Barnes & Noble’s biggest misstep wasn’t the NOOK itself—it was chasing a tech arms-race that pulled the brand away from its core strengths of curation, discovery, and community. Our rebrand reframes B&N as a community third-place and launches a partnership with Bookshop.org, allowing every online sale to funnel revenue back to local stores and independent booksellers.

Objectives

• Elevate emotional branding from “Buy Books” to “Belong Here.”

• Build a 360° IMC plan anchored in social, in‑store events, and local partnerships.

• Align with Keller’s Brand Equity Pyramid.

My Role & Process

• Research Lead: Surveyed 65 consumers, synthesized insights

• Brand Strategist: Articulated the “Rooted in Books. Powered by Community.” platform and mapped campaign tone & voice.

• IMC Architect – built a channel matrix spanning owned, paid, earned, and in-store media; aligned each touchpoint to Keller’s Brand-Equity Pyramid.

• Creative Director – produced mock-ups: website banner + landing page, Instagram/TikTok ads, press-release template, in-store QR toppers.

• Media-Budget Analyst – re-allocated $515,330 (58 % of prior-year spend) with a 52 % social / 26 % UX / 17 % PR / 4 % in-store / 1 % email mix to maximize community impact.

Deliverables

•  Thorough brand audit and survey creation to gain feedback before creating marketing strategy

• Campaign asset mock-ups; press release, social media ads, posts, website banner and landing page

• Proposed budget for campaign