Seasgair Lodges helps people enjoy effortless holidays in beautiful and unique holiday homes in the Scottish Highlands. After spotting a gap in the market for self-catering property marketing and management, entrepreneurs Judith Thurlow and Tanja Hughes founded the business in 2016. Since then, the duo have built a team that delivers unrivalled service and quality – both for both guests and owners.
Creating stories from four walls
One task I help Seasgair Lodges with is visiting any new properties they add to their portfolio and writing a website description of what it would be like to stay there. Picking a favourite is impossible, but Raitts House, Milton Lodge, and Gleann Cottage are all properties I found particularly hard to leave.
The creation of a verbal identity
I took Seasgair Lodges through the process of developing a verbal identity, working with a designer to sharpen up their visual brand at the same time. Judith and Tanja were happy with how the brand looked, but the logo, colours, fonts, photography style and visual hierarchy had never been recorded. Inconsistency was creeping in as the business grew: an understandable occurrence in many small businesses.
Judith and Tanja were also keen to maintain consistency on the word front. This would ensure every member of the team understood the essence of Seasgair, ultimately leading to aligned company communications.
A bespoke brand workshop
Following some competitor research, I led the Seasgair Lodges management team through a bespoke workshop to understand their unique strengths and set a direction for the brand. Together we talked about their key audiences, future goals, values, brand personality and tone of voice.
Creation of the brand book
From the information gathered in the workshop, I created a reference document for Seasgair Lodges. Now, the entire team and their suppliers are united in their understanding of what Seasgair Lodges stands for and how to write for them.
Developing a strapline
A further output from the workshop was the realisation that Seasgair Lodges needed to update their name and strapline. Before we went through the branding process together, the company used the word Seasgair on its own, followed by the strapline ‘Luxury Lodges In The Scottish Highlands’. This didn’t communicate to their customers – who seek a premium experience – what makes Seasgair different.
I shared several options with Judith and Tanja, who settled on...
With a clearer awareness of its verbal brand identity, Seasgair Lodges has continued to grow its community, becoming one of the most popular platforms for luxury self-catered experiences in the Scottish Highlands.
Curious to learn how a verbal brand identity exercise can help your business flourish? Get in touch today.