Q: How do you open the doors wider to a premium brand, without losing its premium appeal?

A: You create a larger “Welcome” mat in communities that share your value, and never forget where you came from.

Situation + YMCA’s storied seamanship-based Camp Sea Gull for boys and Camp Seafarer for girls have always been seen as the ultimate summer camps. Their mission is to build character and inspire campers. For those who had experienced the Camps, the value was clear, but for those who hadn’t, the value wasn’t.

Insight + The Camps’ attention has always been on quality programming and professional development for their staff, but taking time and devoting resources to promoting enrollment had not been a priority. With competing family and school calendars as well as economic trends biting into enrollment, the directors recognized the importance of reassessing how the Camps interacted with alumni, current and prospective campers, as well as their families. Collaboratively we revealed several opportunities to right the ship from their website to social communities to informational camp nights.

Solution + We worked together to clarify their messages and ensure prospects understood their value. Through social communities, the web, targeted videos and advertising, Camp Sea Gull and Seafarer took on a new life for the future. Additionally, we realigned communications and provided their in-house design team with new, reinvigorated visual brand elements to maintain a consistent brand voice.

Specifically their website made a great foundation to guide other communications that trumpeted the value of the Camps. The former website was dated; it didn’t reflect a premium brand. The new site showcases Sea Gull and Seafarer’s assets – high caliber staff, spectacular facilities and a wide array of activities. It’s a site that not only welcomes prospective visitors but also makes alumni proud.

In the few months since the website launched, campers, parents, alumni and prospects have been coming in droves. With more intuitive web architecture, absorbing visuals and relevant messages, page views, visits and average time on the site have almost doubled since the same time last year. And that’s just the beginning.