinctly position the "Shop" and "Style" territories.
STAGE 5: IMPLEMENT
Finally, we implemented our findings by developing unique style guides for both "Shop" and "Style." These guides provided visual and verbal guidance, ensuring that all creative output was compelling, clear, and aligned with our brand's promise. The result was a cohesive and compelling differentiation between Stitch Fix's core services, enhancing customer understanding and engagement.
