Athens Bagel Company

case studytalking dog advertising

bagel bros4 - the team

behind the bagel6 - background

our tall order10 - summary

gathering ingrediants12- insights

feelin’ the heat16 - challenge

recipe for success26 - strategy

build it up28 - phase one

spread it on46 - phase two

hungry no more68 - impact

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lindsay tuck kendall tayman reilly megeeaccount executive project manager art director

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shelby miller jenna becker jordan arnold taylor bremercopywriter photographer digital specialist strategist

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Athens Bagel Company is located in the heart of downtown Athens’ historic district. It’s the

go-to local bagel shop serving students, families, or whoever finds themselves looking for

a satisfying breakfast or lunch sandwich. Started and owned by David Asman, a University

of Georgia Alum, ABC offers fresh New York-style bagels with all the meats, cheeses, and

spreads you could want. Entering ABC, you can see the fresh bagels on the exposed brick

walls, can see into the kitchen (where the magic happens), and are able to relax at tables

and chairs that look out onto downtowns Athens.

Aside from their delicious bagels and spreads, ABC is unique; it is a part of the tight knit

Athens community that the locals all know and love. Asman constantly looks for ways for

Athens Bagel to go above and beyond simply serving up food, ways to be involved in the

lives of the people who make this town so great. ABC consistently donates killer bagels to

the wonderful volunteers of Extra Special People Inc., gives leftover bagels to the Athens

food bank, and even uses honey made by UGA’s students. This restaurant is so much

more than a breakfast hot spot.

it’s as easy as abc

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CHALLENGE

Athens Bagel serves delicious and fresh bagel sandwiches that anyone can enjoy. The food quality, variety, and taste was

nowhere near a challenge. The problem was the disconnect between the yummy, warm, and friendly ABC we knew and

the ABC brand itself. ABC’s social media presence was lacking compared to the personality that the food, owners, and

employees put out towards the community of Athens. In addition, the new brand personality and increased advertising and

digital presence needed to reach a new target audience of adults 25-40 years old, including young adults and those with

families, and raise awareness for ABC’s lunch bagel sandwiches.

STRATEGY

To bridge this gap, we began a total brand makeover on all social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and

the website. This paired with a new friendly, upbeat brand voice, refreshed photography, and features of real Athens Bagel

customers. The enticing photos and community engagement represented who ABC truly is: an Athens community staple

and neighbor. Through the total brand revamp, we attracted old and new customers. Next, we tackled raising awareness

of lunch bagels and reaching a new target audience by featuring children, young professionals, and adults on our social

media accounts, along with photographs of lunch menu items that would make anyone’s mouth water. Art installations, new

merchandise, and other promotions placed in the community cemented ABC’s place in the neighborhood.

RESULTS

Through key strategic efforts, we were able to strengthen ABC’s brand presence in the digital space. Social media engagement

rose dramatically: Facebook by 2271.95% and Instagram by 148.57%. Through implementing paid social in both Facebook and

Instagram, new customers were shown images of savory bagels - especially lunch meals - directing them towards the store

and website, while current customers were reminded to revisit their favorite breakfast and lunch destination.

A complete revamp and launch of the website in January created a 41.25% session increase compared to December statistics.

ABC saw a large growth in post interaction across all platforms, from post likes, comments, and shares to interaction with our

Buzzfeed quiz, with 227 participants.

executive summary

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We wanted to ascertain the eating and spending

habits of college students, our current main

customers, in order to understand what about

ABC made them keep coming back. To get to

the insights, we prepared a survey for college

students, and 172 people participated. The results

were revealing.

When choosing where to eat, food quality,

convenience, and price were the three most

important factors. Coincidentally, when asked to

identify Athens Bagel’s best qualities, these three

criteria rose to the top. It was important for us to

recognize where ABC was excelling so we could

fix what was broken and further uplift the things

that were not.

