Hitchweb is a Canadian online retailer specializing in high-quality vehicle parts and accessories, including hitches, roof racks, cargo carriers and camper supplies—the things every outdoor enthusiast needs to embrace the road wherever it may take them. Currently, their strongest marketing assets are their website, which draws a flow of customers through search, and impeccable customer service, which keeps them happy and coming back.
Understanding the Challenge
With 15 years in the outfitter marketplace, the proudly Canadian-owned brand had developed a niche offering, with quality products and great service. And yet, the Hitchweb name isn’t widely known. So they came to UpHouse looking for branding help.
Hitchweb wanted to grow into a business that customers know by name. We helped them lean into the idea of not only building awareness but also affinity among a loyal customer base that could help promote the brand further. Our goal was to create an all-new brand story and visual identity that would speak to consumers and offer growth opportunities for the brand.
Finding the Concept
We workshopped with our client to explore what the brand had been doing and what untapped potential there was in areas of business growth and brand awareness. Customer reviews revealed the company provides excellent service, but they weren’t communicating this outwardly.
We decided to build on that amazing customer experience by taking the brand in a direction that would help them shape the customer’s identity and build a community around a shared passion—in this case, a passion for hitting the road for a weekend or week of adventure.
The one thing that connects every Hitchweb customer is their desire to travel nowhere. This keen sense of exploration—of driving winding roads through Canada’s forests and mountains, and to its lakes and rivers—is a driving force among outdoor enthusiasts, and we needed to tap into that.
That’s how we landed on the concept of being nowhere-bound.
What Happened Next?
With an evocative concept that spoke to the Hitchweb consumer, we set out to create a brand story that is compelling, relatable and projects a relaxed approach to outdoor adventure travel. Designed to be used on Hitchweb’s website and in a brand video, it will also inspire and give direction to future marketing campaigns.
As part of the brand handbook, we also developed customer profiles and defined what sets Hitchweb apart in the marketplace, so the company can create targeted marketing campaigns that will appeal to their ideal customers.
Building a Hitchweb community and making the brand a well-known name was the driving force behind the rebranding. In order to do this, it was critical that we create an all-new visual brand identity that consumers would relate to and buy into.
Our creative team designed a new family of logos for Hitchweb based on the concept of being nowhere-bound. Blending mountains and winding roads, the simple, minimal design evokes the feeling of taking off for parts unknown and seeing where winding roads will take you.
We kept the look fresh, modern and approachable with a restrained colour palette featuring tones of green, grey and a blush-beige.
One of the key requirements for each iteration of the logo was ensuring it could be used in branded merchandise—hats, t-shirts, water bottles and more. Creating a brand that people want to be associated with is vital to building brand affinity today, and well-designed logo merch plays an important role.
Hitchweb was thrilled with our rebranding and the brand handbook we developed for them. The new look and feel has transformed Hitchweb.com, and we’re excited to build on this new momentum together.
Your brand should embody your company’s vision, but how?
- Explore your brand’s potential. You have an idea of what your brand needs to grow, no doubt. But working with a marketing agency can help you identify untapped potential you might not have even considered, serving as a catalyst for growth that far exceeds your original goals.
- Build a brand your followers would be proud to wear. The power of authentic and organic consumer promotion of your brand is exponential. With a beautifully designed logo, a great brand story and an authentic community experience, consumers will be eager and proud to wear branded merchandise, expanding awareness organically through their networks.
- Tell a story. Every brand has a unique story, and it’s important to share it to build connections with potential customers. Working with an agency can help you refine and write your story so it reflects your brand voice and resonates with your target customers.
