Caraway Home Rebrand
THE PROBLEM
About Caraway Home
Founded by Jordan Nathan in 2019, Caraway Home is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand specializing in non-toxic, ceramic-coated cookware, bakeware, and food storage containers. The brand has a significant presence in e-commerce, especially through social media marketing. Its products have also become available in more than 800 retail stores, including Target, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, the Container Store, Amazon, Zola, West Elm, and Williams Sonoma. The brand offers alternatives to traditional cookware made with what it considers harmful chemicals. Caraway's colorful, high-quality cookware is non-toxic and made from eco-friendly, non-toxic materials in ethical factories. It has an estimated annual revenue is currently $23.6M per year (GrowJo)
Caraway, while successful in establishing itself as a leader in health-conscious and eco-friendly cookware, has an opportunity to further refine its strategy to better appeal to its core demographic—modern families. Caraway could position itself as the go-to cookware brand for the modern family. Families are already a core customer demographic, but one which has not been capitalized on as Caraway continues to market primarily to younger women.
TIMELINE
5 weeks
MAKE OF THE TEAM
Dana Afifi, Mckenzie Balaka, Sarah Quain, & Sy Thomas
KEY GOAL
Implementation of Consumer Psychology in order to boost the brand
MY ROLE
Marketing Manager
As the Marketing Manager for our group project, I led the competitive analysis and designed the visuals for our social media campaigns. I also took charge of refining the website's navigation and created mock-ups for both desktop and mobile ads. Beyond my design responsibilities, I played a key role in structuring our presentation, collaborating closely with the team to ensure a cohesive final product. Throughout the project, I applied my visual design expertise while also fostering strong communication within the group, ensuring that ideas were shared openly and implemented effectively.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
Bridging the Gap with Families
One notable opportunity for Caraway is to target families—their largest clientele. To capitalize on this, we utilize Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework and focus on his second principle of reframing our problem. This can be done by pointing out our three levels of conflict: External, internal, and philosophical.
● Villain: Unaesthetic cookware in a messy kitchen.
● External: I want to maintain some of my pre-kid lifestyle choices.
● Internal: I want to reclaim at least one area of my home to fit my needs and aspirations of a beautiful, adult home.
● Philosophical: I shouldn’t have to give up on my personal style just because I have kids.
With our solution reintroduced to help our customers solve their problems, we can now focus on influencing their decisions. This includes updating our brand presence in ads, social media posts, and marketing campaigns to focus on families. We will also update our website and logos to allow these families easy access to our products and clarity. By aligning our brand strategy with the needs of families, we will strengthen our market
position and drive sustained growth.
Caraway the Brand
“Kitchenware designed for the modern home cook.” Caraway sells ceramic-coated cookware, bakeware, and food storage
containers in a range of colors.
BREAKING DOWN THE PROCESS
Utilizing the Power of Storytelling
Another area where Caraway can improve is in its online presence and messaging, particularly by enhancing family-oriented storytelling. The modern family market, which Caraway surprisingly found to be its largest demographic, values not just the functionality of kitchenware, but also the experiences and memories created around it. Currently, Caraway’s marketing does not fully leverage the emotional connections that families build in the kitchen. By adopting a storytelling approach, Caraway can deepen its emotional resonance with consumers. Incorporating real family testimonials and showcasing shared cooking experiences could illustrate the joy and bonding that Caraway cookware facilitates. Success for our customers means self-realization, inspired by our representation of their aspirational lifestyle in our marketing. By feeling accepted, seen, and understood, they will embrace our brand and its values.
BRAND INSIGHTS
Streamlined Visual Hierarchy
The website's current layout is cluttered, with too many elements on each page, making the visual hierarchy difficult to follow. Simplifying the design by reducing components and establishing clear primary and secondary colors would enhance user experience and create a more cohesive feel.
Inclusive Marketing
The site's imagery and advertisements predominantly focus on young women, neglecting other key demographics like men, older adults, and families. Broadening representation and creating more inclusive visuals and taglines could help Caraway connect with a wider, modern audience.
Consistent Brand Identity
The current use of inconsistent taglines and product mockups in ads weakens the brand’s overall identity. Developing a unified branding strategy with real product photography and consistent messaging would strengthen Caraway's market position as the cookware choice for modern families.