When deciding where to eat, please rank the order of

importance of the following criteria with 1 being the most

important and 6 being the least important.

research approach

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breakfast

lunch

We also noted that both men and women are

equally likely to eat lunch at ABC. While 75% of

people are somewhat or extremely likely to go

to ABC during breakfast, however, this number

drops dramatically to 37% for somewhat or

extremely likely to go to ABC for lunch. Based

on this finding, we determined that our action

should be to boost social posts concerning the

lunch option, promoting and offering specials

for lunch time bagel lovers. This applied not

just to college students, but more importantly,

the locals who work downtown during the

week and families on the weekends as well.

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The challenge was to create a new, cohesive brand identity that accurately portrayed

ABC’s personality and spoke to both families and young individuals in the Athens

community. Athens Bagel Company is a staple among many different groups within

the neighborhood, however, in conjunction with a continued appreciation for the loyal

college student customers, we wanted to exponentially grow ABC’s presence in a new

target market: 25-40 year old local families and young adults.

It was then pivotal to close the gap between the delicious food ABC was serving up

and the underwhelming representation of it on social media. The social media and

advertising presence did not reveal ABC’s mouth-watering food or their funny, easygoing,

and neighborly atmosphere. Not to mention, it failed to address ABC’s amazing and

underrated lunch options.

ABC has one goal: to serve the community of Athens, students and locals alike, a

breakfast or lunch that will leave them happy and satisfied.

the challenge

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Well-liked product

Appeals to a large target market

Downtown location

Option to personalize bagel order

Number one company on Google search

Incentives, deals, and discount opportunities

Promoted social media posts

Cater to the college student & Athens markets

Owner is willing to give back to the community

through philanthropic connections

Local partnerships

Expensive price point

Extensive menu can be overwhelming

The storefront lacks color and cohesiveness

Weak social media presence

Lack of overall brand identity

Lack of awareness of ABC’s lunch selections

Direct competitors such as Ideal Bagel &

Einstein Bro.’s Bagel

Indirect competition from local breakfast &

lunch spots (i.e. Ike & Jane and Mama’s Boy)

Trend of healthy eating

strengths

opportunities

weaknesses

threats

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ideal bagelDIRECT COMPETITOR

Branding: retro, artsy, local

Digital Presence: no website, Facebook (1,047 page likes)

Target Market: locals & families

Products: bagels, sandwiches

Unique Factor: local vintage decor & “Athens-y” atmosphere

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einstein bros bagelsDIRECT COMPETITOR

Branding: famous chain bagel restaurant,

“shmear society”

Digital Presence: corporate website, Facebook

for their local location (736 Page Likes)

- Weekly offers on Facebook

- Twitter hasn’t been used since 2015

- Corporate Instagram used infrequently

Target Market: college kids & young adult

Athenians

Products: breakfast sandwiches & bagels with

spreads at a lower price point

Unique Factor: support of a national chain

behind them

zombie donutsINDIRECT COMPETITOR

Branding: young, colorful, fun. Zombie has a

huge following on instagram

Digital Presence: website, Facebook (1119 Page

Likes) & Instagram (4000 followers)

- Food pictures, events, and reminders

- Use their media to reach students

Target Market: college kids on Facebook &

Instagram

- Facility is the perfect place for studying

Products: personalized donuts, coffee, blended

beverages, espresso drinks, & merchandise

Unique Factor: less of a meal, more of a treat.

Who doesn’t love a beautiful, yummy donut?

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key fact Athens Bagel strives to serve delicious

breakfast and lunch food right in the heart of

downtown Athens. They have strong ties to

the community, utilizing some local ingredients

and participating in key Athens events.

problemAthens Bagel Company lacks a cohesive

brand identity that can be implemented

across their social and digital platforms.

Although they are centrally located

downtown and have a strong college

student following, they lack the traffic of the

lunch crowd and local adults and families

living in Athens.

objectives- Establish presence as a fixture in the

Athens community.

- Create a cohesive, more attractive brand

identity through a color and promotional

materials revamp, enticing food

photography, redesign of website, store

improvements, and merchandise.

- Increase social media presence on

Instagram and Facebook.

- Increase engagement with consumers on

social media.

targetThe primary target audience features local

Athens adults age 25-40. Athens Bagel

offers a delicious and quick option for a

breakfast on the way to work, a lunch break,

and a friendly neighborhood spot for the

whole family to enjoy a meal together.

