i was raised in a town called blue springs.

its about 25 minutes east of downtown kansas city down i70, and about 10 minutes past its inuence.

blue springs exists where endless urban sprawl turned green. in the fties, it was all green. families lived on the land, and enjoyed what it offered. there were forests, streams, lakes

the land became the lifestyle.

a lifestyle of simple pleasures

and wide open spaces

in the 70s, a small corrugated metal shed opened along 40 highway, next to the road with lake access. it was, practically, named forty woods.

they sold everything the outdoorsman needed. shing poles, lures, camping supplies, hunting equipment, and most importantly

live bait. huge tubs of smelly, creepy little creatures crawling over eachother

and vats of little sh to catch bigger sh.

but the small town grew into a city. pastures were plowed, and big box stores took their place. suburbia carved into forest, and strip malls lined the roads.

up the road from forty woods, bass pro shop, a competing outdoors supply mega chain, paved over 15 football elds worth of land for a new retail compound. blue springs had been gobbled up by the sprawl.

but forty woods never changed. it never expanded, never moved location, never tried to become anything more than what it was. and now, nearly forty years later, its on the verge of irrelevance.

and thats why ive chosen to champion them.

OBJECTIVE

To begin the rst steps in rebranding forty woods, Ive set a standard to measure my next moves against.

To presve the spit that has driven Fty Wds lgevity and independence the yes, establishing it as a landmk of a byge a uniquely belging to the pele of Blue Springs.

OBJECTIVE

Over the years, forty woods never developed an identity model. When you sell styrofoam boxes of nightcrawlers out of a metal shed, outlining a mission statement may not top the priority list. Statements made about existing identity attributes are inferred based on conversation with the owner and observation.

MISSION

Old: To sve the cmunitys tdrs supply needs.

MISSION

New: The prise to be at the stt of yr adventes f genatis to ce, just as we always have been.

ESSENCE

Essence is a promise of service to the customer. in the past its been:

ESSENCE

Old: To pride reliable svice and a unique selecti of tdr ge to r custs.

ESSENCE

New: To have the same eat selecti of tdr equipment and specialized knledge of r product weve prided in the past f genatis to ce.

ATTRIBUTES

currently, forty woods attributes are indistinguishable from many other local stores.

ATTRIBUTES
Old: Svice. Reliability. Inteity

The new identity will bring a unique character to the brand

New: Nostalgia.

ATTRIBUTES

by reminding people of some of the great times theyve had outside

New: Nostalgia. Authenticity.

ATTRIBUTES

by preserving the attitude that has seen them through the past thirty-odd years

New: Nostalgia. Authenticity. Rts.

ATTRIBUTES

and holding on to a piece of home.

ELEMENTS

Branding for forty woods exists in one place only, and that is in the form of now time-worn hand painted lettering on the side of the building.

ELEMENTS

and this sh shing in sunglasses. Though not intentionally so, there is a strong tongue in cheek charm to the lettering and character. The wear of the paint on the metal speaks of the longevity and history of the company, and the character keeps the brand from taking itself too seriously, for better or worse.

COMPETITIVE ELEMENTS

forty woods main competition lies less than a mile up the road. bass pro has been able to market itself by creating a presence as big as the great outdoors itself in the form of monstrous retail compounds across the country. the sheer grandiosity of the store makes it a destination on its own.

the logos bright yellow target pops off of the countless pieces of clothing, memorabilia, and equipment, making it easily identiable from a distance. the hand carved texture indicates a rustic authenticity and craftsmanship quality to their merchandise. The mark itself has become iconic, and nearly synonymous with the outdoors lifestyle in general.

AUDIENCE

Forty Woods audience is, and always will be the people of blue springs. the store was founded for that specic communitys needs, and will continue to do so in the future. What will change is that audiences perception of the store, shifting from a simple old bait shop to a place where memories ourish and take shape. This may cause a slight shift in demographic, however, from being a more dominantly male customer to more a stop for families.

With these shifts, I hope to help cement forty woods presence in the community as the gateway to an ever shrinking great great outdoors.