Creative Director – MacCase

At inception, the challenge for MacCase was to launch a new brand and a new product to customers who prided themselves on being rebels but in a market unaccustomed to innovation. The original MacCase disrupted the mundane, black, boxy cases of the time. It introduced a colorful, round briefcase tailored to the new iBook laptop. This resonated deeply with Apple users’ emotional attachment to their technology. Leveraging this passion, the creative direction targeted the iconoclastic iBook users, positioning the product as “The Computer Case as Original as Your Computer,” a promise that struck a chord and propelled its success.

As the line expanded, so did the messaging, with the insight, “The First Name in Apple Portable Protection” asserting MacCase’s pioneering role in the market while claiming the top spot for quality and design. A clean and direct visual communication aesthetic was established that emphasized the innovative product design. This ensured swift comprehension of the new brand and its products for target customers across print, in-store, and digital. The campaign reached its zenith with the on-boarding of the iBook case into Apple’s online store and MacCase Sleeves into CompUSA stores across North America where they were #1 in their category for four years.

The introduction of the Premium Leather Collection brought new challenges. How do you elevate a now-established brand and redefine the market the company had created 10 years earlier? The insight, “The Pinnacle Of Apple Portable Protection” immediately established MacCase as the premiere maker of cases, bags, and sleeves in an ever more-crowded space. It was also aligned with the much higher price points the leather models would command. A new, more professional and polished visual communication vocabulary was established and implemented across multiple channels.

The symbol logo was transitioned to charcoal or white (background dependent), while the richness of the leather was always stressed with images in deep reds and warm tans. The handmade quality and commitment to ethical sourcing were also showcased. A Custom Program was established to allow customers to order bespoke versions of MacCase models further endearing the brand to affluent customers. Premium Leather models were on-boarded at MicroCenter stores nationwide. Within 2 years the line had exceeded the revenue generated by the nylon models being in CompUSA.

While MacCase Premium Leather had grown to represent the “Pinnacle of Apple Portable Protection”, the market was evolving. Data was showing our user profile was getting younger. The decision was taken to craft a new generation of  bags from rPET nylon. The material is made from recycled plastic water bottles. This new line would marry rPET nylon with premium leather for the touch points delivering a one-of-a-kind user experience. For the creative direction, the insight, “Carry Your Stuff, Make a Difference” was at the heart of the campaign and resonated with our growing younger demographic.

Part pragmatism, part call to action, the message appealed to an environmentally aware customer. A sleeker text was used for the MacCase text logo and combined with cyan and green to better express the sustainable nature of the program. Imagery was created to instantly project how the products were made from recycled plastic and used across all channels. A video was created explaining how MacCase’s new nylon models were part of a sustainable solution. The campaign resulted in a 200% increase in sales for the new rPET models over the same time last year pointing the way to a more profitable and sustainable future.