Rebranding Florida Man's survival brand
Deliverables
Brand Strategy
Visual Identity
Content Strategy
Marketing Collateral
Brand Guidelines
Photography
The Survival Outpost is a YouTube channel about wilderness and urban survival run by channel operator, Blitz.
Initially, Blitz wanted to test some merch designs, but soon realized this wouldn't meet his larger goals.
Faced with this realization, we helped Blitz redefine his strategy.
Merely surviving wasn't enough. The tinder was lit but the firewood was damp. It was time to pour gas on the fire.
And pour gas we did.
After our brand transformation, Blitz doubled his subscriber base from 30,000 to 60,000 in 2023.
Discovery
When Blitz first came to us, his channel boasted an impressive 30,000 subscribers—a testament to his content's appeal.
However, our initial discussions and design explorations revealed key challenges:
- Overall, the identity was not cohesive, making standing out and being memorable more difficult.
- The logo was complex and didn’t read well at smaller sizes.
- Thumbnails were inconsistent and time-consuming.
- The audience was vaguely defined.
These issues highlighted the need for a more cohesive and scalable brand identity and strategy to take guesswork out of the equation.
Process
As we got into strategy, we learned:
- A traditional look & feel in a modern context matched his content (wilderness & urban survival).
- Bugout bag guides were his most popular content by a country mile.
- No competitors owned the color orange.
For the logo mark, Blitz requested exploration of a sigil created from Norse runes. This way, he could imbue meaning into his logo and be more distinct from the competition.
Blitz chose a stylescape and we began building the identity.
Outcome
Our rebranding efforts led to significant developments:
- Defined Target Audience: We focused on engaging adventurous 20-somethings and blue-collar family men seeking practical survival skills.
- Cohesive Visual Identity: Introduced a flexible, earthy color palette and a meaningful sigil logo, enhancing brand recognition and differentiation.
- Merchandise Expansion: Developed merchandise designs incorporating the 5 Cs of Survival, aligning products with popular content and providing additional revenue streams.
- Lead Magnet Creation: Proposed and designed a comprehensive bugout bag guide as a free resource to attract newsletter signups, offering value and establishing authority.
- Affiliate Integration: Included both Amazon affiliate and direct manufacturer links in the guide, creating convenient purchasing options and additional income avenues.
These outcomes addressed the identity inconsistency and positioned The Survival Outpost for scalable growth and deeper audience engagement.
Impact
The strategic rebranding and marketing efforts had a profound impact:
- Subscriber Growth: Increased visibility and engagement lead to subscribers doubling from 30,000 to 60,000 in 2023.
- Enhanced Visual Consistency: New channel art and thumbnail templates streamlined content presentation. This saved time and made the content instantly recognizable.
- Successful Lead Generation: The bugout bag guide effectively attracted 300+ newsletter subscribers, fostering a community around his brand and boosting trust.
- Strategic Partnerships: Leveraging his strengthened brand, Blitz successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign for a custom bushcraft knife in collaboration with a knifemaker.
- Focused Content Strategy: With a clearer understanding of his target audience, Blitz honed his content to better resonate with viewers, driving further engagement.
Overall, the rebranding empowered Blitz to not only enhance his current offerings but also to explore new opportunities for growth and monetization.
I knew my YouTube channel had potential, but no clue on how to move forward. I didn’t know my customer base and I had no brand identity or logo.
All of that changed in just a few short months working with Nick. He was patient and understanding, taking the time to listen and understand my goals and plans for the future.
I highly recommend working with Nick, whether you’re launching a new business or revamping an existing one.