The secondary target audience is our

forever loyal college students age 18-24.

Although this group of people are current

customers, we want to keep spreading the

love and showing them that they matter.

promiseTo be your friendly neighbor while serving

you, your family, and your friends delicious

fresh bagels exactly how you like them.

supportIt feels good to walk into Athens Bagel. If

you love Athens, you’ll immediately be

inspired by the local, friendly atmosphere

that truly encapsulates what this town is all

about. The menu classics and customizable

sandwiches will satisfy any customer that

wants to feel at home when sharing a

meal with family or friends. Bagels don’t

discriminate, and ABC spreads the love.

tone & mannerEasy-going, fun, friendly, and neighborly to

emphasize that when you’re at ABC, you’re

at home.

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“This is the kind of establishment you should take your family, your friends; everyone you love. The cozy wooden booths, the sleepy

atmosphere, the delicious bagels and lovely bagel-sandwich concoctions... they make

for the perfect Saturday morning brunch or weekday afternoon treat.”

Insight

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meet bradPRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE

Brad is 36 years old and married with two young kids. He

works downtown at Athens First Bank and Trust. Athens

Bagel is a go-to whether it is during the week for a lunch

meeting or on the weekend after a little league game!

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meet claireSECONDARY TARGET AUDIENCE

Claire is a 24 year old law student at the University of

Georgia. She loves to walk downtown to Athens Bagel for

a quick lunch and coffee after classes all morning before

it’s back to the library for some more studying!

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To tackle our challenge head on, we started with a complete brand makeover. Before we

could engage the community and promote ABC’s lunch options, we needed everything

to be in top shape. This makeover encompassed a total redesign of ABC’s brand

identity, an overhaul of the website, new photography, and a rejuvenation of their brand

voice. These updates to ABC’s brand represent the true Athens Bagel personality, a

neighborhood place that simply wants to serve up good food.

Once the brand was cohesive, the social media revamp and advertising efforts could

begin. We reached ABC’s primary target market by showing families enjoying ABC,

engaging followers through reposts of user generated content, contests, and utilizing

visually appealing photography. Our advertising campaign, “Community & a Bagel,” got

the whole community to engage - showcasing Athens Bagel Company as a staple in the

downtown neighborhood and as a place to share more than just a delicious meal.

Using our new social media pushes and week-long social experience, we promoted the

lunch menu in order to encourage professionals, families, and locals alike to come not

just in the early morning hours but in the afternoon too. We cross promoted with other

local Athens businesses, designed and executed the making of new merchandise, and

threw ABC a fifth birthday party, inviting all members of the Athens community.

the strategy

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ABC is your friendly neighborhood bagel joint - but they also have a fun, edgy side to them,

reminiscent of a classic NYC bagel shop. They needed a brand identity that merged those two

competing personalities into one cohesive look. This new identity features a brighter red, adding

pops of color to the grey accents and the colorful bagel sandwiches. It also showcases grit and

noise, breaking up the whimsy with a little bit of authentic New York.

byob: build your own brand

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roasted red pepper#dc3129

poppy seed#333333

DISPLAY headline Body

Accent2

proxima nova

brannboll

gotham roundedgotham rounded

bagel dough#70564d

The logo colors were updated and the alternative logo eliminated. Logo may be used in full color, white, or poppy seed.

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New Menus

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cheery & humorous neighborhood vibes

brand voice

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ABC’s digital presence needed some livening up. Since customers primarily go to Athens

Bagel for the mouthwatering food, they needed plenty of content promoting each bagel

sandwich on the menu. In addition, it was important to showcase the diverse bagel lovers of

Athens, enjoying the good food and the good company.

