I’ve been the lead creative on many branding projects throughout the country
There’s a difference between a company and a brand — my job is to elevate what makes your voice unique and have it stand out from the crowd. Through innovative design techniques, an in-depth understanding of the digital landscape, and executing smart marketing decisions, I’m able to best identify and reach your target audiences.
Case Studies
Little Bear Winery
Rebranding Success in Gatlinburg, TN
When I entered into the viticulture industry in East TN, there was one property that was on the verge of failing — it was in downtown Gatlinburg, a satellite location of an existing winery. When I was asked what I would do about it, the answer, to me, was clear: it needed its own identity.
After researching the primary demographics of wine consumers in the area and analyzing the current competition, I made a proposal. I noticed that most of the alcohol industry in Gatlinburg was aimed at masculinity — even the competitive wineries — when the lead buyer of wine in the area was women. I decided the best approach would be to lean into that demographic to stand out from the crowd.
I wanted the brand to appeal to women and reflect its higher price point, while still giving a nod to the Great Smoky Mountains and functioning as a gift or souvenir. I designed the exterior signage as well, keeping in mind the look and feel of both the rebrand and keeping with the standard required by the city of Gatlinburg.
Just a few short months after the rebrand launch, a once failing winery started turning a profit. Now, it’s one of the busiest and lucrative wineries in the company. It also paved the way to opening a brand new wine trail — The Gatlinburg Wine Trail.
Rocky Top Wine Trail
Elevating this popular tourist destination to a digital marketing powerhouse
When I was hired to work for the Rocky Top Wine Trail, I knew the first thing I wanted to do was bring it up to speed in the digital marketing arena. Up until that point, they were relying on mostly intercept marketing, but I knew that wasn’t going to be enough since more and more wineries were beginning to open in the area. If we didn’t do it fast and right, that area of marketing was vulnerable for someone to take over, leaving the Trail behind in the dust.
I brought my research and experience with social media, professional photography, and graphic design to elevate the brand’s online presence. My goal was simple: have the Rocky Top Wine Trail something people planned to do before they visited the area; not something they decided to try on a whim.
My first step was to give the website a much-needed redesign and overhaul. I made sure to include a page where people could input their name and email address and we would send them a few sample itineraries and a downloadable Passport link for the trail. This yielded a 100% increase in email collections company-wide, which we then were able to retarget in email marketing and create successful lookalike audiences in our subsequent PPC advertising campaigns.
After shifting most of our advertising budget to digital, the Rocky Top Wine Trail website gained an almost 300% increase in unique visitors.
Video Advertising
In addition to her work in marketing, design, and branding, Staci has also played an integral role in the development of creative video campaigns — both on and off screen. She has experience in writing, directing, and editing. With the rising popularity of Reelz and TikTok, video plays a vital role in modern advertising strategies.
Scriptwriter for this advertisement for Professional Title — they requested a way to make their “boring” job seem fun and exciting. What better way than to spoof some classic movie tropes?
Scriptwriter (and fill-in actor) for American Jewelry. They wanted a creative way to talk about diamond specificities without being too technical, while also highlighting their affordability.
Scriptwriter, director, and jumped in as the lead actor for this video explaining how the Rocky Top Wine Trail works — a solution for clearing up a lot of confusion surrounding the specificities of the Wine Trail and how it works.
Scriptwriter and co-director for this entry to the Knoxville Film Festival as part of their 7-Day Shootout — a competition where you have just a week to write, cast, film, and edit a short film.