Clever Closet
Making the ultimate storage hack the clever choice
Pathway Brand transformation
Services Strategy, Branding, Tone of Voice, Creative Direction, Content, TVC
For a company, an acquisition can be a powerful catalyst. So for Clever Closet, recently acquired by Sharps Furniture Group, it presented a critical inflection point. They had a revolutionary product - a modular system for under-stair storage, but their brand didn’t connect, and was stalling their potential for long-term, scalable growth. This is where Sharps Furniture Group got us involved.
The Challenge
Our Brand Memorability framework identified four key challenges that were fundamental barriers to growth for Clever Closet.
First up, a lack of distinctiveness. The brand didn’t have anything that could help a potential customer pick it out of a line-up, meaning they were easily forgotten and consigned to battling in the competitive market of local tradespeople.
Next, we found that focusing on clever product features was failing to deliver the personal relevance or emotional connection needed to build a memorable brand.
And with no scalable system, no unified brand design and no defined tone of voice, they couldn't deliver a consistent experience across their expanding channels and touchpoints. This inconsistency acted as a drag on the business, hampering the marketing team's ability to execute with speed and agility, and ultimately capping their growth potential and marketing efficiency.
The Strategy
To unlock scalable growth, Clever Closet needed to build a brand foundation set up for memorability. A brand that would deliver tools that could solve the four key challenges that were holding them back.
Our first move was to align the entire brand with its core audience insight: a desire for simplicity and clever “life hacks”. This would ensure that what we would do next would deliver the personal relevance or emotional connection Clever Closet lacked. We distilled the insight into a new, two-word strategic positioning: Simply Clever. This wasn't a tagline. It is a guiding principle to reposition Clever Closet as the definitive, intelligent storage solution.
The Execution
Whilst the product was engineered for Simply Clever, the brand needed to be too. We translated this strategy into a comprehensive brand world and design system that delivered confidence, craft, and consistency.
This system was the key to unlocking sales growth. It was more than just new assets; it was a unified framework designed for consistency, distinctiveness, personal relevance and emotional connection. This empowered their new internal teams and partners, who became key collaborators in defining the system. Providing them with the tools to accelerate their marketing speed, enabling them to deploy campaigns with agility and unwavering consistency, regardless of the channel or market.
Bold and simple typography captures the new positioning and delivers stand-out for its focus on simplicity rather than craft and extra flourishes. A new warm green colour palette set Clever Closet apart in a category obsessed with blue and black. Rigorously tested to ensure it delivers both in print and digitally, it is supported by a CTA and Sale palette to ensure there are no more endless meetings picking out the latest promo palette.
Lifestyle imagery was commissioned and art directed around our vision for a brand that truly connected with the audience and the new tone of voice? Satisfyingly, simply clever of course. Instantly cutting through the category clutter. We replaced vague "solution-finding" language with a sharp, definitive result that highlights the emotional benefit of the product. So when competitors were saying, A place to put your coats and accessories. Clever Closet says, Chaos. Controlled.
The Impact
Created relevance
We found the human truth behind the product. Unlocking commercial success by moving beyond storage features to the audience's truth: a desire for clever, simple life hacks.
Delivered distinctiveness
We created a competitive advantage by positioning Clever Closet as a frictionless alternative. Turning the lack of a home visit into a positive with a simple online ordering experience.
Built marketing velocity
Easy to use distinctive brand assets and language quickly unified specialist agencies and allowed for instant roll out.
Improved alignment and consistency
We crafted a creative platform as smart as Clever Closet’s engineering. With clear guidance a support to activate an elevated story, clear visual direction, and a confident, clever tone of voice .