The photography paired seamlessly with the brand’s new personality and image: inviting,

vibrant, and relatable. The visual aspect of the social media is crucial to illustrate the friendly,

neighborhood vibe, as well as to bring customers into the store.

photography

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As the world is becoming increasingly digital, companies are having to step up their website

game. ABC’s previous website was outdated, messy, and hard to navigate - not to mention

a little behind on ABC’s brand identity. Through a WordPress platform easily editable by

the owner, we crafted a new website from the ground up. The new brand identity was

incorporated in every element, from headers to colors to tone to photography. Pages were

restructured to provide maximum efficiency for web surfers and the online ordering platform

was overhauled to present the food and merchandise in a more appealing way. And perhaps

most importantly, users could now see just how good ABC bagels look.

cookin’ up a new website

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Athens Bagel’s new print and digital identity needed to be reflected in its store. We set

to work first with adding pops of ABC’s new signature red: brand new in-store signage,

revamped chalk menu boards, and custom artwork. This artwork is inspired by a small

painting ABC has hanging in a corner - a red and white cut-out image of a New York bagel

shop. Bringing in some of Athens’ most notable landmarks, we replicated this style for five

unique art pieces to adorn ABC’s walls. Finally, we created bold window decals to draw in

passersby and alert the community to the new and improved ABC.

store revamp

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New Exterior Window

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Interior Wall Mural

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Our campaign set out to do three things: bring the Athens community together over a

shared love of bagels, draw in the new markets of young professionals and families, and

promote ABC lunch bagels. Through the “Community & a Bagel” campaign, we were able

to showcase all of the different ways you could enjoy ABC - taking some time between

meetings at work, making memories with your family, or having fun with friends. ABC isn’t

just a one-stop bagel shop and it isn’t just for UGA students; it’s a neighborhood place and

a part of all of our daily lives.

In addition, through the #BagelBreak social campaign, customers were asked why they took

an ABC bagel break. Their images and insights were shared on social media, showing the

community the variety of people who walked through ABC’s doors every day.

The print ads also featured ABC’s lunch bagels - but the lunch promotions didn’t stop there.

Whether it be by encouraging customers to try new lunch bagels through an around-town

social experience, relating lunch bagels to personality types through our native advertising,

or featuring lunch meals heavily on social media platforms, customers were exposed to the

amazing lunch menu that ABC has to offer.

community & a (lunch) bagel

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old new

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Athens Bagel’s customers are as loyal as the food is delicious. We’ve found this to be true

after 10 months of implementing key strategies to drive user engagement and promote

good vibes all throughout the Athens community. The inconsistent social media presence

that existed before our involvement with the platforms, combined with a large following

despite this lack of consistency, provided significant room for opportunity.

We aimed to create a cohesive identity for Athens Bagel across all platforms, as well as use

ABC’s digital influence to bring joy to people’s everyday lives, whether or not they decided

to visit the store that day. Our team implemented a neighborly, humorous, and cheerful tone

in order to relate to local Athens families, students at The University of Georgia, and even

out-of-town visitors. By completely taking over social media and revamping the website, our

goal was to create compelling content to give those who followed us a sense of community

and vibrancy the only way we knew how: showing off our mouthwatering food in combination

with the people that make Athens the lovely place that it is.

taking over social

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#BagelBreakThe team decided the best way to spark user

engagement was to involve customers in a simple,

yet effective way. The “Bagel Break” campaign

implemented a series of testimonials on Facebook,

Instagram and Twitter weekly where we asked

customers “What does Athens Bagel mean to

you?” With this, we aimed to expose the truth and

importance of breakfast in general, and leveraged

the idea that there is no better way to start your day

than at Athens Bagel. The hashtag #BagelBreak was

used in each testimonial post as a way to remind

customers we’re always here, and you always

deserve to take a “bagel break.”

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These bagels are life changing. Hands down best bagels in town!

Great atmosphere and food, it is a must stop for me every time we’re in town.

Athens Bagel Company a great local business.

Delicious, REAL bagels, and friendly service all from a locally owned business!

Every year is the year of the bagel for me!

Awesome bagels. Reminds me of a NYC bagel shop.

native advertisingThe challenge to create an engaging piece that would both interest our target market and function as a native

advertisement presented itself with several possibilities. The team decided on creating a Buzzfeed personality quiz,

which we encouraged customers to take and find out which bagel they should order next based on their answers

to three short questions. Over 200 people took the quiz and discovered their personality’s bagel match.

