Toto Australia is the perfect example of identifying new opportunities and partnering with the right people to make it happen. Creative Revolution was thrilled to develop and launch a new brand and bespoke booking website for pet-friendly accommodation booking website Toto.
Toto Australia is the perfect example of identifying new opportunities and partnering with the right people to make it happen. Creative Revolution was thrilled to develop and launch a bespoke booking website for pet-friendly accommodation.
It all started with a road trip – and a French Bulldog called Archie.
When Vicki (Archie’s human) came to see us with the glimmer of an idea in November 2017, we could see the potential. Vicki loves to travel, but on a Queensland road trip she had trouble finding accommodation for herself and Archie. Being in sales, she immediately spotted a gap in the market for a specialised service – a website to book pet-friendly accommodation!
There was only one problem – Vicki didn’t have the technical knowledge or experience that could bring a major project like this to life. She needed a partner to help her flesh out the idea and to execute the overall project. She also needed someone with the technical, design and marketing skills to create, launch and market her website.
Enter Creative Revolution.
When we came on board in the early stages of the project, Vicki already had a designer, but we identified the need for the logo design to not just look pretty, but to be purposeful as well. It was our first immersion into the Toto Australia experience, which ultimately became the most complex and satisfying project we have ever undertaken.
The Creative Revolution team are more than just web developers, so we were able to deliver a full end-to-end web application for a startup like Toto Australia, who needed comprehensive advice and support. We provided creative solutions in several key areas, all of them integral to the overall success of the project.
It’s always hard to tell a client when something they are doing isn’t quite working, but getting the company logo right is so important. So we stepped in as creative directors of the logo design process. This was part of a broader brand strategy process, which we implemented across the board in partnership with graphic designer Chelsea Koetsveld of Switched on Graphic Design.
We also suggested a name change, and guided the client in the selection a short, single word unique name that would resonate with dog owners and be easy to remember. Remember “The Wizard of Oz”? Toto is the name of another roadtripping dog that needed to find somewhere to stay! While we can't claim credit for the idea itself, we're pretty proud of the strategic and creative direction that lead to the name. Toto is cute and clever, as well as being resonant for the product and target audience.
We don’t just build websites, we also work hard to deliver all-encompassing website strategies that drill right down to look at audience profiles and user experience stories. This gives us highly detailed knowledge of who our target audience is, enabling us to build websites that solve the problems which are unique to our visitors.
It was important to consider the experience that end users would have on the site, and to make the booking process as simple and convenient as possible. We also thought a lot about property owners, and what their needs would be. We compared this data with similar sites from competitors, in order to determine Toto’s unique value proposition.
Getting into the nitty gritty of the project, Creative Revolution developed the web application from the ground up using the Drupal content management system. This allowed us to create a fully customised user experience, with a dashboard for users. With the back end all set up, we were able to import the all-important data.
This stage of the process involved the integration of 2000 property records, through a third-party API. The web design phase was fluid and dynamic, as we adapted to new developments as the overall concept evolved. We embraced the flow of new information and ideas as the website was developing, which made the end result stronger.
We worked closely with Vicki on the strategy for launching the brand (Archie wasn’t much help by this stage). This involved coming up with a strategy for social media, and brainstorming the ways in which the Toto Australia brand could connect directly with its potential target audience and spread the word through social networking.
At the back end, we also focused on SEO optimisation and a Google Ads campaign. We also incorporated dynamic retargeting, to personalise advertisements based on previous behaviour. With regular website updates planned, we also set sales targets and budgets for the first 12 months after the launch, as the brand continues to grow.
The brand launch marketing campaign is rolling out in November 2018, just in time for the summer holidays in Australia. Our communications will be targeted at holiday-makers who wish to travel with their pets, and the website will help solve the problem of booking pet-friendly accommodation during the peak travel time of the year.
The results have been swift and stunning. At the time of launch, the website already has almost 2000 properties listed thanks to the third-party integration. As the website grows and the industry becomes much more responsive to pet owners, we know that the listings for pet-friendly accommodation will continue to increase.
We launched with a fully formed brand that was strong and purposeful. At the forefront of this is an attractive, high-end website with a fully-functional application for booking and property management. Toto’s online presence was designed to be as user-friendly as possible for property owners, and for holiday-makers like Archie’s mum, Vicki.
We are anticipating a very favourable response to the Toto Australia website, as it solves a unique problem for pet owners. Our focus on a seamless end user experience has been enhanced by an innovative platform for instant payments, which has been built into the website. This is great for property owners, and convenient for customers.
What makes this project so satisfying – and so resoundingly successful – is the partnership we developed with the client. We provided extensive guidance and support the entire way through, evolving with the project while bringing the skills and expertise to conceive of the many of the website's features.
Our relationship with the client was as dynamic as the website we were developing. Both parties trusted in each other and the process, which meant being open to new ideas. This dynamic came up with the creative goods – for example Creative Revolution devised the “Paw Rating” system and Vicki put forward the idea of having “Puppy Profiles” on the site.
Ultimately, Creative Revolution was able to partner with Vicki to ensure that this amazing concept could come to life, through the exchange of ideas, skills and expertise. There is nothing more satisfying than overseeing a project like this from beginning to end, and to think of all the pet owners across Australia who will benefit from all of the hard work and creativity that went on behind the scenes.
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