E-commerce Branding: DPCTED Apparel
DPCTED.com was a clothing retailer specializing in humorous, sometimes scandalous, shirts and hoodies that celebrated bearded, chubby, and tattooed people everywhere. During the brand's heyday, clothing was advertised in Inked Magazine and sold in stores like Spencer's Gifts.
Inked Magazine
This is a full-page advertisement that ran in Inked Magazine promoting the brand. The models were all volunteers from the St. Louis, MO, US area who had never modeled before.
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A second full-page advertisement ran in Inked Magazine later the same year, ahead of Black Friday promotions.
Brand Guidelines
Part of DPCTED’s success was in its consistent branding. Authentic DPCTED Apparel adhered to strict typography rules, as shown in these samples from the brand’s design guidelines.
Direct Mail Promotion
When DPCTED launched their clothing for dogs, a postcard was mailed to everyone who had previously ordered apparel.
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The postcard was also mailed to pet stores and groomers across the country.
In addition to direct-mail postcards promoting dog clothing, similar postcards were sent to retail outlets to expand the brand's in-store footprint.
Additional Promotions
One way we increased sales was by including a coupon with each order. The coupons were printed in-house and included 20% off the customer's next purchase.
In addition to coupons, we would include rubber band bracelets, which were very trendy at the time.
DCPTED Apparel became a multi-million dollar brand and a cult favorite among those who were unapologetic about being their bearded, chubby, tattooed, pierced, awesome selves.