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cross promotionsAthens Bagel participated in a handful of cross promotions with other local Athens businesses such as

OrangeTheory Fitness, Jittery Joes, and Cheeky Peach Boutique. The partnership with these companies

promoted the support of shopping small, local businesses, and community.

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The unique social experience was designed

to provide users with an interactive ABC

experience as well as a tangible reward.

With several of Athens Bagel menu items

being named after popular destinations in

Athens, we created “Bagel Origins.” This

entailed implementing a single red sign in

each of the 5 chosen locations and creating

a snapchat geofilter for that designated area

on each of the 5 weekdays. If a consumer

took the initiative to find a location on its

corresponding day, they would have the

opportunity to enjoy 50% off that lunch bagel!

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merchandiseWith no merch, how are Athenians supposed to express their love of Athens Bagel? We set out to make t-shirts

that expressed the sentiments of the entire bagel nation: Dat. Bagel. Dough. Complete with ABC-esque humor,

the shirts have been a big hit with Athens Bagel customers of all ages.

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bagels around townIn a guerilla art installation, ABC will play on Athens’ artistic character and place bagel artwork on manholes around

the neighborhood. Not only will these bagel pop-ups add some color to the streets, it will utilize Athenians’ fondness

for outdoor art and quirky, picture-worthy surprises - just another way to ingrain ABC as a part of the community.

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How can ABC draw in new people from across the neighborhood - not just people who live

and work downtown? In a guerilla marketing promotion, Athens Bagel will put “Dat Bagel

Dough” stickers on quarters and place them in key spots around Athens - for instance, on

downtown sidewalks, in front of promotional partners, like Orange Fitness, and in parking

lots of local parks and sports fields. If people find these quarters and bring them into ABC’s

Jackson St. store, they get 25% off their meal. What’s better than finding free money? Finding

free money and a bagel discount.

throwin’ out quarters

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Happy 5th Birthday, ABC! To celebrate Athens favorite bagel shop’s birthday, we decided

a party was necessary. The store was to be decorated with balloons and confetti and the

bagel man mascot even sporting a birthday sash! To not only celebrate ABC but also the

customers that support it, there were raffles going on all day, giving out discounts, free food,

and free merchandise.

abc birthday party

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The owner made it very clear from day one that he wants to use its presence in Athens to give

back. We created multiple ways to partner up with organizations already in the community

to serve food for those deserving and in need. ABC already donates to Extra Special People

Inc, a group that serves children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Bagels

are provided for volunteers for big events, such as Big Hearts.

In addition, we suggested ABC partner up with UGA campus kitchen to help combat

community hunger, Athens Little League to provide post game snacks for children and their

families, and create a fleet of Athens Bagel Co. bikes that could be rented out for use around

town by Bike Athens riders while their bikes were under repair.

neighborhood partnerships

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ABC Bike

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Athens Bagel Company saw great success in

Instagram engagement from October to February.

Through the use of paid advertising, the account

reached more people than ever before, with

a 281.53% increase in overall impressions. By

creating visually appealing content, as well as

rewarding followers for interactions, engagement

increased by 148.57%. Of this engagement, 40%

was with our primary desired target audience of

25-34 year olds.

Instagram Impressions Facebook Reach & Engagement

Oct.

Oct.

Oct.

Feb.

Feb.REACH

ENGAGEMENT

Feb.

Instagram Engagement

instagram metricsFacebook also saw an enormous increase in

engagement, which can be closely attributed

to the use of paid page and post promotions.

From October to February, engagement rose

by 2271.95%. This increase in engagement is an

indication of paid promotions ability to reach more

people, as ABC’s reach increased by 397.06%.

facebook metrics

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USE

RS

PAG

EVIE

WS

+31.70% page views

+11.11% session duration

Athens Bagel Company revamped the website with

a new, user-friendly design that gave customers

access to all ABC has to offer. The site launched

in January and backed with a strong social push,

was received well by our target markets.

From December to January, the site had a 41.25%

increase in users and a 41.60% increase in

pageviews. A user was 2x more likely to access the

site from a mobile device, so mobile optimization

was key. The new user-face allowed customers to

access the website via their mobile device, view the

menu offerings, and place and pay for the order.

website metrics

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Athens Bagel Company

Design

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