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Hound HQ

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The Challenge

Develop a new pet care brand in Omaha focused on dog daycare, boarding, and grooming from the ground up. The founder of the business had a name for the brand, but partnered with 1123 to develop the brand, website, brand assets, advertising strategy and everything in between.

Key Challenges Included

  • Project Timing: The brand launch involved building renovation, so the ability to be nimble was imperative. 
  • Category Competition: There are respected dog daycare, boarding, and grooming brands in Omaha that consumers are loyal to. 

The Approach

First, our agency developed a sophisticated Brand Guide to provide a foundation for all operation, marketing, and advertising initiatives and projects. Once the Brand Guide was completed, 1123 moved forward in concepting and developing the Hound HQ website, designed brand assets for the campus and staff, and created Grand Opening and retention marketing and advertising strategies.

Illustration of an outlined yellow dog sitting on a dark blue background. The text "HOUND HQ BRAND GUIDE - V1.0" is in the bottom left corner, and "123" is in the bottom right corner.
Logo of "Hound HQ" in bold blue and yellow letters. The "Q" has a stylized white dog sitting inside, outlined in blue.
Three images highlighting dog care: A woman hugging her dog in a spacious room, a man in sunglasses relaxing in a hammock with a dog, and a woman smiling with a dog while working on a laptop. The text emphasizes providing exceptional personal care for dogs.
Illustration of a van wrap design for "Hound HQ," featuring blue, yellow, and white colors. The design includes a dog silhouette, paw prints, and text detailing pet services. The brand logo is visible on all sides of the van.
Image displaying various Hound HQ branded swag items: navy ball caps, green dog toys, white tumblers, navy pop-up bowl, bone-shaped waste bag holder, navy leashes, and beige tote bags, each with the Hound HQ logo and a dog silhouette.
Graphic showing logo design guidelines for "Hound HQ." Includes two versions of the logo with a dog illustration and text, emphasizing the importance of minimal clear space around the logo for visibility and effectiveness in various applications.
A happy pug with its tongue out sits against a bright yellow background. A thought bubble above reads, "Can I go again tomorrow?" The website navigation bar is at the top, featuring the Hound logo and various links. Text below says, "More Wags, More Fun!.
Top image: A dog in a yellow shirt sits on a blue background beside a food bowl with text about daycare services. Bottom image: A relaxed dog looks upward against a purple background with text about boarding services. Both sections have a "Sign Up" button.

Strategy Highlights

  • Brand Development: The new brand needed everything; logo, colors, font, voice, website, etc. Taking the founders’ vision, our research and expertise, applying it to a blank canvas and seeing and hearing the brand out in the wild is very exciting! 
  • Grand Opening Strategy: After weeks of planning, development and fluid timelines, it is essential you are ready to activate all strategies at “Go” time. The brand announcement & PR, Grand Opening event, and paid efforts launched seamlessly, and a brand was born.
  • Client & Agency Synergy: 1123 and the client have worked in lockstep through each key benchmark. Collaboration on content, marketing, promotions, etc. has played a key role in the brand’s early success. 

The Impact

When Hound HQ opened in January, the client and 1123 had established KPIs and business benchmarks for the remainder of 2024. By Memorial Day, the business reached the desired average number of dogs per day goal set for the first December of the company’s existence (6 months early). The business has met and exceeded that goal each week since.

New Customer Acquisition:

  • Hound HQ averages 48 new customer signups per month.
  • The Hound HQ website continues to see incredible website visitor growth, introducing the brand to potential new customers daily. 

Connection to Community: 

  • Hound HQ has sponsored and attended multiple events throughout the Omaha community, including Omaha Storm Chasers games and Nebraska Humane Society events.