1000% Web Traffic Growth — Taking a Travel Brand Beyond SFO Terminal
CONSUMER BRAND & WHOLESALE EXPANSION
A three-year engagement that helped a thriving airport retail chain build the story, identity and digital infrastructure to grow from $3.5M to $6.3M in revenue.
MY ROLE
Creative Director • Team Lead
CLIENT
RDG Concessions, parent company of Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear (POTG), San Francisco, California
PROJECT OUTCOMES
1000% increase in web traffic. A new direct-to-consumer website and separate wholesale website drove 10x growth, catapulting POTG beyond the terminal and into the hands of travelers worldwide.
71% increase in sales. Revenue skyrocketed from $3.5M to $6.3M within 18 months.
B2B strategy launches wholesale channel. A business-to-business strategy, including domestic and international trade shows introduced POTG’s products to wholesale vendors including additional airport retailers, travel stores, and pharmacy chains nationwide.
Audience engagement beyond the terminal. In-store signage with promotions and social media contests converted one-time airport shoppers into an engaged online community.
INTRODUCTION
Imagine the moment you realize your neck pillow is still on the kitchen counter. You’re already through security and your 15-hour flight boards in forty minutes.
You scan the shops near your gate and find Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear. You grab a neck pillow, and a lightweight jacket, at prices you can’t believe in the airport where everything is overpriced.
Small business owner Ralph Glen built this thriving airport retail empire. With 30 years of airport retail expertise, his company RDG Concessions had operated Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear (POTG) for over 15 years across six SFO stores. Loyal customers returned often, drawn by quality products, affordable prices, and a no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee.
The problem wasn’t the product. It was that the relationship ended at the gate. We created the narrative, the visual identity and the ecommerce infrastructure that changed that.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Creative Director & Team Lead:
Shaped the engagement from proposal to final delivery across consumer retail, wholesale, and influencer outreach
Assembled the team, set the schedule, and managed the budget
Served as the bridge between RDG’s leadership and the creative team
Ensured narrative consistency across every channel and audience touchpoint
PROJECT SCOPE
Research & Insights • Messaging Architecture • Ecommerce Website Design & Development • Visual Identity System • Social Media Campaign • Targeted Influencer Campaign • Photography • Video Production
PROJECT TEAM
Creative Director • Design Director • Web Developer • Photographer & Film Producers (3) • Photo Producer • Photo Stylists (3) • Modeling Agencies (2) • Photo Retoucher • Hair & Make-up Artist • Social Media Content Manager
Pacific Outfitter Travel Gear’s Products
Luggage • Clothing • Travel Accessories
THE CHALLENGE
RDG Concessions ran six profitable stores at SFO, generating $3.5M annually, but the brand behind them was invisible.
Travelers loved the products. They just didn’t remember the name.
Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear (POTG) had no meaningful online presence, minimal social media, and untapped wholesale potential. When asked how they measured up against competitors online, a staff member summed it up: "We suck big time."
The products weren't the problem. The storytelling was.
SFO Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear Store
How might we solve this problem?
How might we help a profitable family of airport retail stores convert in-person trust into growth beyond SFO’s terminals?
Our Solution - POTG & RDG Concessions
A Consumer Brand, a Wholesale Platform, and a Targeted Influencer Campaign, Built Around One Consistent Narrative
1. Consumer Brand & Ecommerce
Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear (Direct to Customer)
We refreshed Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear's visual identity and launched a new ecommerce website that brought the in-store experience online.
Deliverables:
Research & Insights
Audience Segmentation & Personas
Messaging Architecture
Narrative Frame & Positioning
Core Narrative
Tagline & Narrative Pillars
Tone Guidelines
Visual Identity System
Logo Refinement
In-store Signage & Promotions
Vehicle Wrap
Ecommerce Website Design & Development
Social Media Campaign
Photography
Video Production
2. Wholesale Platform & Trade Show Presence
RDG Concessions
(Business-to-Business)
We built an RDG Concessions’ B2B wholesale website and trade show identity that demonstrated the company’s trustworthiness to buyers who had never set foot in one of their airport stores.
Deliverables:
Wholesale Website Design & Development
Visual Identity System
Logo Refinement
Vehicle Wrap
24-Page Product Lookbook
Trade Show Environmental Graphics
Print Collateral
3. Targeted Influencer Campaign
RDG Concessions
(Influencer Outreach)
We created a bespoke marketing kit targeting a single high-value influencer, a one-shot opportunity with a tight deadline.
