Case Study: Miami Design District Umbrellas

By Dean Schwartz (SWAG Master): The Miami Design District is a neighborhood dedicated to innovative fashion, design, architecture, and unique dining experiences. This once-overlooked area of Miami has completely transformed, and it is now a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike. Here you can find some of the best shopping, culture, and culinary experiences that the city has to offer, but they were still looking for new ways to boost their exposure. Keep reading to learn how SOBO helped their cause.

Case Study | Miami Design District Umbrellas

THE CHALLENGE

The Miami Design District encourages expressing yourself through artistry and creative designs, so you can imagine how excited we were when the Design District asked SOBO to help with their valet umbrellas. If you’ve ever been to Miami then you know that it rains… A lot! And, because the Miami Design District is a high-end outdoor shopping area, they give away free umbrellas at every valet stand. In addition to providing shade and keeping people dry, the umbrellas offer an opportunity for branding. The District was extremely specific as to how the umbrellas needed to look, and we were up for the challenge!

• Create a unique, attractive design for the umbrellas
• Ensure the umbrellas were of high quality
• Tastefully brand the umbrella to increase the Design District’s brand awareness, but ensure that the design is something that people wouldn’t mind using daily (in other words – no boring logo slapping)
• Miami Design was very specific about which graphic went on each panel of the umbrella
• Due to the high quantity of umbrellas they planned to order, and the frequency of which they planned to hand them out, we had to remain price competitive while still using quality material

THE SOLUTION

SOBO guided the Design District through multiple product samples. While SOBO did not create the actual design, we ensured that the Miami Design District received exactly what they wanted.

• SOBO order samples and personally tested various umbrellas to find the highest quality product that would both keep the user dry and provide shade on sunny days.
• Once we found and priced the quality of umbrella they were looking for, we sent them samples of different versions- paying special attention to the handle, material, color, and how it opened
• After we decided on an umbrella, we started to perfect the design. We sent countless samples of printed umbrellas to ensure each graphic was in the correct panel, as requested
• When a final decision was made and production started on the umbrellas, we hired a third-party verification service to ensure the factory was meeting our standards and that the designs were coming out flawlessly

In short: do whatever it takes to make our clients happy.

THE RESULT

• The customer was thrilled. The umbrellas are the foundation of the District’s marketing, and they’ve continued to order their umbrellas from SOBO twice a year, every year.
• The design is so beautiful that pictures of the umbrellas have popped up all over social media, essentially giving Miami Design District free online advertising.
• Since these are given away for free at every valet, the umbrellas have become ubiquitous all over Florida.
• The Miami Design District attracts visitors from all over the world, and, since the umbrellas are made from the best material and the design is so attractive, those that receive the free gift continue to use them long after they leave Miami. Therefore, the District’s marketing efforts are essentially international!

The Miami Design District promotes itself all around Miami (and the world at large) through these umbrellas. Every valet kiosk hands out these umbrellas, so if you go to Miami you’ll likely see them EVERYWHERE. Sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact.

Need help bringing your great design idea to life? Give SOBO a call 888.752.0432 or send us a note and we will make sure your design is exactly what you envisioned. The only thing we love more than being creative is being creative alongside our clients. SWAG with style!

Want to learn more about our bold fashion options? Click here!