Case Study: Display
The Concept Studio was engaged to assist with the launch of a new social media platform called “tsu” (The Social Universe). The app was in a public beta test and scheduled to launch in two months.
Our first recommendation was to rebrand the app as “Display”. The agency’s position was that The Social Universe was too long in a market dominated by Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, SnapChat, and the emerging TikTok. The acronym tsu did not have an intuitive meaning for users and would require repeated explanation. Rebranding as Display over came these issues by giving the app a concise, action-driven identity that would have clear meaning. The app is a place to put your content on display.
Rebranding
I immediately began work on a very compressed timeline to create a new wordmark, app icon, and brand guidelines. I worked in close collaboration with app development and design team as well as our internal resources to make the necessary change to the app.
Social Media Advertising
Along with the branding and app updates I directed and created social advertising to run on Display’s two main competitors for content creators and content consumers – Instagram and YouTube.
Out of Home
When the Display management team decided it was time to plant a flag in the social world, I adapted our advertising and messaging for billboards that appeared near competitors’ headquarters, as well as a Times Square video ad.
Launch Event
The official public launch of Display was celebrated with a month-long music festival on the app’s live-streaming broadcast channel DisplayTV. DisplayFest featured a nightly roster of top performers, exclusive interviews, and a live trivia contest for cash prizes. I supported DisplayFest with daily and weekly in-app ads, outside social ads, and featured artist videos.