Deliverables:
Visual Identity System
Custom Packaging Design
Personalized Letterhead
Video Production
Product Curation
The Process
1. DISCOVER: WHAT DO AUDIENCES NEED?
Research & Stakeholder Interviews
We started where every good story starts: with the people.
Through a Narrative Discovery Workshop with RDG Concessions’ store staff and leadership, a clear picture emerged. POTG’s core customer was female, late 30s to 65, college educated and savvy. She compared prices on her phone while standing in the store. She traveled to Asia, Dubai and Europe for pleasure. She bought for herself first and purchased gifts second. She was loyal, reflected by the 20 to 30% of repeat visitors, some of which returned monthly.
KEY FINDING
Every audience segment had a different goal and mindset.
The vacation traveler was seeking a deal. The business traveler was in a hurry. The Asia-bound repeat customer was deliberate, seeking specific items. The last-minute problem solver was stressed. The wholesale buyer was calculating profit margins.
Each needed a different story. Our job was to find the through-line.
2. DEFINE: SYNTHESIZING INSIGHTS
Personas & Narrative Frame
Five audience personas reflected RDG Concessions’ customers across the consumer (Pacific Outfitter Travel Gear) and wholesale sides of the business.
Each reflected specific emotional and practical needs.
Elena (Savvy Vacation Traveler)
Justine (Purposeful Business Traveler)
Kenny (Asia-Bound Repeat Traveler)
Amber (Crisis Shopper)
Ruben (Wholesale Buyer)
Audience Personas
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Elena
SAVVY VACATION TRAVELER
The core POTG customer. Female, late 30s to 65, college educated and loyal. Travels to Asia, Dubai, and Europe for pleasure. Compares prices on her phone. Her question: Is this good quality at an affordable price? -
Justine
PURPOSEFUL BUSINESS TRAVELER
Represents female professionals at T2 terminal. Time-pressed, she knows what she needs before she walks in. Expects quality products and excellent service. Her question: Does this meet my needs quickly so I can keep moving? -
Kenny
ASIA-BOUND REPEAT CUSTOMER
Represents loyal international customers who return regularly. Shops knowing the same products cost much more in Asia. Buys clothing and gifts in smaller sizes. His question: Is my size still in stock, and what gifts can I purchase? -
Amber
CRISIS SHOPPER
Represents impulse buyers solving an unexpected travel problem. Her luggage broke, the weather changed, or a last minute purchase caught her eye. Her question: I didn't plan for this — but can you fix it before I board? -
Ruben
WHOLESALE BUYER
Represents B2B buyers in high-rent environments where profit margins drive every decision. Needs products with a proven track record in airport retail. His question: Can I trust this product to meet my sales goals?
Secondary Audience Personas
Three secondary audiences also emerged through our research.
1. Military Travelers
The 15% of store visitors identified as military travelers, concentrated at Terminal F, who represent a distinct occupational segment with their own purchase needs and patterns.
2. SFO’s Airport Employees
SFO’s 30,000 to 35,000 airport employees, a built-in local customer base with high purchase frequency especially for products like the 3-layer bond jacket that can withstand the shifting temperatures and physical rigors of the terminal environment.
3. New Online Shoppers
The online traveler who had never set foot in an airport store. She was someone planning a trip from home, searching for proven travel gear, and making considered purchases based on product reputation rather than in-store experience. The new ecommerce website was specifically for her.
3. DEVELOP: MESSAGING ARCHITECTURE
Core Narrative, Tagline & Narrative Pillars
We crafted messaging around a single competitive advantage: POTG’s products were designed specifically for the airport traveler & tested in real airport environments.
POTG’s staff were experts in solving travelers’ problems in-person at the gate. And few competitors could match their no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee. This was more than a selling point; it was a promise to shoppers and wholesale buyers.
Through an iterative process of internal brainstorming and prototyping, we presented the strongest concepts to RDG Concessions’ leadership and refined each deliverable based on their feedback and audience needs.
TAGLINE
“Stylish Products Designed for the Savvy Global Traveler”
and the abbreviated version “Designed for the Savvy Global Traveler.”
