Staying true to who you really are

Delikates Accessories is a small fashion atelier in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, dedicated to creating handcrafted accessories (hip bags, backpacks, coats and wallets) that blend style with functionality. Their work is unique also in the sense that all the patterns featured on their items are original designs, conceived by the two founders of the company. Their handmade accessories are produced in small, limited series using durable materials and with great attention to detail.

The brand was well known in their region. They reached out to us with the goal to grow and broaden their clientbase, expanding to other cities in Romania and Hungary. The biggest challenge in achieving this goal was to start planning on a limited budget and to expand their reach and sales target in small steps in order to be able to slowly reinvest in marketing.

There are two important steps that can help grow a brand: first, you need to learn about what the true goals of your business are; then you have to develop a deep understanding of who your customers might be. First we defined the core message of Delikates Accessories and what type of audience their message could reach. Then we started developing the segmentation of the larger audience pool and creating different personas accordingly. To achieve this, we had to refine Delikates Accessories’ voice and image, continuously develop the messages and channels and test the audience's reactions to them.

The core message of Delikates Accessories is that your everyday life is the biggest adventure you will ever take, so it matters what things you have on your side while on it. According to this, we knew that the products made by the brand – unique in design, made with great care and for long-term use – will be most suitable for those who want a drop of color in their lives and who care greatly about the items they buy. We envisioned a young woman, ready to explore the world; a self-confident and conscious woman who is deliberate in all her fashion choices; a modern day mother who is the happy designer of her own life; respectively a cool man who is practical but casually pays attention to his style.

The engagement of the audience was crucial in delivering the stories and promises of the brand, so we decided to regularly hold brand awareness campaigns with user generated content. We used various tactics to encourage participation, and succeeded in building an audience that feels connected to the brand, and enjoys posting about their adventures with the Delikates Accessories.

One of the most successful campaigns was entitled Delikates Patterns that had the participants take pictures of hidden patterns in their surroundings that remind them of Delikates Accessories. The photo with the most likes was awarded a voucher. 

We also decided to involve the audience in the launch of a new product by letting them choose, which of the ten original patterns should be made into a funky windbreaker coat. This coat was tested for months before its launch by a handful of Romanian micro-influencers. It was our aim to present the brand through the personal experiences of real people, so we chose regular social media users as our influencers – among those many did not know the brand before. 

We also run recurring marketing campaigns: the Festival Face of Delikates Accessories, one Instagram influencer helps promote the brand around Transylvanian festivals; Delikates Around The World is about engaging our followers and collecting photos about where they have been travelling with their Delikates item. We pay special attention that every campaign and brand activation is in line with the brand’s messages and core values and helps us strengthen the relationship with the audience - it has to feel true, open and in resonance with their expectations. 

A detailed one-year marketing plan and the continuous fine-tuning of the communication meant that Delikates Accessories could grow exponentially and safely as a brand. 

In terms of numbers: the followerbase of the Delikates Accessories Facebook page grew by  101.57%, while the number of visitors on the webpage grew by 343.67%. From 2017 to 2018, sales grew by 40%, and this growing trend continued in 2019, by another 43%. A market research we conducted at the end of 2019 shows that while in 2017 they were a small, regional brand, by 2020 they became market leaders in their category: they are now one of the most well-known Romanian companies creating original, diverse accessories in small series.

Although it might sound counterintuitive, the trick was to stick to what the brand knew best and direct its offerings to well-defined segments rather than generally broaden its target audience. Knowing exactly what the brand meant on a smaller scale and staying true to that as they grew was what resonated best with its audience.