Luthiers Mercantile International

Founded in 1996, Luthiers Mercantile International is a one stop shop for stringed instrument—primarily guitar—builders and repair folks. Luthiers Merc is proud of decades-long relationships with hobbyist builders, professionals, and manufacturers, thanks to their personal service coupled with the world’s broadest selection of tone wood, innovative tools, and essential shop supplies.

However in recent years, Luthiers Mercantile had relied too heavily on those relationships, eliminating most of their marketing initiatives. Loyal customers were waning, new customers stopped showing up, and revenues were declining.

They needed help on all fronts: branding, marketing, and creative. A top to bottom makeover was needed, and when we got the call, we didn’t fiddle around. We were tuned up and ready to rock ‘n’ roll.

ATTRIBUTES DISCOVERY | BRAND STUDY | STYLE GUIDE | CUSTOMER PERSONAS

MARKETING ASSESSMENT | MARKETING CALENDAR | DIGITAL AUDIT + STRATEGY

WEBSITE + EMAIL DESIGN | CREATIVE CONCEPTING

"Ours is a very specialized company with a unique, niche customer base. Binger worked hard to get to know us, our customers, our culture, and our product line—and they did so with professionalism and enthusiasm. They put together a talented team to address our branding and strategic needs and we couldn't be happier with the results!"

— Chris Herrod, Sales Manager

Foundational work was clearly needed so we kicked things off with a Brand Study to reimagine how all elements of the brand would play in harmony. The study revealed new brand attributes allowing us to craft a brand story, brand promise, and mission statement that resonated with Luthiers Mercantile’s management team and customer personas.

We designed a new logo, added a tagline, set up color palettes, and established typography styles, photography guidelines, and concepted a range of catalog designs.

We overhauled marketing installing a comprehensive annual and seasonal marketing calendar that strings brand stories and key promotional events throughout all marketing channels and consumer touchpoints.

We restructured paid search campaigns, reset keywords, set an SEO development roadmap, and aligned digital brand assets across social, paid, and organic audiences.

With this solid foundation, Luthiers Mercantile International is able to continue (and expand) their position as the #1 source for acoustic guitar builders.

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