NARRATIVE PILLARS
“Smartly Designed, Traveler Tested”
“Custom Designed for Your Trip”
“Custom Designed for the Traveler”
We crafted these supporting narrative pillars to use across marketing channels and social media. To bring these narrative pillars to life we designed icons inspired by vintage freight stamps.
4. DELIVER: VISUAL IDENTITY & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Strategy and Design Working Together
We updated the logos for RDG Concessions and Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear and built a completely new visual identity system.
The new ecommerce websites, in-store signage, iconography and photography announced the refreshed brand beyond SFO’s terminal.
The new POTG ecommerce site and social media campaigns invited customers to connect and shop online. The RDG Concessions wholesale website gave buyers a professional portal to order in bulk. Trade show booths and print collateral put RDG Concessions on an international stage alongside established global brands.
Every touchpoint carried the same message: “Stylish Products Designed for the Savvy Global Traveler.” Trust us.
THE RESULT
1000%
Web Traffic Increase
71%
Increase in Sales
$3.5M
to $6.3M
Growth in 18 Months
“Her work helped us tell our story with clarity and confidence, attract new customers, and expand into additional store locations.”
— Carlton Gill, Chief Financial Officer at RDG Concessions
I. Pacific Outfitters Travel Gear (POTG) — Direct to Consumer
Consumer Brand & Ecommerce
We built the consumer story around POTG’s custom-designed, multi-color travel products and paired them across every channel with imagery of the world's most iconic destinations from the Egyptian pyramids to Shanghai's gleaming Pudong skyline.
In-store promotions encouraged visitors to follow POTG on social media or join the email list before leaving the terminal. Discounts and prize giveaways across both channels kept customers engaged. The relationship no longer ended at the gate.
II. RDG Concessions — Targeted Influencer Campaign
Hello Steve Harvey – Capturing a Celebrity’s Attention!
When Ralph Glen learned media personality Steve Harvey would be speaking at a national conference Ralph was attending, we had a few short weeks to make an impression.
The result was a striking package: POTG travel gear samples in a branded orange suitcase, custom letterhead and a personal note from founder Ralph Glen, and a luggage tag with a personalized video greeting.
Steve Harvey cancelled at the last minute. The meeting never happened. But the kit demonstrated what targeted influencer outreach could look like at the highest level and established a template for future campaigns.
RDG Concessions’ Iconography
We designed these vintage freight stamps that feature the narrative pillars and embody global travel.
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Icon
RDG Freight Stamp
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Icon
RDG Freight Stamp
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Icon
RDG Freight Stamp
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Illustration
Blue Crowns
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Illustration
White Crowns
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Illustration
Muted Grey Crowns
III. RDG Concessions – Wholesale Business
Ecommerce Website & Trade Show Presence
For the wholesale platform we built the narrative around the parent company RDG Concessions. We focused on the time-tested products, expertise and partnership the parent company offered.
Owner Ralph Glen’s 30 years in airport retail, and 15 years operating Pacific Outfitter Travel Gear’s six stores meant that RDG Concessions understood the high-rent, high-volume demands of the industry in a way most wholesalers did not.
This message was embodied in trade show booth designs for the U.S. and Canada, a 24-page product lookbook and print collateral.
PROJECT TAKEAWAYS
RDG Concessions and POTG had 15 years of expertise designing products for the airport traveler's moment of need. We told that story across every channel and audience.
Every customer had a different need. Every need had a different story. We built a narrative that spoke to all of them — from the vacation traveler hunting for a deal to the wholesale buyer calculating margins.
Then we gave them a reason to stay connected: in-store promotions & social media contests turned one-time airport shoppers into an engaged online community. A deliberate and focused narrative moved diverse audiences to action, beyond the terminal.
PROJECT TEAM
Creative Director & Photo Producer: Adele Berry
Design Director: Deb Harrison
Lead Photographer & Film Producer: Ted Thomas
Photo Assistant, 2nd Shooter & Film Producer: Josh Harding
Photo Assistant & 3rd Shooter: Dominic Egan
On-Figure Photo Retoucher: Jeff Fiterman
Fashion Stylist: Jenna Drobnick
Product Stylist: Tracy Blanks
Assistant Stylist: Elena Craig
Hair & Make-up: Inna Matthews
Modeling Agencies: J.E. Models & Look Model Agency
Models: Anthony Barnett, Hannah Fugazzi
Web Developer: Michael Paul
Social Media Content Manager: Emphatic