The project brief seemed straightforward: build a brand for cheap eyeglasses. Everyone assumed that the story would be about value, highlighting stylish designs at discount prices.
But by mining internal sales data, I discovered a much more valuable insight. Seventy-one percent of inexpensive-frame customers also bought designer frames or contact lenses. These weren't people trading down because they couldn't afford better. They already owned their primary eyewear. The cheap glasses were doing another job, and no one in the category had asked what it was.
Digital ethnography answered the question. Customers weren't buying one cheap pair; they were buying several, and stashing them in different places: in the car, their gym bag, at the office, in their suitcase. The product wasn't discount fashion. It was emergency supply. The whole category had been selling these frames as a compromise, but they were actually a category of their own.
The brand followed directly from the behavior. We named the brand with the customer's own language—Stash—and we organized the catalog around places rather than styles: Travel Stash, Car Stash, Office Stash, Gym Stash. A familiar-looking, color-coded labeling system read less like a fashion brand, and more like an organization tool.